The Inventor
(Der Erfinder)
Screening on Film
Directed by Kurt Gloor.
With Bruno Ganz, Walo Lüönd, Verena Peter.
Switzerland, 1980, 35mm, color, 100 min.
German with English subtitles.
With Bruno Ganz, Walo Lüönd, Verena Peter.
Switzerland, 1980, 35mm, color, 100 min.
German with English subtitles.
Jakob (Ganz) is an obsessive inventor who lives in a Swiss village in the early years of the twentieth century. With the exception of his friend Otti (Lüönd), who is convinced that Jakob is a genius, most of his neighbors dismiss him as a harmless eccentric who loves to patch together odd bits. One day, he decides to invent a cart that would run not on roads but rather on its own treads, a development that could revolutionize the local farming industry. Director Kurt Gloor, who gained acclaim for his documentary work examining the social divides in Swiss society, constructs a compelling character who feels bound to provide a service to a world which has no use for him.
