This is one of those classics which remain relevant even today. At the outset, it is a commentary on how the society (mis)treats people who perform the necessary but 'dirty' jobs in the society. While I would've liked to say that the situation no longer exists in today's society, but unfortunately that's not true.
The other interesting theme of the movie is how well it deals with the human condition. When we are young, we are full of promise and ambition. We also have ethics & prejudices in equal amounts. But as we grow older, the reality of life sinks in. We realize that our prejudices are unfounded & we are forced to climb down from our moral high ground. Sometimes, people may even have to act against their own conscience. The young undertaker is full of ideas & wants to go to Germany to become a mechanic. He looks down upon the old executioner & fails to understand how he could do his job without any qualms. However, towards the end his circumstances have changed. The old executioner comments that it was the same way for him too.
Another interesting thing during the end is the contrast between the social classes. Our middle class protagonist is undergoing a crisis while trying to deny that the course of the rest of his life is already predetermined, no matter how hard he fights it. He is realizing that even a modest dream of becoming a car mechanic may be out of his reach. He is bound for his whole life to do the work that he hates in order to barely support his family. On the other hand, we see rich people dancing & having a good time on a yacht with not a care in the world. C'est la vie!
A great black comedy!
The other interesting theme of the movie is how well it deals with the human condition. When we are young, we are full of promise and ambition. We also have ethics & prejudices in equal amounts. But as we grow older, the reality of life sinks in. We realize that our prejudices are unfounded & we are forced to climb down from our moral high ground. Sometimes, people may even have to act against their own conscience. The young undertaker is full of ideas & wants to go to Germany to become a mechanic. He looks down upon the old executioner & fails to understand how he could do his job without any qualms. However, towards the end his circumstances have changed. The old executioner comments that it was the same way for him too.
Another interesting thing during the end is the contrast between the social classes. Our middle class protagonist is undergoing a crisis while trying to deny that the course of the rest of his life is already predetermined, no matter how hard he fights it. He is realizing that even a modest dream of becoming a car mechanic may be out of his reach. He is bound for his whole life to do the work that he hates in order to barely support his family. On the other hand, we see rich people dancing & having a good time on a yacht with not a care in the world. C'est la vie!
A great black comedy!