Die Schweizermacher (1978) Poster

(1978)

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8/10
A wonderful Swiss film
zozon-129 December 2006
A very nice Swiss film, a comedy with genuine Swiss characters. The film proves in a wonderful way the opposite of the cliché about the Swiss humour.

The film is nowadays, nearly 30 years after its production, more actual than ever, disclosing a lot of the hidden intolerance of our Swiss mainstream community against everything which does not fit into what this community expects to be "Swiss behaviour".

The story is about how people can get Swiss citizenship. It is not exaggerated at all! (I as well had to enjoy this procedure few years ago, with the local police officers, coming into our house, checking what we where eating, asking us what we think about the Swiss Army, where do we go for shopping, talking to the neighbourhood, etc.).

I love this film.
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8/10
I loved it, and I'm proud to be Swiss
Ilde20 August 2003
This Film is very funny, it presents all the good and bad things of Switzerland: banks, watches, kindness, be neutral, be a bit closed minded and with a great attaccement to the traditions. The Story is very simple, we follow 2 people that must decide if some stranger can get the Swiss nationality. Full of amusing situation, with a strange love story, and full of "clichées" about swiss, italian, german,... people that can always bring a smile on the audience. It's the most popular Swiss film ever made, with about 1 Million visitors, it's a little number for the world movies, but very big for our country. Very amusing for all who knows a bit of the european culture or Switzerland
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8/10
Simple little comedy but very topical
bjacob14 January 2019
Hilarious with several laugh-out-loud moments, it's a biting satire on a topic that was unknown to me until recently. Simple, unpretentious, even unambitious, but extremely enjoyable, and a time capsule of the 70s.
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6/10
The Swissmakers : A Rolf Lyssy film about a man who creates new Swiss citizens.
FilmCriticLalitRao16 November 2013
The idea of an object and its creator is important to ascertain their relationship. It is important as a lot is spoken about the creator who is solely responsible for giving life to his creation. It is with this idea in mind that Swiss director Rolf Lyssy decided to shoot an intelligent film about people who are involved in "making Swiss people". One might wonder how people can be made ? The Swissmakers presents a very macho yet safe view about people who recommend names of persons who would be granted Swiss citizenship to become Swiss citizens. As Switzerland is a prosperous nation, certain guidelines have been prepared by Swiss government in order to discipline foreigners/immigrants. One can be sure that if watched with alert eyes, viewers can learn how bureaucracy can meddle with ordinary people's lives. If things are bad for some people then it can make a real mess of their cherished dreams of becoming Swiss citizens. The Swissmakers is more than 38 years old but it continues to exercise tremendous influence on all those who would like to call Switzerland their new home.
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10/10
Becoming Swiss
Jery_Kilker28 October 2007
As an American living in France and working in Switzerland during the early 1980s, I'd often stop at the border and chat with a friendly Swiss customs/immigration officer. One morning, he asked me if I'd seen 'Die Scweizermacher' and, with a smile, recommended it to me. Accepting this as an 'official' and informed recommendation, I soon saw the film. It was in German with the other 3 official languages as subtitles but, because the lead character is played by Emile, the famous circus clown, and the stories within the film are so stereotypical, understanding it is no problem. (The film was shown one year in New York City at the Swiss Cultural Center on lower Broadway but seems not to be known in the US.) Besides the traditional European nationalities being screened for Swiss citizenship, the film fades on an American who bops into the office making the same request. For those who appreciate the Swiss — and who marvel at current US immigration procedures — this film is a gem!
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7/10
Hilarious and biting political satire
Billiam-46 March 2022
Hilarious and biting political satire is mainly intended as a vehicle for the popular comedian Emil Steinberger, whose humor hits the point here, but may be a challenge for a foreign audience; to this day, the most successful Swiss film.
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10/10
One of the fine swiss movies
soundcheckinstitute3 November 2010
The movie is still very up to date in terms of migration background and the difficulties of integrating. If the movie would be shot today it would definitely lack the political incorrectness, which is the essence of it all. Of course some of the finest swiss actors participate, giving it a unique touch One of my absolute all-time top favorite movie, and certainly one of those flicks you can watch over and over again.....play it again Sam. Oh yes a few other highlights of swiss flicks: Der schwarze Tanner, Höhenfeuer, Sonnyboy, and of course just recently released Sennentuntschi. Especially Sennentuntschi a combination of Thriller, Mysthic, and bloody Facts will be kept in mind.
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10/10
Fantastic movie !
annehs2 November 2006
For anyone who lives in Switzerland, this is a must-see.

It's true although exaggerated (sometimes !), very funny, touching, and just well made.

It brings to the fore all the foibles of the Swiss, strengths and weaknesses, and it's just a great movie to watch.

It's romantic too !

I highly recommend it to anyone who lives in or has lived in Switzerland, including all Swiss !!!

Emil is wonderful in it too, and I wish he had made more films, he is perfect in this role.

I sometimes have a hard time buying it since it's getting old, but I've found it a few times and given it to friends.

Get your copy now, if you can.
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9/10
Touching,funny and satirical
zutterjp4826 June 2019
Two officials must decide if some foreigners living in Switzerland can get the Swiss nationality. I envoyed very much this film because it is full of tenderness, humour and critical sense. It's also the most popular Swiss film ever made: it was seen and appreciated in all the parts of Switzerland. A part of this success is due to the performance of Emil Steinberger as Moritz Fischer, the new assistant.Emil Steinberger (commonly called Emil in Switzerland) is a very famous comic comedian, for years he was stage-actor presenting his funny sketchs in Switzerland and Germany.Besides Emil Steinberger has worked as clown for many years in the Circus Knie and speaks perfectly French, so that the people of the French speaking part of Switzerland knows him quite well.
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4/10
Swiss immigration comedy from the 1970s
Horst_In_Translation14 September 2016
Warning: Spoilers
"Die Schweizermacher" or "The Swissmakers" is a 105-minute movie from Switzerland and this one came out in 1978, so it will soon have its 40th anniversary. For Swiss people, this is still one of their most known from the 1970s and a bit of a cult film. The writer and director is Rolf Lyssy and it is certainly his most known career effort, even if it is a work from relatively early in his career. And as the Swiss did not make too many films back then that ended up well-known way beyond their borders, it is also among the most known for pretty much all the cast members.

The story focuses on the men working inside an immigration agency and their daily challenges when working with immigrants and deciding if they should become Swiss citizens and working with them in order to achieve this natural "swissification". The most memorable character of the film, the grumpy Max Bodmer, is played by late actor Walo Lüönd and the film also is about him opening up to new cultures and influences from abroad the longer it goes. There are no really serious moments in here, so I would say that it is 100% comedy. But it's really not that often funny as it should be for a film of over 100 minutes, plus even as a native German speaker, you should get a good set of subtitles because of the thick Swiss accents. All in all, I don't recommend the watch here and I cannot share the praise this film has been receiving to this day. Very overrated in my opinion, it hasn't aged too well.
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8/10
Weirdos
wbybn11 September 2007
I'm a non-Switzy who lives in Switzerland (although not for very long yet), and I am uncertain about what this country is really like. Of course there are all the stereotypes about cleanliness and orderliness and blind adherence to the rules, but then there is the daily reality of what I see here (which isn't as neurotic as you would imagine). I really enjoyed Die Schweizermacher. It was funny and interesting and the characters were likable (except Bodmer, of course, who was so endearingly and reliably unlikeable). The man shooting pigeons and Bodmer going home every night to eat the dinner made by his mother were simple and inconspicuous ironies, and the friendly nature of the other cop (whose name I've forgotten) was a pleasing contrast. I can't help but believe, though, that it was all based in a murky and xenophobic truth about Switzies and that secretly nothing has changed. Aah the Swiss. They're so strange.
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3/10
na ja
sirildelosfuegos14 August 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Very well written and directed, but way too Swiss to my taste. The final scene with the saxiphone is brilliant. The 50 first minutes are laaaaame.
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