Next Fritz in the Movies Post: Mein Name ist Bach

[selenak]

Mein Name ist Bach is a Swiss movie (to be even more precise: a Swiss-French-German coproduction) which premiered in 2003. What it's about: a fictional rendering of the May 7th 1747 meeting of Friedrich II. and the Bach, Johann Sebastian. Co-starring JSB's two sons, Friedemann and Carl Philip Emmanuel (who has a steady, if not very well paid job with Fritz), and Amalie (representing all the Hohenzollern sibs except for Wilhelmine) and therefore having a far worse relationship with Fritz than in rl). Fritz is played by Jürgen Vogel, Bach by Vadim Glowna, Amalie by Karoline Herfurth, Friedemann by Anatole Taubmann and Carl Emmanuel by Paul Herwig. Quantz: Philippe Vuillemier. Director: Dominique de Rivaz. Bavarian fellow director Detlev Buck has a cameo as a customs officer, and Michel Cassagne as Voltaire at the very end of the movie. (When he arrives in Prussia three years too early.) The movie has Hohenzollern dysfunction meet Bach family drama and is focused on the emotional push and pull between Fritz and (JS) Bach. (Both trying to gain the psychological upper hand throughout the majority of the movie; Fritz starts by challenging Bach with a theme and a commission that he believes to be impossible to fulfill, Bach retaliates by not only rising to the composition challenge (via the "Musical Offering") but creating a situation where Fritz is not able to play it with his flute). It also deals with art versus power, art with power questions, and while mostly playing its drama straight has some surreal, even farcical touches now and then.

The Fritz characterisation is that of jerk woobie, with strong emphasis on the jerk, but there are intensely explored woobie moments, too. Bach learns at the start of the movie that he's going blind and is dealing (or not) with said news throughout the film, though he only tells his family near the end, and it influences his actions both towards his sons and towards Fritz somewhat, but in general, he's the model of a confident, fair minded artist and patriarch, and that Fritz both wants to adopt him as a so much preferable Dad and best him (because grr, argh, fathers) makes for the push and pull between the two main characters. Simultanously, there are several intermingling subplots going on: the Bach family plays out something of a prodigal son drama, i.e. Carl Philip Emmanuel, who is the "good", hard working son, Friedemann as the rebellious artist and bad boy who however both sons believe to be loved more by their father. Meanwhile, as mentioned the Hohenzollerns do a replay of their dysfunctional past, as Fritz treats Amalie the way his father has treated him, complete with verbal and physical abuse, and Amalie preparing a secret escape plan which gets foiled. The Amalie/Friedemann affair is one of the connections between the two plots; another is the question of the role of the artist, as all the characters, including the two Hohenzollern siblings, are gifted in this regard.

And last but not least: the movie does deserve credit for presenting Fritz unambiguously as gay, both in dialogue (in his inner monologue, he refers to Katte as his lover), and in action (both towards Goltz, the amalgan figure taking over both Fredersdorf's and Eichel's rl roles, and towards Friedemann in one scene. (I'll get the scenes in detail.) To my knowledge, it's the first movie to do so. What is utterly lacking (leaving aside some orders Fritz gives to Goltz regarding "Austria and its whore") is Fritz the politician and magnificent bastard. (Which makes it a great contrast to the Fritz depiction in Sachsens Glanz und Preußens Gloria, which is All Magnificent Bastard All The Time (doesn't even lose his cool in military defeat, solely if you kill his dog, then it's Scouring of Saxony time) and an even greater to the Fridericus Rex series of the Weimar Republic and then the Third Reich days.

On to the screencaps and jerkass woobie scenes analysis/detail. As far as I can telll, the producers must have secured permission to film at Sanssouci, too, though you see far less of it since part of the subplot is that it's nearly finished and Fritz personal household and court is about to move there. So most of the action takes place at the older Potsdam Hohenzollern palace and in Carl Emmanuel's house, most of which I suspect to be studio constructions. Otoh you can tell this is no tv production, the lighting is more cinematic - and uses actual candlelight a lot; otoh, the wigs are something to behold and are, err, less than authentic. Someone liked the punkier versions of Mozart's wigs in Amadeus a lot.



Quantz playing with Amalie, whose musical teacher (in additon to being Fritz' teacher) he is in this film. He's also presented as Bach's old friend.




Amalie, like I said, is the only one of the siblings to show up in this movie, and the only other sib mentioned is Wilhelmine (in the big climactic scene when Fritz tells Bach all about his backstory trauma). There is no indication in the movie Fritz has siblings other than these two, and the relationship between him and Amalie is presented as very hostile, with him roleplaying FW when with her (that is definitely the not so subtext). So basically she's also Heinrich and AW in addition to being herself.



Jürgen Vogel as Fritz:




Bach gets presented by Fritz with his theme that Bach's supposed to improvise on. The periwig Bach is wearing here looks downright plausible compared to later versions. Incidentally, Bach wearing the old fashioned periwig as opposed to everyone else does signal something about the generational difference. (And of course fits with his portraits.) By contrast, Voltaire stuck with the Louis XIV style periwig simply because he thought it worked better for him than the later style wigs as far as I know, and he may have been right.




For about 23 minutes into the movie, Fritz has been presented as a jerk. Then the first woobie moment happens, ironically enough while a soldier is whipped for desertion, Fritz sits watching in the rain on a horse, broods and flashes back to Katte's execution and to his headless corpse. This is when his inner monologue in German - arguing with the late FW that he and his lover Katte have done nothing to be ashamed of - is slightly but significantly different from the English subtitles.







For example, when Fritz in his inner monologue addresses dead FW as "Vater und Herr", the subtitles only say "father", instead of "Father and Lord/Master" (can't decide between the two possible translations for "Herr" in this context, so I'm giving you both). Here's the complete text:

Yes, most merciful King, father and lord. I, Friedrich, Crown Prince of Prussia, must be present at the execution of my lover, Lieutenant Katte.

(German word is "Liebhaber", which, as I said, is unambigous, as opposed to "Freund" ("Friend"). It's also an interesting choice on the part of the script since it's the active noun as opposed to "Geliebter" (Beloved). No idea whether I'm overthinking this due to fandom or whether the scriptwriter wants to imply Katte topped. ;) )

Lieutenant Katte is to be die via beheading at dawn.

(Subtitles "Is to be beheaded at dawn" which sounds more fluent and less stiff, but the implication is that Fritz is reciting the execution order here from memory and that certainly was written in clumsy bureaucratic German.)

Katte and I have not offended against honour, Father and Lord/Master. My life is not so dear to me -

(Subtitle version: "I do not cling to life")

- becoming King is not so dear to me -

(Subtitle version: "I do not want to become King")

...he doesn't finish that last sentence, it's incomplete in German, just keeps staring into the rain while the deserter is getting punished and we cut to the Bachs having their own family drama chez Carl Philip Emmanuel.

Anyway, there is a significant difference in the last two lines between subtitle and original. The subtitles completely lose the implication that Fritz is mentally composing a plea for mercy for Katte to FW, as the obvious end of that sentence is "- not as dear to me as Katte's life". And there's a significant difference in characterisation between not wanting to become King at all, or wanting to give up something he basically aspires to and sees as his right if it would spare his lover.




Amalie's short affair with Friedemann Bach in this movie is entirely fictional, but the film does show her passion for music itself and deep admiration for all three Bachs. Here she's asking JSB for his autograph:




Here she's listening to Friedemann and Emmanuel playing a duet together:




The movie has its excentricities, one of which comes when Fritz shows Bach the Czarina's - in 1747, that would be Elisaveta - present, a camel, and they actually ride it from the old Potsdam palace to the Sanssouci building site.




Fritz in this film isn't depicted nearly as often with dogs as he's in Sachsens Glanz und Preußens Gloria - at a guess, the actor wasn't as comfortable with them? - but there's one Italian greyhound often around, called Amore, and she's featured in the scene where Fritz has the dialogue he had in rl with D'Argens with Bach, complete with trying out his tomb (with a dog) and saying the "Quand j'erais ici, je erais sans souci" line, in French.









This shows Vogel actually has the right size for Fritz, btw, most of the other male actors are taller than him. Tomb trying out is a bit too much for Bach who takes his leave at this point to play at the Garnison Church, with the result that Fritz comes after him and actually shows up at the church concert. I included this shot because it shows the outside of the Sanssouci main biulding before the terrace was finished, and comparing it with my photo of where the tomb is actually located, this reconstruction has the right distance:



Concert time again, and now Bach's periwig has gone punk:




Bach hands over his composition that forms the core of the "Musical Offering/Musikalisches Opfer", the "King's Theme":



And now we get to the next big woobie sequence interrupting Fritz the jerk, at around 1.06. Fritz is dictating his not quite abolition but severe limitation on the use of torture in the middle of the night to an exhausted Goltz who, like I said, seems to be take over the rl roles of both Fredersdorf and Eichel, and - something I couldn't appreciate back in the day - seems to have stolen Heinrich's wig:





Something the movie gets right is Fritz' constant insomnia problem, during which he either is shown playing the flute or working, like here. Goltz at last pleads exhaustion due to it being 3 am.



Which Fritz takes as a signal to trauma role play. The true emotional sucker punch is of course that he doesn't play his younger self, no, he plays Katte (while Goltz has to play Fritz). Goltz protests at first with "you know this isn't good for you" but then gives in, and Fritz plays Katte and the moment where Katte agrees to flee with him:





Text sample, from when the audience realises Fritz won't play himself, he'll play Katte, which is again where the English subtitles tone it down, for they only have him say "I breathe in you". In the original he says "Du bist ich. Ich lebe in dir", which I'd translate as "You are me. I live in you", not "I breathe in you" - "leben" = "live", not "breathe" (which would be "atmen"), no need to get more poetical, and since Fritz is rp Katte, not himself, adressing Goltz as Fritz, him saying "I live in you" certainly is more poignant.

(BTW, he's using "Du" not "Sie", but then he's also adressing Goltz as Goltz with "Du" earlier. Otoh Goltz after his initial refusal switching from the formal mode to address to "Du" signals he's accepted the rp.)


Now, one and a half years ago, as mentioned, I didn't know yet much about the Fritz/Fredersdorf relationship and so when Mildred and I had our original discussion of this scene, I didn't quite agree with Mildred's complaint that the movie by replacing Fredersdorf with the fictional Goltz simultanously also alters the relationship to something that's far less mutual, that movie!Goltz comes across as just tired and wishing this would be over in this scene. Many a book later, I've changed my opinion and agree with her. The movie doesn't give the impression that Fritz cares about Goltz as Goltz, and while it's impossible to say how much or little Goltz cares (he does seem to be somewhat crushed in a later scene when Fritz is sarcastic towards him at Sanssouci and says just because he's the spymaster doesn't mean he means anything, he in other scenes usually keeps a concerned and sympathetic eye on Fritz), this still makes for a far different relationship than the one coming across from the Fritz/Fredersdorf letters.


Next: Fritz and Bach as hobbits. Aka the emotinal jiu-jitsu has given way to actually confiding in each other:



Enough so that Fritz at last talks about his backstory trauma (not just Katte - Dad in his entirety, and the loss of Wilhelmine due to him):





Bach is sympathetic, but still has no intention of becoming a permanent fixture in Berlin, because look, Fritz, he has his own family drama going on (he's worrying that he didn't do right by his sons might have involuntarily ruined their lives) and is going blind. Being nicely turned down in his request for adoption is still being turned down, and so Fritz is in an extra bitchy mood when coming across Amalie, dressed as a man, and Friedemann in the stables. Amalie - who looks great in Prussian uniform, so if anyone wants to know how Wilhelmine in the getaway sequence from "Fiat Justitia" would have looked, somewhat like this - wants to run away with Friedemann. Friedemann is somewhat more realistic and also, as he tells her, attached to his head and very aware how running away with royals adventures end in her family. They do still have sex and that's when Fritz makes his presence known:



Friedemann (off screen) protests he's not the guy to go steady with for a princess:




Profile shot:



Making out (Amalie is now wigless):



And Fritz shows up to tell her she'll never be a guy and a Princess of Prussia is a valuable commodity. Now remember, Fritz and Amalie suposedly looked a lot alike. In the rest of the movie, this isn't true for the actors, but here it just about works:



And then we get, tragic backstory and roleplay aside, the slashiest scene in the film. Have a direct dialogue transcription:


Amalie: *while leaving*: Coward. *note: it's not clear whether she means Fritz or Friedemann, who has earlier refused to run away with her, but Fritz clearly takes it to mean himself as what he says is a reply to her*

Fritz *speaking in her departing direction*: A Prussian Princess is an item in the market that's supposed to bring in money. The market sets the price and not an organist from the provinces.

*walks towards a horse, with his back turned to Friedemann, but now adressing him*

Fritz: Friedemann Bach. Your music is higher valued than mine. Congratulations.

*cut to Friedemann, listening*

Fritz: Nethertheless, whether you like it or not -

*he turns around, now looking at Friedemann, starting to walk towards him with the following words*

Fritz: Your music is no match for that of your father, and it never will be.

(*note: Fritz is using knowledge gained from his last conversation with J.B. Bach here who when Fritz confessed his own father issues confided in turn he's worried about what he's been doing to his sons by dooming them to follow him in the same profession*)

*now starts the circling around Friedemann closer and closer walk*

I envy you. To inherit such musical know how without having to lift a finger! You just bend over and pull it out of the stores.

*with his next word, he switches the mode of address from "Sie" to "Du" while stopping toe to toe, face to face to Friedemann*

You can be doubly grateful to your father. Without him, this adventure would get you the punishment for deserters - 300 lashes for three days. One survives that. But somewhat... weakened.

*with the last word, he starts circling Friedemann again*

Friedemann: I'm grateful.

*Fritz stops, standing still, with his back to Friedemann, but still standing very close*

Friedemann: To my father.

*now Friedemann takes a step closer to Fritz, lowering his voice*

Friedemann: But above all to your majesty.





Fritz: Friedemann Bach. Bold in music and reckless in love. Free.

*he turns around towards Friedemann*

Fritz: A freedom we could have shared.

*moves closer to Friedemann, definitely close enough to kiss*

Fritz: in music and... who knows.

Friedemann: You honor me, your majesty. *now he's doing the circling around Fritz walk, and once he's completed the circle, he puts his hands on Fritz' cheeks and cradles his face; Fritz just stares at him, wide-eyed*

Friedemann *still speaking softly and close enough to kiss*: They say that you play your flute after your battles, surrounded by corpses.

* abruptly pulls his hands back and smiles; yep, Friedemann is that kind of a bastard in this movie*

Fritz *stunned*: You will leave us. Quickly and without delay.

Friedemann: *strolls away, while fictional servant Goltz arrives*




And now, near the end, the move to Sanssouci has happened. Now, remember how in "Sachsens Glanz und Preußens Gloria", they used the ballroom from the Neues Palais as Fritz' audience room/office in one of the scenes with Fredersdorf? Here, they use one of the audience rooms as Fritz' bedroom for the scene in which he disses Goltz (while preparing to have his medical treatment, hence him lying semi-naked on the bed:




And lastly, as the Bachs (that is, JSB and Friedemann) are leaving Brandenburg, they encounter a new arrival en route in the very final scene, who is interrogated by the same customs officer who let them in:

Comments

[landofnowhere]

Wow -- I appreciate this labor of love! And the random camel!

[selenak]

The random camel wasn't even the most surreal moment in this movie. :) You're welcome. BTW, if you want another screencap orgy about a related subject, here's one, about a tv two parter called Der Thronfolger, which also was briefly on YouTube but which I then acquired on DVD and thus could rewatch and review at my leisure.