Summer of the Jugglers - DVD

Film: Marcus H. Rosenmüller is undoubtedly one of Germany's busiest filmmakers. Having already shown us Summer in Orange, he now takes us to Summer of the Jugglers, a blend of comedy, folk play, baroque theatrical drama and musical based on historical events.

In the summer of 1780, Emanuel Schikaneder's (Max von Thun) theater troupe gets stuck in a small mountain village near the Austrian border. Although Schikaneder lacks money, the right idea for a new play, and a permit to play in Salzburg, he always keeps up appearances and lives far beyond his means with his entourage, which his wife Eleonore (Lias Maria Potthoff) watches with concern. A dispute between the local miners and the miserly mine owner Paccoli (Erwin Steinhauer), in the course of which the simple worker Georg Vester (Maxi Schafroth) is involuntarily elevated to the position of leader of the resistance, and the secret love between Vester and Paccoli's daughter Babette (Anna Maria Sturm) provide Schikaneder with sufficient inspiration for a new play. But when events overturn and a rebellion ignites not only among the miners but also among Emanuel's troupe, the ensemble director must resort to a new ruse. An open-air performance, scheduled at short notice, is supposed to smooth the waters again, especially since no one less than Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is supposed to appear as the guest of honour. But whether this will really settle the turbulence seems doubtful.

Although Rosenmüller always remains true to his Bavarian homeland in his films, he cannot really be accused of one-sidedness. In the films he has released since his surprise hit Wer früher stirbt, ist länger tot, the filmmaker has displayed tremendous versatility, which continues in Sommer der Gaukler. With sometimes dry, sometimes somewhat crude humour, a deliberately over-the-top performance by lead actor Max von Thun in particular, some very surprising and somewhat offbeat musical interludes and a coherent baroque set, the story of the legendary actor, theatre director, poet and singer Emanuel Schikaneder can hardly be compared with any other film from Rosenmüller's oeuvre to date.

He skillfully blends fact and fiction to create a film that pleases with good actors and some very nice ideas. But there is a shortcoming that diminishes the overall impression, which is quite positive in itself. Because somehow Summer of the Jugglers with its different plot levels and the multifaceted staging style seems a bit indecisive on the one hand, but on the other hand also overloaded. While some scenes work really well and offer great show and entertainment value, other moments come across as too overwrought and somewhat strained, which could sometimes put the nerves of the audience to a hard test.

What makes Summer of the Jugglers worth seeing is on the one hand the artistic versatility that the director displays here, but also the joy of playing of the coherently selected ensemble of actors and the mountain landscape captured in beautiful images. Nevertheless, the ambitious work is nowhere near as mass-compatible as the recent Summer in Orange, and will probably appeal to a small niche audience. But for those who appreciate historical cinema of a slightly quirkier kind, Summer of the Jugglers could provide two enjoyable hours. Worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: As only a press sample was available for testing, the final picture + sound quality can not be evaluated at this point. But already with the sample convinced the picture but a good detail sharpness and very strong colors and also the sound left a good impression with its well-tuned mix of dialogues, music and smaller surround effects. Therefore, can also be assumed for the final product of a satisfactory technical implementation.

Extras: The bonus material of the DVD is quite clear, but worth seeing turned out. It starts with a nearly 20-minute making of, which, in addition to the usual film clips and interviews, also takes a look at the rehearsals. It continues with an amusing interview that the three main actors have with each other (approx. 6 min.), as well as some nice outtakes (approx. 4 min.) and the trailer for the film. Good!

Conclusion: Summer of the Jugglers is another testament to the versatility of Marcus H. Rosenmüller. Even if his mix of historical drama, comedy, musical and Heimatfilm doesn't come across quite as crowd-pleasing as Wer früher stirbt ist länger tot or Summer in Orange, the bottom line is that this look at the encounter between Emanuel Schikaneder and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1780 turns out to be very entertaining, charming and amusing. With nice extras as an encore, this DVD can therefore be warmly recommended especially to all Rosenmüller fans!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp