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Der grosse Sommer

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Wikipedia article


{{Infobox film

| name = Der Grosse Sommer

| image = Der grosse Sommer - CH kino poster January 2016 for EN-WP.jpg

| caption = Mathias Gndinger and Loc Sho Gntensperger on the film poster for the Swiss cinemas

| director = Stefan Jger

| producer = Katrin Renz

| writer = Theo Plakoudakis
Marco Salituro

| starring = Mathias Gndinger
Loc Sho Gntensperger

| music = Angelo Berardi

| cinematography = Knut Schmitz

| editing = Robin Wenger

| distributor = Impuls Pictures AG

| released =

| runtime = 100 minutes

| country = Switzerland
Japan

| language = Swiss German

| budget =

}}

'Der grosse Sommer' is a Swiss-German language film that was released in Switzerland on 28 January 2016. Produced partly in Japan, it is the last film starring Mathias Gndinger.

Cast



* Mathias Gndinger as Anton Sommer

* Gilles Schyvens-Gndinger, as young Sommer

* Loc Sho Gntensperger, as Hiro Akima

* Reto Stalder, as Hofer

* Monica Gubser

* Sonja Riesen

* Hanspeter Mller-Drossaart

* Mitsuko Baisho

* Tomio Suga

Plot (excerpt)



'Anton Sommer' (Mathias Gndinger) is retired and lives quietly in the countryside. Once a popular Swiss wrestler, Sommer now tinkers with his bottle ships and wants to be left alone. However, 'Hiro' (Loc Sho Gntensperger) does not respect Sommer's seclusive live. When Hiro's grandmother, the owner of Sommer's apartment, unexpectedly dies, the boy asks Sommer to accompany him to the south of Japan where Hiro intends to attend a school for Sumo wrestlers. Sommer does not intend to fulfill Hiro's wish, concluded with his past. But the little boy is just as stubborn as Sommer; after Hiro threatens him with terminating his lease, the old man fulfills the boy's wish. Sommer leaves Switzerland for the first time in his life, and the two travel to Japan to start developing a strong friendship.

Title



The title of the film refers to the German surname 'Sommer', and to the German word for "summer". The term 'gross' (meaning "tall") refers to the protagonist's stature, and also to "great".

Production



on the promotional film poster during the production

Mathias Gndinger died on 3 April 2015, but the filming in Switzerland and Japan was finished in autumn 2014, thus as of April 2015 the post production works not yet finished. 'Tellfilm' decided to release the film in '(late) summer 2015' instead of 2016 as planned and again re-scheduled. The film was released in Switzerland on 28 January 2016. The script bases on two intense research trips to Japan. The production is supported by the Swiss Federal Office of Culture, the Zrich Film Foundation and the so-called Migros 'Kulturprozent'.

The production works in Japan were documented by 10vor10, and Gndiger was absolutely fascinated by the old Japanese tradition, and his ten-year-old co-star 'Loc Sho' of Swiss-Japanese origin. Gndinger was told to get in touch with the Swiss wrestling ('Schwingen') just one time as a boy. Ursula Gndinger assisted her husband at the production works as make-up artist. Gndinger's son Gilles plays 'Sommer' as a young man.

Festivals



* 2016: Solothurner Filmtage, Solothurn, Switzerland.

Release



The Swiss comedy premiered on 14 December 2015 in Tokyo, on 23 January at the 2016 Solothurn Film Festival in Europe, and started in the Swiss cinemas on 28 January 2016.

Home media



The film was released under the title 'Der grosse Sommer' in the DVD format (RC2) on 25 August 2016. The home release includes language versions in German and Swiss German, and subtitles in English, French, Italian, Japanese and German.

References




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