„THE VILLAGE CRY“ THE MOVIE ISSUE

In early 1977 Beat Presser and Rolf Paltzer decided to publish a „Movie Issue“. The first one to agree to be part of it was the Swiss movie maker Daniel Schmid. He just started to shoot his film „Violanta“ and he invited Beat Presser to come to Soglio to do a coverage for „TheVillage Cry“, No. 4.

Up in Soglio the photographer met with Daniel Schmid, Maria Schneider, Ingrid Caven, Lady Shiva, Lucia Bosé, photographer Roswitha Hecke, cameraman Renato Berta and an extremely energetic and motivated filmteam. While other preparations for the new issue were on it‘s way, Minas, a painter friend of Beat Presser called from Paris to announce that Klaus Kinski was working on a film together with French director Just Jaeckin in Paris.

Beat Presser travelled to Paris and photographed Klaus Kinski on the filmset of “Madame Claude”. This not only became the Cover Story of the „Movie Issue“, but it paved the way for Beat Presser to the collaboration with German film director Werner Herzog several years later.

EDITORIAL

Editor
Beat Presser

Publisher
Rolf Paltzer

Art Directors
Beat Presser, Rolf Paltzer

Technical Adviser
Ruedi Knoepfli

Details
10‘000 copies, 52 pages, black/white
size 28,5 x 40 cm on glossy paper
published in Basel, Switzerland
June/July 1977

Film director Daniel Schmid during the making of „Violanta“ in Soglio, Switzerland.

Photography: Beat Presser

Daniel Schmid, Bulle Ogier and Raul Gimenez (April 1977)

And an Interview by Freddy Buache (Cinemateque Lausanne) with Daniel Schmid

Violanta by Daniel Schmid

„Violanta“, based on the novel „Die Richterin“ by C.F. Meyer directed by Daniel Schmid, scénario by Daniel Schmid and Wolf Wondratschek, camera: Renato Berta, edited by Ila von Hasberg. décor by Raul Gimenez, costumes by Ursula Rodel, make up by Ronaldo Abreu, produced by Artcofilm SA/Condorfilm AG

Cast

Luçia Bosé (Violanta), Lou Castel (Silver), Gérard Depardieu (Simon) Maria Schneider (Laura), François Simon (Fortunat)

Locations

Porrentruy, Soglio, Venice

Advertisement.
Photography by Christian Vogt

Walter Pfeiffer for „Wizard and Genius“ (1971) starring Marilyn Monroe and James Dean

Alfred Hitchcock, the Master of Suspense photographed by H.P. Schmid

„Call Switzerland and reserve this page for an advertisement“

Self-advertisement for „The Village Cry“

Advertisment for Kern Film.

Film Company for Documentary Films (16mm and 35mm). Former employer of Beat Presser, before he started working as an Editor and Art Director for „The Village Cry“.

„BERG-e oder die Leiden des e-syphus“

Experimental film by Beat Presser based on Homer‘s Odysseus and the philosphical discours of Albert Camus „The myth of Sisyphus“.

Shot in autumn 1975 at the Fluelapass at 2500m altitude in Switzerland.

CREW

Actor: Ruedi Casty, Jörg B.
Scenario: Beat Presser and Stefan Burckhardt
Camera: Stefan Burckhardt
Director: Beat Presser
Editing: Ruedi Knöpfli, Beat Presser
Sound: Thomas Buser
Narrator: Jürg Bachmann
Script: Irène Fischer
Other crew members: Margritte Dürrenmatt, Christoph Fuchs, Marie-Louise Greville-Williams, Dominik Walter, Thierry Weidmann
Production: Beat Presser

FILM 16mm Beaulieu. Sound: Nagra Film shot in Color Negative. Length: 17min Film first shown at the Solothurn Filmfestival in 1976

Script and stills from the film „BERG-e oder die Leiden des e-syphus“ by Beat Presser

Ideas and texts for the experimental film „BERG-e oder die Leiden des e-syphus“

Phenakistikop (1832)

The Phenakistikop was an early animation device, the first instrument that could visualize entire movements. The double page was designed by „The Village Cry“ to create your own Phenakistikop.

By cutting out the design and mounting it on a hard stock paper one could create a nice looking disk. If one spins the disk and looks through the moving slits into a mirror one sees a man putting on and taking off his glasses or (right page) sees many wheels going in all directions.

Left

Design and drawings by Cornelia-Louise Ziegler

Right

Phenakistikop designed by Thomas Mayer based on an original by Eadweard Muybridge (1830-1904)

Advertisement for the fashion company TatToo. Starring Roberta, photographed by Doris Quarella

John Ford

American film director John Ford during the making of „Mogambo“ shot on different locations in Africa in 1953. Starring Clark Gable, Ava Gardener, Grace Kelly and Donald Sinden.

COVERSTORY

Klaus Kinski during the filming of „Madame Claude“ by Just Jaeckin in a castle outside Paris. All photographs taken by Beat Presser.

City Cinema, Basel.
Now demolished and replaced by an ordinary multi movie complex.

Photography by Ruedi Knoepfli.

These photographs of Klaus Kinski were taken by Beat Presser in the spring of 1977 near Paris during the making of „Madame Claude“.

Later in 1981 and 1987 Klaus Kinski and Beat Presser worked together during the films: „Fitzcarraldo“ and „Cobra Verde“ both directed by Werner Herzog.

Klaus Kinski, born as Klaus Gunther Nakszynski on October 18th 1926 in Zoppot, Poland.
Passed away on November 23rd 1991.

„Moments to remember“

The most important thing is to leave your camera at home when you go out looking for things to remember. Once you have found a suitable person or object approach it until you have the desired angle. Now close your eyes and concentrate. Now open eyes focus on subject and keep eyes open slightly or wide-open depending on light conditions. Close completely and go to the nearest photo lab. Under normal lab conditions you may now open your eyes a little. Chose paper grain and size and hold it closer or farther away according to the chosen angle. Now try to remember as best you can while glancing at the paper with one eye (for stereo pictures with both eyes). With the „moment remembered“ now on paper develop as usual. People with bad memory will be disappointed with the results.

„In Los Angeles“.
Short Story by Matthyas Jenny from the book „City straight up“