Bergblut

About 200 years ago in the German lands: Bavaria is a vassal to Napoléon Bonaparte and has occupied Tyrolia, and with it the passage over the alps. A young Tyrolian carpenter and his young wife (an upper- class doctor's daughter) are forced to flee from urban Augsburg back to the husband's homeland after an altercation with a French officer. But their future is even more troubled: the wife, Katharina, struggles with her vicious mother-in-law and the backwardness of her new home. And soon the Tyrolians under Andreas Hofer rebel against the Bavarians and the French, with disastrous results.

Director Philipp Pamer, a native South Tyrolian, started this ambitious project at the remarkably young age of 21, and realised it while studying in Munich, the capital of Bavaria. He manages to catch a truthful and insightful slice of life two hundred years ago, without embellishing the truth. His approach is remarkably subtle, his story complex, his truths lie in between. It would have been dangerously easy to depict the Tyroleans as rustic but freedom- loving mountainfolk, the French as evil 19.th-century Nazis and Katherina as a harbinger of emancipation ("sassy urbanite wins hillbillies' hearts and becomes a doctor"). And yet the movie is deft enough to captivate the viewer.

This might be an early triumph for an upcoming cinematic grandmaster.

The Holy Land of Tyrol is a compelling historical drama that delves into the complexities of personal and national identity during the tumultuous era of the Napoleonic Wars. Directed by Philipp J. Pamer, the film follows Katharina, a Bavarian doctor's daughter, who flees to Tyrol with her husband Franz after a fatal altercation with a French soldier. As they seek refuge in Franz's homeland, they become entangled in the Tyrolean uprising against Bavarian and French occupation.

The narrative is enriched by its authentic portrayal of early 19th-century rural life, capturing the hardships and resilience of the Tyrolean people. Inga Birkenfeld delivers a nuanced performance as Katharina, portraying her transformation from an outsider to a figure of strength and determination. The film's attention to historical detail and its exploration of themes such as loyalty, sacrifice, and the struggle for autonomy resonate deeply.

Visually, the film is stunning, with cinematography that showcases the majestic yet unforgiving Alpine landscape, serving as both a backdrop and a character in its own right. The use of original locations adds to the film's authenticity, immersing the audience in the period's atmosphere.

The Holy Land of Tyrol stands out as a poignant exploration of a lesser-known chapter in European history, offering a narrative that is both intimate and epic in scope. It's a must-watch for those interested in historical dramas that emphasize character development and cultural context over grandiose battle scenes.

I agree with one reviewer that the original title in German (either "Blood Mountain" or, I'm thinking, "Mountain Blood") is more fitting to the narrative and theme than "The Holy Land of Tyrol," a concept that is mentioned once, in the opening voice-over, and seems a mistranslation of the notion of the Biblical "Promised Land." The title in English could mislead the viewer into thinking this is a religious film, which it is not. The people depicted are Catholic and pray the rosary, but they're also farming, cooking, doctoring, partying (after early success in the rebellion).

The Bavarian Katharina is a doctor's daughter in the city of Augsburg who falls in love with a Tyrolean carpenter named Franz and flees with him to his family home in the Alps after a fight with a French soldier of Napoleon's occupation makes him a wanted man. Her inexplicable fortitude and courage to stay on this poor mountaintop farm in the face of Franz's unwelcoming brothers and parents, particularly an antagonizing mother-in-law, becomes the focus of the film early on. Katharina grew up educated, with servants, with nice clothes, in a lovely home, and hasn't the slightest notion of how to milk a cow, decant the vinegar, or even how to efficiently slice the potatoes. In Hollywood this might have been played for laughs, but here the unsympathetic matriarch not only shows her no kindness, but consistently chastises her. In town Katharina is also despised because of her nationality—her only ally being the parish priest, himself a Bavarian transplant. Her emotional isolation is complete when Franz leaves with his younger brother Veit to serve as sharp-shooters in the Tyrolean rebellion.

Katharina proves helpful at nursing Franz's ailing father back to health after a gunshot wound and increases her knowledge of folk healing arts working alongside Franz's older brother Hermann, a country doctor of sorts who eventually enlists her help in the town's makeshift infirmary for war-wounded. Battles themselves happen off-screen, and the viewer is spared amputations and other gore, while the bloody aprons and bandages establish the facts. The characters' story eventually intersects with that of rebel leader Andreas Hofer, a historical figure who espouses the population's desire for self-determination and the choice to stop running. But it's not preachy; there's no eloquent oratory; no supernatural heroics; and no perfect characters in this film. Katharina rebukes the Tyroleans who refuse her help, pointing out their stupidity and the futility of their out-manned, outclassed struggle. She wins and loses the affections of her in-laws during the course of the story. Without giving away any spoilers, her marriage has its own ups and downs.

I'm trying to brush up on my German, so I found this film included with Amazon Prime. I noticed the English subtitles are effective translations, and the dialogue is not wordy, so it shouldn't be too off-putting for people who have little tolerance for "reading" their movies. It's more about country life and a personal story, carried largely by facial expressions, characters' behaviors, and production design, than it is about any sort of details of the war and the political demarcations that were in flux in that era. It's not a pretty period piece but rather a gritty portrait of crude living that does not at the same time belabor the tribulations of trying to farm that impossible landscape—it's not a farming movie; it's not a war movie; I wouldn't even say it's a love story per se, because we don't really know much about Katharina and Franz's courtship and why they're devoted to each other. Still, I was strangely enchanted by this film, and it's certainly a glimpse of one slice of the Napoleon era that I've never seen anywhere else.

The original German title "Bergblut" translates into English as "Blood Mountain", a much more poetic and fitting title than the misleading "Holy Land of Tyrol".

Despite the English title, and despite the fact that writer/director Philipp Pamer was born in South Tyrolia, releasing this film on the 200th year anniversary of the Tyrolian rebellion which it depicts, this is surprisingly NOT a very patriotic film. Rather than glorifying the peasants of Tyrol who went up against Napoleon, it portrays them as flawed human beings, crude, bigoted and rather unlovable. This took me by surprise, and I spent half the movie trying to figure out who the "good guys" were.

Then it dawned on me: there really are no good guys. There are good motives, good ideals and certainly good intentions, but what I liked about this movie was the realism of showing people as they truly are. Although this sort of presentation may be difficult to digest, especially if you're expecting a clean good-vs-evil war story, it gives the tale a provocative dimension.

The story itself is basic. It takes the narrative point of view of an upper-class Bavarian woman who gave up all her comforts to marry a poor Tyrolian man. From her frigid welcome into the man's family & country, we soon figure out that this is the story of an person faced with extreme prejudice. The interesting part is how she learns to deal with it.

The war serves as a backdrop and is not intended to be the primary focus of the film, similar to the way "The Good, the Bad & the Ugly" was set during the Civil War without focusing on the war, or similar to the way "Madame Sans-Gêne" was set during the French Revolution but was more tuned to personal life. The focus falls instead on individuals, personalities and human nature during desperate times.

One thing that did seem like a "propaganda" angle (and deservedly so!) was the lush scenery & gorgeous landscapes featured prominently. Right after the flick I found myself checking cheap airfares to South Tyrol. FYI, it's $933 roundtrip from NYC (ugh, I guess I'll be sticking with the $5 DVD).

Acting is well done and convincing, cinematography is artistic (I loved the extreme darkness/lighting), sets & costumes are dirty & realistic, and the musical score is lavish. This is a worthwhile film and an excellent debut feature from Philipp Pamer.

I am visiting Austria and so decided to watch some films set here. Bergblut tells the tale of the Tyrolian uprising, along with an extended treatment of Tyrolian-Bavarian relations, of which I was frankly ignorant. The settings are beautiful and the conflict between the Tyrolians and the Bavarians and the French is convincingly portrayed. One thing I never understood was the character of Katharina. Her behavior struck me as bizarre, from her decision to live in the sticks with her new husband, Franz, a country bumpkin she met in Bavaria, to her willingness to stay with the horrible mother-in-law through thick and thin. But the most unbelievable of all was her over-the-top quest to prevent Franz from redeploying again.

Over all, I feel that I learned something from this film, which was beautifully photographed and decently acted.