RICCO

120 min., 35mm
Language: German/SwissGerman/French
Subtitles: German or French

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International Filmfestival Locarno 2002
Solothurn Filmfestival 2003

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The film follows the traces of the painter Erich «Ricco» Wassmer (1915-1972) who grew up in a magical dreamworld, in his parents castle where numerous artists and writers frequented. Soon he travelled around the world twice as a sailor on a freighter. 1951 he settled in the castle of Bompré, Vichy, France, where some of his major works on literary topics were painted. 1963 the French police arrested him due to nude photographs of young men, which served as a basis of his work. A few years later, Ricco died in a Manoir in Ropraz, Switzerland on 27th March 1972.
The character of the painter is being looked at from different perspectives: in interviews with collectors, family members, former neighbours, ancient models and friends. Through reflections, the paintings are translated into impressive filmic images.
Riccos work has not experienced the attention it deserved during his lifetime for several reasons. He did not care for the commercial aspects of his art, the trend in painting pointing to a different direction in the decisive sixties. Ricco was never a «mainstream» artist and stayed an adventurer and an eccentric.

Christoph Geiser, January 2002:

On Riccos »Anthropotomy«, 1961
The literal meaning of anthropotomy modelled on lobotomy, a surgical treatment to tame insane people is human cut: the sliced up, skinned, bared human being. Our painter, though, is neither a surgeon nor a pathologist nor a butcher. Riccos paintings completely lack violence. The playful anatomy lesson away from dusty classrooms and clinical auditoriums, set in a landscape, on a meadow, as if to remind us that we are part of nature, too, for nature does not dismiss the human being has a touch of tenderness. The boy playing with a skeleton, as if taking measure, as if defining proportions to do a sketch, discovers what he himself actually is: all red inside, so very meaty and carnal; delicate flexible bones; covered with a soft and light, vulnerable and desirous skin all at the same time. He is his own model. The onlooker is the light, slightly caressing his back: it streams out of the bodies, makes them beautiful and will, lastly, perish with them. The only thing that will endure is the frame, in the landscape, naked as naked can be. The rest will be consumed by nature.

On Riccos »Endymion«, 1954
Do not kiss awake, please!
Endymions dreamless sleep is a dream of time standing still, our dream of eternal youth. Therefore: Whoever loves Endymion may only breathe kisses for fear of startling him and make a fool of himself. The saying goes that Selene, the moon, loves shyly, warms not, burns nothing. The loving moon is a cautious dragon.

»Timorously« it says in Rimbauds poem »Soleil et Chair«, which one might be recalled of by Riccos painting Selenes veil drifts timorously over Endymions feet, hovering, neither covering nor discovering. This veil, though, does not drift it determinedly moves to envelop what has been unexpectedly bared, what was hitherto modestly hidden by Endymions loin-cloth: a tremendous desire, not to be more than a fleeting aspiration, a soundless shout no fire, for Gods sake!
The nuptial coach on the cloud: a joke.

A boys flowering morning dreams
An artist who manages to dream himself back into his (lost) childhood and youth and, again and again, out of the confining certainties of adulthood into the open, the wideness, over the oceans to a place far-off in the unsafe country of ambiguous riddles and secret signs does not need the ultimate fulfilment of reality.

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Mike Wildbolz
born 1947 in Philadelphia (USA), lived in Ludiano/TI since 1989,
died on 10th January 2002.
Filmography (selection): (all documentaries)
1985 Wir und die sogennannt Normalen
1992 Das langsame Sterben des Sumatranashorns
1998 Ryhiners Business Erinnerungen an einen Tierfänger
1998 La rupe della clausura
2000 Ludiano-Texas
2002 Ricco

With the participation of
Elisabeth Bäny, Alain Gilliéron, Stephan Gilliéron, Anton Grieb, Pierre Gygi, Lilly Keller, Emanuel Martin, Trudy Martz, François Mignon, Andrée Rod, Susy Roos, Angèle Stettler, Michael Stettler, Silvia Valentin, Heinz Zumbühl,

Charles Cantieni, Jean-Jacques Chastellain, Marie-Laure De Beausacq, Chrige Fankhauser, Christoph Geiser, Gianni Gheller, Sylviane Klein, Philippe Kunz, Susy Maurer, Elly Meister, E.Y.Meyer, Jean-Louis Stauffer, Mousse Voulanger, Rolf Wahl, Ruedi Wassmer

carter
Charlie Trollet

improvized aria by
Philippe Friedrich

text "Anthropotomy" and "Endymion"
by Christoph Geiser

film clips from
"Der Vogel Fleming" by Anton Grieb

text extract from
"Morgenlandfahrt" by Hermann Hesse
Suhrkamp Verlag, Frankfurt am Main

poem "L'enfance" by Arthur Rimbaud

for the shooting in Switzerland we like to thank
the municipality of Ropraz
Seniors Residence, Bern

Bruno Aellig, Peter Bloch, Suzanne and Walter Bommeli, Karin Bucher, Kolombo, Anton Erismann, Monique und Fredy Ghielmetti, Urs Kälin, Thérèse Kleinert, Fritz Lehmann, Daniel Martz, Thobias Martz, Suzan Rochat, Beatrice Ryhiner Zurlinden, Harald Szeemann, Franz Wassmer, Inge Wassmer, Beat Wismer

for the shooting in French Polynesia we like to thank
Haawaikinuui Hotel Pearl Resort, Raiatea
Werner Bringold, Gégé e Maria, Robert Cazenave, Mohi Santos, Taufa Marama
the skipper and the crew of the "Bisou Futé" and "Marina Apohiti"
the captain and the crew of the "Vaeanu"

for the shooting in France we like to thank
Ministère de la Justice
Archives Départementales de l'Allier
Archives Municipales, Cusset
Maison Centrale und Maison d'Arrèt, Riôm

Isabelle Chailloux, Paul Château, Georges Chassy, René Goutte, Heidi Habouzit
Jacqueline Mignon, Fabrice Wilmes

for the shooting in Italy we like to thank
Lido di Lerici, carrousel of the family Franchetti
the captain Pasquale Barbera and the crew of the "Gorita"

Team
Concept: Mike Wildbolz, Liliana Piantini Piffaretti, Urs Markun
Director: Mike Wildbolz
Assistant director: Liliana Piantini Piffaretti
Director of photography: Thomas Hardmeier, Urs Kohler, Nicolas Joray
Sound engineer: Otto Cavadini, Franco Rivabella, Urs Buettikofer
Editing: Marianne Quarti
Speakers: Christoph Geiser, Emmanuel Pouilly, Christian Wittwer, Markus Zohner
Music: Ivo Antognini
Sound design: Paolo Logli
Transcript: Ingrid Joray, Suzanne Mettez
Technical equipment: Pic Film SA, Megarent AG, Dieter Meyer Tontechnik
MediaComposer: Iceberg-Film SA
Sound studio: Magnetix AG
Mix: Florian Eidenbenz
Colour matching: On Line Video 46
Tape to Film Transfer: Swiss Effects Thomas Krempke
Raw stock: Kodak SA, Felix Berger
Laboratory: Egli Film&Video AG
Location manager: Ropraz Alain Gilliéron
Location manager French Polynesia: Carlo Zanotta
Book accounting: CF Audit&Consulting SA, Claudio Fontana
Coproducer: Doc Productions GmbH, Rose-Marie Schneider
Executive producer: Ludianofilm, Mike Wildbolz

With the support of
Amt für Kultur / Kanton Bern, KulturStadtBern, Holdit, Ruedi Wassmer

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Festivals
International Filmfestival Locarno 2002
Solothurn Filmfestival 2003

Broadcast
Swiss Television, SF1 and SF2

Cinema
Switzerland

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World rights:
Doc Productions GmbH

ISAN 0000-0000-D9D9-0000-G