However you find the "Club of Singing Butchers" in the end, one thing cannot be blamed for the film: that you have seen such things too often.
Even the list of creative people involved is curious: From the American novel "The Master Butchers Singing Club" (2003) by Louise Erdrich, the screenwriters Doris Dörrie and Ruth Stadler developed an emigrant history western musical, "Christiane F." - Director Uli Edel staged the material as a three-hour epic, and leading actor Jonas Nay ("Germany 86") composed a soundtrack with David Grabowski, which ranges from "Not a beautiful country" to "Banks of the Ohio" ,
The prologue even leads into the trenches of the First World War: there the German soldier Fidelis Waldvogel (Nay) promises a dying comrade to look after his fiancee. When he delivers the news of death to that Eva (Leonie Benesch) after his return to Swabian and the pregnant young woman sinks into his arms, he marries her. And because there is no future for the master butcher in the starving company of the parents, he decides to try his luck in the USA and to catch up with Eva and her son later.
Few words, a lot of singing
Although the soundtrack occasionally hooks into the protagonists' internal monologues, few pleasant words are said about all the existential decisions. This leads to a tight narrative pace and creates space for bizarre vocal performances: the men at table "Die Vogelhochzeit" ("Fidirallala") start to sing, for the wedding Fidelis sings solemnly "So take my hands", his departure for America will of course also go "Must i accompanied to the Städtele".
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ARD film: Whimsical western worldEquipped with his father's butcher knives and the family's secret sausage recipe, he ends up in the barren town of Argus, North Dakota, where two other German emigrants end up at the same time: the Hamburg artist Delphine (Aylin Tezel) and her drunkard father Robert (Sylvester Groth) , a sad clown.
While Fidelis immediately finds employment with the Polish butcher Kozka, the circus artists have less success - until the Lakota Cyprian (Vladimir Korneev) invites them to his hut and rehearses an acrobatic performance with Delphine. "Should we live here with the savages like this Karl May?" Says the father - and thus provides a good cue: In fact, there is a certain Karl May clinging to the action, which is not only due to the fact that the main location, a backdrop-like western cafe, was built especially for the shoot in Croatia, where the "Winnetou" films were also made.
"German Master Butcher"
It is also the naive purity of the main characters and the spoken narrative tone that make one think of the Saxon fabulous man. Delphine feels drawn to Fidelis, but would never make advances to the decent "German Master Butcher" after his wife has arrived. Rather, an intimate bond develops between the women.
There is a real fight when Fidelis competes with his sponsor Kozka with his own shop - but peace is soon made. A bigoted aunt who comes to Argus with Eva and the corrupt village sheriff who beset a Hungarian undertaker are basically the only characters with unfair intentions.
Because Fidelis still strangers to his new surroundings with language and customs - "Morge isch Independence Day", he explains to his wife in the most beautiful home idiom - he takes up the tradition of choral singing again. And so soon not only "Banks of the Ohio" but also "Not a beautiful country" and "Horch, what's coming in from outside, hollahiaho" will be intoned in a sociable multicultural group.
Home, migration, integration - there are of course current issues that are negotiated in the "Club of Singing Butchers". However, it would be too much to expect that the film, which was played 100 years ago and in some cases also in fairytale colors, which in the second half will become a drama of fate due to Eva's serious illness, will trigger profound reflections in this direction. The genre mix is more aptly classified as a quirky holiday event that offers unusual entertainment for the duration of its duration.
"The Club of Singing Butchers" , Friday, December 27th, 8:15 pm, ARD. Already in the ARD media library
