''Mein Name ist Bach'' is a 2003 Swiss film

directed Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''Di ...

Dominique de Rivaz "Dominique" is a 1963 French language popular song, written and performed by the Belgian female singer Jeannine Deckers, better known as Sœur Sourire ("Sister Smile" in French) or The Singing Nun. The song is about Saint Dominic, a Spanish-bo ...

. The premiere took place within the framework of the 56th

Locarno Film Festival The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, s ...

, which was held from August 6 to August 16, 2003. It was Switzerland's submission to the

77th Academy Awards The 77th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on February 27, 2005, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST / 8:30 p.m. EST. During ...

for the

Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film The Academy Award for Best International Feature Film (known as Best Foreign Language Film prior to 2020) is one of the Academy Awards handed out annually by the U.S.-based Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to a ...

, but was not accepted as a nominee.

Plot

On the occasion of the birth of his grandchild Adam,

Johann Sebastian Bach Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard w ...

, whose eyesight is waning, visits his son

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach (8 March 1714 – 14 December 1788), also formerly spelled Karl Philipp Emmanuel Bach, and commonly abbreviated C. P. E. Bach, was a German Classical period musician and composer, the fifth child and sec ...

, who is employed at the court of the Prussian King

Friedrich II Frederick II, Frederik II or Friedrich II may refer to: * Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor (1194–1250), King of Sicily from 1198; Holy Roman Emperor from 1220 * Frederick II of Denmark (1534–1588), king of Denmark and Norway 1559–1588 * Frede ...

. The belligerent king wants to put the composer to the test and gives him a theme for improvisation, that he has previously had refined by his flute teacher

Johann Joachim Quantz Johann Joachim Quantz (; 30 January 1697 – 12 July 1773) was a German composer, flutist and flute maker of the late Baroque period. Much of his professional career was spent in the court of Frederick the Great. Quantz composed hundreds of flute ...

, who also teaches Friedrich's sister Amalie. Bach, however, exhausted by the journey, asks to be given some time. At court he meets his old friend Quantz again. Bach immediately returns to

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...

, where he feels more comfortable, but is still fascinated by the theme proposed by the king. While Amalie takes a liking to the novelty of the music of Bach's son

Wilhelm Friedemann Bach Wilhelm Friedemann Bach (22 November 17101 July 1784), the second child and eldest son of Johann Sebastian Bach and Maria Barbara Bach, was a German composer and performer. Despite his acknowledged genius as an organist, improviser and composer ...

, King Friedrich is reminded of the humiliation by his father Friedrich Wilhelm I. For example, Friedrich's father executed his childhood friend, Lieutenant

Hans Hermann von Katte Hans Hermann von Katte (28 February 1704 – 6 November 1730) was a Lieutenant of the Prussian Army, and a friend, tutor and possible lover of the future King Frederick II of Prussia, who was at the time the Crown Prince. Katte was executed by Fred ...

, after his adolescent son tried to escape with him. The non-conformist Wilhelm Friedemann, on the other hand, whom Bach considers the most talented of his sons, lives in conflict with the cautious down-to-earth attitude of his brother, who in turn suffers from his father's preference for Wilhelm Friedemann. Bach organises a concert in honour of the king and proposes that they both play a composition based on the king's theme in a duet. Friedrich loses the rhythm and reacts angrily, accusing Quantz of being in league with Bach. Bach, however, does not let the theme of the king rest, and so he composes a six-part canon based on this theme, the ''

Musikalisches Opfer ''The Musical Offering'' (German: or ), BWV 1079, is a collection of keyboard canons and fugues and other pieces of music by Johann Sebastian Bach, all based on a single musical theme given to him by Frederick the Great (King Frederick II of Pr ...

''. Friedrich learns that Amalie has had an affair with Wilhelm Friedemann, but she defends herself against the reprimands of her brother. Amalie wants to continue the relationship, but Wilhelm Friedemann refuses to take her to Halle because he cannot offer her a life there that is appropriate for a princess. Friedrich, who is about to move to his new palace

Sanssouci Sanssouci () is a historical building in Potsdam, near Berlin. Built by Prussian King Frederick the Great as his summer palace, it is often counted among the German rivals of Versailles. While Sanssouci is in the more intimate Rococo style and ...

Potsdam Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream of B ...

, asks Bach to become his court composer. Bach refuses. Nevertheless, a more personal conversation takes place between the two of them, in which Friedrich tells the musician about the humiliation of his father in his childhood, while Bach accuses himself of having failed in bringing up his quarreling sons. When

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his ...

arrives to Sanssouci at wish of Frederick II, Bach gets into the carriage at the customs station in his place.

Cast

Vadim Glowna Vadim Glowna (; 26 September 1941 – 24 January 2012) was a German actor and film director. Since 1964 he appeared in more than 150 films and television shows. He directed the 1983 film '' Dies rigorose Leben'', which won an Honourable Me ...

Jürgen Vogel Jürgen Peter Vogel (; born 29 April 1968, in Hamburg) is a German actor, screenwriter, film producer and singer. One of the most successful character actors in German cinema, he first broke out in 1992 with his role in ''Little Sharks''.Jürgen ...

Karoline Herfurth Karoline Herfurth (; born 22 May 1984) is a German actress. Life and career Herfurth was born in East Berlin, East Germany, the daughter of a psychologist mother and a geriatric nurse practitioner father. Her parents divorced when she was tw ...

: Princess Amalie *

Anatole Taubman Anatole Taubman (born 23 December 1970) is a Swiss actor. He is best known for his performance as Elvis in ''Quantum of Solace ''Quantum of Solace'' is a 2008 spy film and the twenty-second in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' se ...

* Paul Herwig:

* Philippe Vuilleumier:

* Michel Cassagne:

Gilles Tschudi Gilles Tschudi is a Swiss actor, born in 1957. He is notable for his 2004 Swiss Film Prize for "Performance in a Supporting Role" as "Secretary Goltz" in ''Jagged Harmonies – Bach vs. Frederick II'' and for appearing in theatrical films '' ...

: Secretary Goltz *

Antje Westermann Antje Westermann (born 13 September 1971) is a German actress. She appeared in more than thirty films since 1987. Selected filmography References External links * 1971 births Living people German film actresses Actresses from Dr ...

: Johanna Bach *

Detlev Buck Detlev Buck (; born 1 December 1962 in Bad Segeberg) is a German film director, actor, producer and screenwriter. Life and work From his first short film at the age of 21 in 1982, ', he has remained one of the most important filmmakers working ...

: Customs officer * Henning Peker: Royal messenger *

Hans-Michael Rehberg Hans-Michael Rehberg (2 April 1938 – 7 November 2017) was a German actor. Biography Rehberg, born in Fürstenwalde, Brandenburg, was one of six children. He grew up in Bavaria after the family moved to Lake Starnberg. After training as an ac ...

: Doctor * Joachim Tomaschewsky: Court doctor * Patrice-Luc Doumeyrou:

Maupertuis Pierre Louis Moreau de Maupertuis (; ; 1698 – 27 July 1759) was a French mathematician, philosopher and man of letters. He became the Director of the Académie des Sciences, and the first President of the Prussian Academy of Science, at the ...

* Bernard Liègme: Lackey Stumm * Daniel Lommatzsch: City messenger

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0382180, title=Mein Name Ist Bach 2003 films 2000s biographical films Swiss biographical films German biographical films Films about classical music and musicians Films about composers Films scored by Frédéric Devreese Cultural depictions of Frederick the Great Cultural depictions of Johann Sebastian Bach Films set in the 1740s Films set in Prussia 2000s German films

Plot

Cast

See also

References

External links