Schultze Gets the Blues
Encyclopedia
Schultze Gets the Blues is a 2003
film
directed and written by Michael Schorr
.
(near Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
in Germany
). Along with his also laid-off friends Jürgen and Manfred, he finds himself restless with so much spare time.
For years, he has played traditional polka
music on his accordion
, but a series of upheavals in his life inspire an interest in American Zydeco
and Cajun
music. Though being afraid of travelling to the USA at the beginning he accepts his music club's wish to represent it at a German folk music festival in New Braunfels, Texas
.
But instead of appearing there he chooses to travel in a motor boat around the countryside despite speaking little English, immersing himself in the music and culture of the Bayou
. Finally, among his newly found friends he becomes very sick and presumably dies. Back in Teutschenthal a funeral is held for Schultze which turns into a descent and mildly happy celebration of his life: "Herr, lehre uns Bedenken, dass wir alle einmal sterben müssen, auf das wir im Leben klug werden" - "Lord, teach us to understand we all have to die sometime, that we become wiser in our lives" (Psalm 90,12).
2003 in film
The year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
directed and written by Michael Schorr
Michael Schorr
Michael Schorr is the former drummer of Death Cab for Cutie with whom he recorded The Photo Album and two of their EPs The Forbidden Love E.P. and The Stability E.P.. He has also played for The Long Winters...
.
Plot
Schultze (played by Horst Krause) is a large, recently retired salt-miner living in TeutschenthalTeutschenthal
Teutschenthal is a municipality in the Saalekreis district, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany....
(near Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle, Saxony-Anhalt
Halle is the largest city in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt. It is also called Halle an der Saale in order to distinguish it from the town of Halle in North Rhine-Westphalia...
in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
). Along with his also laid-off friends Jürgen and Manfred, he finds himself restless with so much spare time.
For years, he has played traditional polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
music on his accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
, but a series of upheavals in his life inspire an interest in American Zydeco
Zydeco
Zydeco is a form of uniquely American roots or folk music. It evolved in southwest Louisiana in the early 19th century from forms of "la la" Creole music...
and Cajun
Cajun
Cajuns are an ethnic group mainly living in the U.S. state of Louisiana, consisting of the descendants of Acadian exiles...
music. Though being afraid of travelling to the USA at the beginning he accepts his music club's wish to represent it at a German folk music festival in New Braunfels, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
But instead of appearing there he chooses to travel in a motor boat around the countryside despite speaking little English, immersing himself in the music and culture of the Bayou
Bayou
A bayou is an American term for a body of water typically found in flat, low-lying areas, and can refer either to an extremely slow-moving stream or river , or to a marshy lake or wetland. The name "bayou" can also refer to creeks that see level changes due to tides and hold brackish water which...
. Finally, among his newly found friends he becomes very sick and presumably dies. Back in Teutschenthal a funeral is held for Schultze which turns into a descent and mildly happy celebration of his life: "Herr, lehre uns Bedenken, dass wir alle einmal sterben müssen, auf das wir im Leben klug werden" - "Lord, teach us to understand we all have to die sometime, that we become wiser in our lives" (Psalm 90,12).