Schultze Gets the Blues (2003)

User Rating:

6.9/10   

Director:

Michael Schorr

Writer:

Michael Schorr (writer)

Release Date:

22 April 2004 (Germany)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Music

Tagline:

It's never too late to re-tune your soul

Plot:

Schultze is an accordion player and newly without work. When the local music club celebrates its 50th anniversary, his taste of music changes unexpectedly.

Plot Keywords:

Accordion | Zydeco | Accordion Player | Retirement | Bayou

Awards:

11 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Horst Krause	...	Schultze
Harald Warmbrunn	...	Jürgen
Karl-Fred Müller	...	Manfred
Ursula Schucht	...	Jürgen's Wife
Hannelore Schubert	...	Manfred's Wife
Erwin Meinicke	...	Skatspieler
Hans Hohmann	...	Skatspieler
Siegfried Zimmermann	...	Skatspieler
Maik Gustävel	...	Automaten-Monteur
Annegret Fritz	...	Wirtin
Wolfgang Boos	...	Gatekeeper
Werner Boche	...	Rasenpfleger
Dora Solter	...	Dame
Anna Spengler	...	Dame
Erika Kirchhof	...	Dame

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild language.

Runtime:

114 min | Argentina:114 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

Germany

Language:

German | English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:12 (canton of Zurich) | Australia:PG | Canada:PG (Ontario) | Germany:o.Al. | Netherlands:AL | USA:PG | Argentina:Atp | Sweden:7

Filming Locations:

Germany

Company:

Filmkombinat

Goofs:

Continuity: The number of chess pieces still lying on the board changes between shots.

Quotes:

Captain Kirk: [while hooking up Schultze's boat] I'm captain Kirk.

Movie Connections:

References Superman (1978)

Soundtrack:

Valse qui me porte en terre

Slow, not boring

This movie takes its time to develop. In more than one respect it reminded me of a Kaurismäki film. The landscape is depressing, the colors are not very bright, the shots are long and there is not much dialogue. And people seem only to come alive (whether it's in Germany or the US) when they're making music. There are moments of comedy but not many. Instead, you get to watch "everyday life" for a long time before something happens. And when it happens, it's not a dramatic turn or twist . . . It does not incite the characters to change completely . . . There is just a small change.

When you put all of this together, you get a very touching tale of humanity. A tale of friendship and loneliness. I think the characters are portrayed in a very life-like fashion (for example, when the loner Schultze travels to the US he is no more capable of socially connecting with people than he was in his hometown). You have to be patient with the story because there is no classic structure (exposition, story development, climax) . . . but I got really attached to the characters. There is a lot of loneliness in this film. But this is what makes it so attractive.