Monday, January 6, 2014

Die Pilgerin or The Pilgrim

German public-run TV.....channel two (ZDF)....ran the first part of an interesting movie last night.  It was a two-hour piece over a mid-1300's story that had a number of twists and turns.  Part II is tonight.

Basically, in some rural village....the local Lords have a council, and this one guy is bad off.....set to die soon, and he's got a son and daughter.  The son ought to inherit his position.  Well....the father comes to realize that the son is a 'loser', and turns to appoint the daughter as to inherit the position. Things take a turn, and the son kills the father.  A chase now ensues, as the daughter realizes the implications.

The daughter makes this decision that she needs faith in herself, and this can only be accomplished by a pilgrimage, from Germany, across France and Spain.

From a historical standpoint, it's one of the few times that the story and the efforts of the production company tell a great epic story.  I'd almost say that this four-hour movie could compete against most of Hollywood's big-money movies.

The shape and structure of life in the mid-1300's is accurately demonstrated, and a couple of characters drive home the complex nature of society in those days.

So, if you see the movie up, with sub-titles.....get it....settle back for four big hours of culture and life that historians usually just dream about.

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