"Der Fußgänger" or "The Pedestrian" is a co-production between Switzerland, West German and Israel that resulted in a German-language movie with minor parts in English and French too. It is from 1973, so it will have its45th anniversary next year and it is one of the earlier directorial efforts by Oscar-winning actor Maximilian Schell. He is also one of the two writers next to Dagmar Hirtz, who is still alive today and also directed her own films, even if her main profession was probably editing. Now about this one here: It runs for slightly over 90 minutes and won lead actor Gustav Rudolf Sellner, who plays the title character, a German Film Award, the biggest achievement of his career. Schell also acts in here and there are more known names like legendary silent film actress Lil Dagover in her later years and she collaborated with Schell on other occasions too. Walter Kohut may also be known to some, if they are German film buffs.
But this film is also a prime example of why Schell just wasn't a good enough filmmaker as actor. Yes this was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe, but honestly I think this is just ridiculous. This awards attention probably only came because of Schell being attached to the project and also because of the important subject. Yes Nazi-themed films are very common in Germany today, so no surprise it was also a frequent subject less than 30 years after the end of World War II. But with great quantity, there isn't always great quality. This one here is about a man who is suspected to be a war criminal and how he lives a life with a successful career nonetheless many years after World War II. Investigators are on his trail after the testimony of an eye witness. But this is also the problem. Honestly, there are so so many character in here, so many supporting characters and instead of elaborating on them properly and using them to deliver a convincing plot, maybe even a touching story about the ghosts of the past, they just add one more supporting character after the next. The consequence is not only that it was impossible to care for these character, but also at times impossible to understand who they even are. It's a bit of a shame as the beginning with the talk between a man and a child about history and how to define it was really well done. But then, it goes all south fairly quickly. I think all the praise for this movie is incredibly exaggerated. It does not deliver in terms of drama, historic context or acting and all the awards recognition it received is inappropriate in my opinion. Thumbs-down from me. Not recommended.
But this film is also a prime example of why Schell just wasn't a good enough filmmaker as actor. Yes this was nominated for an Oscar and won a Golden Globe, but honestly I think this is just ridiculous. This awards attention probably only came because of Schell being attached to the project and also because of the important subject. Yes Nazi-themed films are very common in Germany today, so no surprise it was also a frequent subject less than 30 years after the end of World War II. But with great quantity, there isn't always great quality. This one here is about a man who is suspected to be a war criminal and how he lives a life with a successful career nonetheless many years after World War II. Investigators are on his trail after the testimony of an eye witness. But this is also the problem. Honestly, there are so so many character in here, so many supporting characters and instead of elaborating on them properly and using them to deliver a convincing plot, maybe even a touching story about the ghosts of the past, they just add one more supporting character after the next. The consequence is not only that it was impossible to care for these character, but also at times impossible to understand who they even are. It's a bit of a shame as the beginning with the talk between a man and a child about history and how to define it was really well done. But then, it goes all south fairly quickly. I think all the praise for this movie is incredibly exaggerated. It does not deliver in terms of drama, historic context or acting and all the awards recognition it received is inappropriate in my opinion. Thumbs-down from me. Not recommended.