German Newsletter

Esteemed clients, dear friends of ARRI,

Enclosed, please find the most recent edition of the ARRI Film & TV newsletter, this time to announce the theatrical release of the return of a classic:Tom Sawyer. This period piece was directed by Hermine Huntgeburth, known for her successful literary adaptations.

Also opening in theaters is the documentary Die große Passion. Director Jörg Adolph spent two and a half years following the Oberammergauer Passion Play team giving us a glimpse at the work that goes into each of these legendary productions.

Enjoy the read!

All the best,

Angela Reedwisch and Josef Reidinger

OPENING IN GERMAN THEATERS NOVEMBER 17, 2011: Tom Sawyer

Director: Hermine Huntgeburth Screenplay: Sascha Arango nach dem Roman von Mark Twain DoP: Ngo The Chau Production Company: Neue Schönhauser Filmproduktion German Distributor: Majestic Filmverleih   DI Producer: Kenneth Stiller DI Colorist: Manfred Turek Project Coordinator Sound: Kenneth Stiller Re-Recording Mixer: Martin Steyer   ARRI Services: Lab, Digital Intermediate, TV Mastering, Sound, Digital Cinema Package   ARRI Rental: Camera, Lighting, Grip

Everyone knows him: Mark Twain's Tom Sawyer. He has fascinated countless youngsters over the years, among them producer Boris Schönfelder (Der Albaner, North Face, Antibodies), who has brought the classic story back to the big screen. The film, produced under Schönfelder's Neue Schönhauser Filmproduktion banner, was directed by Hermine Huntgeburth (Effie Briest, The White Massai, Bibi Blocksberg) and shot on 35 mm utilizing 2-perforation camera movements by cinematographer The Chau Ngo (Almanya, Schwerkraft, Phantom Pain). The German Distributor sit Majestic Filmverleih.

This 2-perforation 35mm recording format, which goes back to the original Techniscope format and had its heyday in the 1960s, is what gives this film its unique look. ARRI Film & TV was responsible for the postproduction: Lab, Digital Intermediate, TV Mastering, Sound, Digital Cinema Package. Camera, lighting and grip equipment was provided by ARRI Rental Berlin.

The fact that the team around Schönfelder and Huntgeburth also went on to shoot
Huck Finn on 35 mm 2-perforation indicates that everyone involved was pleased with the results.

An article can be found in the upcoming VisionARRI edition 12. 

Left: Tom Sawyer (left., Louis Hofmann) und Huck Finn (right., Leon Seidel) Right: Indian Joe (left, Benno Fürmann), Doc Robinson (right., Sylvester Groth), Muff Potter (middle., Joachim Król) Copyright: Majestic / Bernd Spauk)

Now this timeless classic has been remade for the next generation with an adaptation by
screenwriter Sascha Arango that stays faithful to the original text. In the film, just like in the novel, Tom Sawyer (Louis Hofmann) prefers to spend his time with his best buddy, Huck Finn (Leon Seidel), who lives at the outskirts of town in a barrel - much to the dismay of his Aunt Polly (Heike Makatsch), who raises Tom and his half-brother Sid (Andreas Warmbrunn) in St. Petersburg, a town located on the shores of the Mississippi.

OPENING IN GERMAN THEATERS NOVEMBER 17, 2011: Die große Passion

Director: Jörg Adolph Screenplay: Jörg Adolph DoP: Daniel Schönauer Production Copmpany: if... Productions German Distributor: if... Cinema   ARRI Services: DI-Grading, Sound, HD-Mastering, DCP   Colorist: Marc Stevens Re-Recording Mixer: Bernhard Maurer

Director and screenwriter Jörg Adolph's film Die große Passion is a wonderful documentary about the Oberammergauer Passion Play. Impressive scenes and images (DoP: Daniel Schönauer) depict this famous passion play production and provide us with a unique look behind the scenes. This fascinating film brilliantly captures the dedication and the strong sense of tradition shared by festival director Christian Stückl and the many participants from the local community.

Die große Passion was produced by if... Productions which is also releasing the film in Germany.

if... Productions entrusted ARRI Film & TV with the color grading, the TV mastering, sound post and the creation of the Digital Cinema Package.

Left: Director of the passion play: Christian Stückl, Right: Pietà © 2011 if... Cinema

The most famous village in the world is telling the most incredible story of all times and for the first time a documentary film provides us with a look behind the scenes of the Oberammergauer Passion Play.

This documentary in the "direct cinema" style about the legendary Oberammergauer Passion Play covers the period from the earliest preparations starting in 2008 to the final performance in the Fall of 2010. At the heart of this story is Christian Stückl, a theater-obsessed director, struggling with a centuries-old tradition and the challenges of the present day reality of this Bavarian village. Die große Passion shows us life behind the scenes of this biblical play. Life between art and commerce, provincial ideas and the global world, god and people.