The Ogre (1996 film)
| The Ogre | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Volker Schlöndorff |
| Produced by |
Gebhard Henke Ingrid Windisch |
| Screenplay by |
Jean-Claude Carrière Volker Schlöndorff |
| Based on |
The Erl-King by Michel Tournier |
| Starring |
John Malkovich Gottfried John Marianne Sägebrecht Volker Spengler Heino Ferch Dieter Laser Agnès Soral Sasha Hanau Vernon Dobtcheff Simon McBurney Ilja Smoljanski Luc Florian Laurent Spielvogel Marc Duret Philippe Sturbelle Armin Mueller-Stahl |
| Music by | Michael Nyman |
| Cinematography | Bruno de Keyzer |
| Edited by |
Nicolas Gaster Peter Przygodda |
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Production
company |
Canal+
France 2 Cinéma Héritage Films Recorded Picture Company (RPC) Renn Productions Studio Babelsberg Universum Film (UFA) Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) |
| Distributed by | AMLF (1996, France) Tobis Filmkunst (1996, Germany) Kino International (1998, USA, all media) |
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Release date
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Running time
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118 min. |
| Country | France Germany United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $49,166 (USA) |
| The Ogre | ||||
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design by Dave McKean
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| Soundtrack album by Michael Nyman | ||||
| Released | 1996 | |||
| Genre | Soundtrack, Film score, Minimalist music, Contemporary classical | |||
| Length | 59:03 | |||
| Label | Virgin Venture | |||
| Director | Michael Nyman | |||
| Producer | Michael Nyman | |||
| Michael Nyman chronology | ||||
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The Ogre (German: Der Unhold) is a 1996 French-German drama film directed by Volker Schlöndorff and starring John Malkovich, Gottfried John, Marianne Sägebrecht, Volker Spengler, Heino Ferch, Dieter Laser and Armin Mueller-Stahl. It was written by Jean-Claude Carrière and Schlöndorff, based on the novel The Erl-King by Michel Tournier. The story follows a simple man who recruits children to be Nazis in the belief that he is protecting them.
Abel Tiffauges (Malkovich) is a simple Frenchman at the start of World War II who loves animals and children. The first part of the film recalls his childhood at a sadistic Catholic school for boys where he prays to Saint Christopher that the school, which he sees as a prison, be burned down. By chance, while Abel is being disciplined for spilling lamp oil on the chapel floor, his friend Nestor accidentally sets fire to the building, burning it down as he wished. From that day on, Abel is convinced that fate is on his side, and that it will protect him from anything.
It is 1940 as Abel now narrates, and he is working as a car mechanic in Paris. His hobby is photography, and he befriends and photographs the local children. However, on one occasion a girl named Martine takes his camera; he tells her off and upsets her. She then falsely accuses him of assaulting her. The police believe her, and he is put on trial. Fortunately for Abel, a war against Germany has broken out, and soldiers are urgently needed on the front. As a punishment for his supposed crime, he is sent to the army to fight off the invader.
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