Magic Matterhorn

MAGIC MATTERHORN is a playful search for today's sentiments of home. The film takes us through real and imaginary worlds, confronts specific conditions of life with clichés and takes a delight in kitsch.

„Perhaps homeland is a mountain of clichés.“

Zermatt attracts every year thousands of tourists who come to see the Matterhorn. For the citizens of this former farming village tourism constitues their economic background. Just a few people still take care of their cows, sheep or wheat. Anka Schmid visites some of them and observes them during their everyday life. Like the tourists they leave when ever possible their village to go to the Alps. There they try to find their peace of mind. For those farmers homeland is something very obvious, something ever existing. However their daily efforts show the fragility of this certainty.

A yodeller in California. Since decades he sings and dresses in the language and tradition of his Swiss parents. He loves Switzerland which he almost only knows from the stories and records he has heard. In spite of his lack of experience he tells that Switzerland is his homeland. To earn his living he actually prefers the artificial Matterhorn in Disneyland where he yodels every day.

They were still very young, when Lilo, Ursli and Toni Pfister had to leave their hometown Zermatt. Meantime they are very famous entertainers known by the name „Geschwister Pfister“. Hearttouching they sing about Swiss Cheese, cuckoo watches and their homesickness. In their kitschy show Switzerland is nothing else than a mountain of clichés.

With: Fred Burri, Lilo, Ursli und Toni Pfister, Germand Inderbinen, Josef und Barbara Schuler, Oswald Perren.