Krabat (film)
Encyclopedia
Krabat is a 2008 German fantasy film
directed by Marco Kreuzpaintner
from a screenplay by Michael Gutmann and Kreuzpaintner, based on Otfried Preußler
's novel of the same name. The plot is about a boy, Krabat (played by David Kross
), who learns black magic
from a sorcerer (played by Christian Redl). A DVD-Video
encode of the film is distributed in the United Kingdom
as Krabat and the Legend of the Satanic Mill.
It premiered in the US at the Seattle International Film Festival
in 2009.
a boy man named Krabat (David Kross
of "The Reader
") is left without family, food, or hope. An old Mill Keeper takes him in as an apprentice. There are eleven other boys working at the mill, and Krabat develops a friendship with one of them, a young man named Tonda (Daniel Brühl
of "Inglourious Bastards").
Soon, Krabat learns that the apprentices are also taught dark sorcery by the master, and one of the rituals (during easter) lead to an excursion to the nearby village Schwarzkolm where Krabat meets a young girl and falls in love with her. There, Tonda also talks to one of the girls; both seem to be in love with each other. Later, Tonda warns Krabat that the master may never know the name of his girl.
One day, while protecting the nearby village from soldiers, Tonda makes an error and his girl's name (Worschula) is revealed to the master. The next day, Worschula turns up in the creek, dead. Krabat mistakenly blames Lyschko, another apprentice. Tonda becomes recluse and anticipates the end of the year.
Krabat's first Silvester (New Year's Eve) brings to light the true horror of the mill. Every Silvester, one of the boys must be sacrificed so the master may remain young. And so at midnight, Krabat's best friend Tonda is viciously murdered, and when Krabat tries to help him he is stopped by the other boys who tell him that "there is nothing we can do". Before he dies, Tonda tells Krabat there is another boy in the mill Krabat can confide in. He also tells Krabat to take two sacks of flour to the village.
Krabat is distraught over Tonda's death, but does as he is told. Bringing the sacks of flour to a tree near the village, Krabat once again meets the girl he first met while protecting the village. He is in love, but does not let the girl tell him her name, fearing for her life. Instead, he calls her Kantorka (Choir leader).
During the ritual at easter night, he goes to the village to meet her, this time along with a boy called Juro who appears to be mentally disabled and not able to learn the trade or properly do magic. When Juro tells Krabat that they must leave and go back to the mill, Krabat insists that he will stay with Kantorka. Juro then uses powerful magic to convince Krabat to come back with him, revealing that he is in truth highly intelligent and powerful, even able to change the weather. Juro promises Krabat that he will help him escape the master, and tells him that his girl must ask for him on the first day of the year.
Krabat tells Kantorka that she must do so, and she agrees and gives Krabat a lock of her hair, telling him to have another boy deliver it to her when the time is right.
When Krabat returns, a series of events are set in motion.
in 2009 in the categories Best Production Design, Best Music and Best Sound Design.
Fantasy film
Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events, make-believe creatures, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered to be distinct from science fiction film and horror film, although the genres do overlap...
directed by Marco Kreuzpaintner
Marco Kreuzpaintner
Marco Kreuzpaintner is a German film director and screenwriter.-Life:Kreuzpaintner was born March 11, 1977 in Rosenheim in Bavaria, Germany. He studied History of Art in Salzburg. He is a self-taught filmmaker with a background in film, advertising and music video production. He was the assistant...
from a screenplay by Michael Gutmann and Kreuzpaintner, based on Otfried Preußler
Otfried Preußler
Otfried Preußler is a German children's books author. His best-known works are The Robber Hotzenplotz and The Satanic Mill ....
's novel of the same name. The plot is about a boy, Krabat (played by David Kross
David Kross
David Kross is a German actor. He is best known internationally for his role as Michael Berg in The Reader.- Early life :...
), who learns black magic
Black magic
Black magic is the type of magic that draws on assumed malevolent powers or is used with the intention to kill, steal, injure, cause misfortune or destruction, or for personal gain without regard to harmful consequences. As a term, "black magic" is normally used by those that do not approve of its...
from a sorcerer (played by Christian Redl). A DVD-Video
DVD-Video
DVD-Video is a consumer video format used to store digital video on DVD discs, and is currently the dominant consumer video format in Asia, North America, Europe, and Australia. Discs using the DVD-Video specification require a DVD drive and a MPEG-2 decoder...
encode of the film is distributed in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
as Krabat and the Legend of the Satanic Mill.
It premiered in the US at the Seattle International Film Festival
Seattle International Film Festival
The Seattle International Film Festival , held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees...
in 2009.
Plot
When the Plague sweeps across Europe after the Thirty Years' WarThirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
a boy man named Krabat (David Kross
David Kross
David Kross is a German actor. He is best known internationally for his role as Michael Berg in The Reader.- Early life :...
of "The Reader
The Reader
The Reader is a novel by German law professor and judge Bernhard Schlink, published in Germany in 1995 and in the United States in 1997...
") is left without family, food, or hope. An old Mill Keeper takes him in as an apprentice. There are eleven other boys working at the mill, and Krabat develops a friendship with one of them, a young man named Tonda (Daniel Brühl
Daniel Brühl
Daniel César Martín Brühl González Domingo is a Spanish/German actor. He is best known as Daniel Brühl.-Personal life:Brühl was born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. His father was the late German stage director Hanno Brühl and his mother was a Spanish professor. He also has a brother and a sister...
of "Inglourious Bastards").
Soon, Krabat learns that the apprentices are also taught dark sorcery by the master, and one of the rituals (during easter) lead to an excursion to the nearby village Schwarzkolm where Krabat meets a young girl and falls in love with her. There, Tonda also talks to one of the girls; both seem to be in love with each other. Later, Tonda warns Krabat that the master may never know the name of his girl.
One day, while protecting the nearby village from soldiers, Tonda makes an error and his girl's name (Worschula) is revealed to the master. The next day, Worschula turns up in the creek, dead. Krabat mistakenly blames Lyschko, another apprentice. Tonda becomes recluse and anticipates the end of the year.
Krabat's first Silvester (New Year's Eve) brings to light the true horror of the mill. Every Silvester, one of the boys must be sacrificed so the master may remain young. And so at midnight, Krabat's best friend Tonda is viciously murdered, and when Krabat tries to help him he is stopped by the other boys who tell him that "there is nothing we can do". Before he dies, Tonda tells Krabat there is another boy in the mill Krabat can confide in. He also tells Krabat to take two sacks of flour to the village.
Krabat is distraught over Tonda's death, but does as he is told. Bringing the sacks of flour to a tree near the village, Krabat once again meets the girl he first met while protecting the village. He is in love, but does not let the girl tell him her name, fearing for her life. Instead, he calls her Kantorka (Choir leader).
During the ritual at easter night, he goes to the village to meet her, this time along with a boy called Juro who appears to be mentally disabled and not able to learn the trade or properly do magic. When Juro tells Krabat that they must leave and go back to the mill, Krabat insists that he will stay with Kantorka. Juro then uses powerful magic to convince Krabat to come back with him, revealing that he is in truth highly intelligent and powerful, even able to change the weather. Juro promises Krabat that he will help him escape the master, and tells him that his girl must ask for him on the first day of the year.
Krabat tells Kantorka that she must do so, and she agrees and gives Krabat a lock of her hair, telling him to have another boy deliver it to her when the time is right.
When Krabat returns, a series of events are set in motion.
Cast
- Krabat - David KrossDavid KrossDavid Kross is a German actor. He is best known internationally for his role as Michael Berg in The Reader.- Early life :...
- Tonda - Daniel BrühlDaniel BrühlDaniel César Martín Brühl González Domingo is a Spanish/German actor. He is best known as Daniel Brühl.-Personal life:Brühl was born in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. His father was the late German stage director Hanno Brühl and his mother was a Spanish professor. He also has a brother and a sister...
- The Master - Christian Redl
- Lyschko - Robert StadloberRobert StadloberRobert Stadlober is an Austrian actor and musician. His sister is Anja Stadlober, also an actress.-Biography:Robert Stadlober was born 3 August 1982 in the Austrian province of Carinthia and grew up in Puchfeld in the Steiermark and in Berlin...
- Kantorka - Paula KalenbergPaula KalenbergPaula Kalenberg is a German actress. She is probably the best known to international audiences for her roles in films Krabat, Vision – From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen and Jew Suss: Rise and Fall.- Career :...
- Juro - Hanno KofflerHanno KofflerHanno Koffler is a German actor. He appears both in TV and cinema movies and plays at the theater.-Life and career:Hanno Koffler was born in Berlin. As a child he already played roles in theatre plays....
- Worschula - Anna Thalbach
- Michal - Charly Hübner
- Merten - Moritz Grove
- Hanzo - Tom WlaschihaTom Wlaschiha- Biography :Born in Dohna , Wlaschiha followed his Abitur with acting training at the University of Music and Theatre Leipzig from 1992 to 1996, and attended the Conservatoire pour les Arts Liège in 1994....
- Andrusch - Sven Hönig
- Staschko - Stefan Haschke
- Lobosch - David Fischbach
- Petar - Daniel Steiner
- Kubo - Tom Lass
- Kito - Daniel Fripath
- Baro - Ionut Baias
- Godfather Death - Mac Steinmeier
- Krabat's Mother - Carmen Ungureanu
Awards
Krabat was nominated for the Deutscher FilmpreisDeutscher Filmpreis
The Deutscher Filmpreis is the highest German movie award. From 1951 to 2004 it was awarded by a commission, since 2005 the award has been given by the Deutsche Filmakademie...
in 2009 in the categories Best Production Design, Best Music and Best Sound Design.