Badesalz: Das Baby mit dem Goldzahn - Der Film (2er-Disc Special Edition)
Film: For over two decades, Henni Nachtsheim and Gerd Knebel alias BADESALZ have been the figurehead for Hessian comedy. Their humor is whimsical, quirky and yet very close to the Hessian reality. With their live shows and comedy albums, BADESALZ have built up a loyal fan base that extends far beyond the borders of Hesse.
With their comedy fairy tale "Das Baby mit dem Goldzahn", Badesalz then ventured into new territory in 2004. The initially released CD, however, was received by fans with rather mixed feelings, and even the first stage performances of the play did not really cause storms of enthusiasm. But after some initial difficulties, the gentlemen on stage (Badesalz had brought Olaf Mill and Udo Schöbel on board as reinforcements) were finally able to transfer their joy in playing and improvising to the audience, and so "Das Baby mit dem Goldzahn" became a complete success after all. After a particularly successful performance, the idea came up to stage the whole thing as a trash movie. No sooner said than done: the adventures of little Lea were turned into a weird comedy fun at the Rhineland-Palatinate Open Air Museum in Bad Sobernheim, which is now available on DVD.
The film is set in a bleak future where stupidity reigns. The nasty ruler Rado wants to destroy any shred of intelligence. Universities are being converted into tattoo shops and schlager, the last bastion of the intelligent man, is being banned. Only BumBumRock will be allowed to be heard. There is only one way to save mankind from total stupidity and win the battle for Schlager: the baby with the gold tooth must be found, the tooth extracted and then thrown into the wishing well. Only one chosen one can master this difficult task: the courageous little Lea (Olaf Mill).
After having had not only positive experiences with their feature film "Abbuzze", Gerd Knebel and Henni Nachtsheim wanted to shoot their "Baby with the Golden Tooth" as self-sufficiently as possible, without a big studio and controlling producers breathing down their necks. Of course, this also brought with it some problems, especially when it came to financing. The budget for the comedy, which according to Henni Nachtsheim amounted to about 1/6 of what was spent on the catering at Bullys "Wickie", Badesalz raised in three ways: on the one hand sponsors were found, who are introduced in the credits of the film with very amusing clips. Secondly, two small guest roles were auctioned off on Ebay. And the rest of the costs came out of Gerd Knebel and Henni Nachtsheim's own pockets.
In addition, the two could rely on the help of a wide network that they have built up around them over the past 25 years. For example, the color post-production was done by a company for which Badesalz had worked on a short film some time ago. Director Daniel Acht also made his talent available at low cost. Finally, Badesalz had enhanced his work "Video Kings" with a guest appearance. This kind of give and take made "The Baby with the Golden Tooth" possible and a completely relaxed, anxiety-free project for all involved. Because without a controlling authority (producers, studio) breathing down their necks, improvisation, but also the courage for the imperfect could be lived out calmly. Gerd Knebel sees this as the strength of his work, both as a musician and as a comedian. Because only something broken, not perfect fills a work with life.
That the mood on the set was relaxed and, as Henni Nachtsheim described it, seemed more like on a class trip, is quite positive to the film. "Das Baby mit dem Goldzahn" is quirky, trashy, bizarre and just plain funny. The humor is certainly not for mainstream tastes. The typical Badesalz joke moves on its own level. And that doesn't open up to everyone. In this film the whole thing is a little more extreme, a little more twisted. But even if not all the jokes work and some scenes are really a bit silly, the film has numerous successful moments, especially for fans, which bring tears to your eyes with laughter. Olaf Mill alone as "kleine" Lea in his little yellow dress is such an absurd sight that always makes you laugh. Henni Nachtsheim as a tree trunk, Gerd Knebel as a Schlager god, an amusing guest appearance by Ottfried Fischer, a small foray through some of the popular characters from over 20 years of Badesalz history and much more, fans also get their money's worth here.
"The baby with the gold tooth" is handmade comedy for fans who appreciate the very own Badesalz humor. An absurd as well as charming film pleasure, which stands out pleasantly from the smoothly ironed mainstream comedies of other German comedians. Whoever thought Helge Schneider made the most bizarre comedies is proven here: it can be even trashier! If that doesn't scare you off, you should definitely join little Lea on her search for the "baby-with-the-golden-tooth
