''Fortress of Peace'', originally titled ''Wehrhafte Schweiz'' in German and ''Nous pouvons nous défendre'' in French, is a Swiss
short film
A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...
made in 1964, directed by John Fernhout and produced by
Lothar Wolff. It was nominated for the 1965
Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film
The Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film is an award presented at the annual Academy Awards ceremony. The award has existed, under numerous names, since 1957.
From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate awards, ''Best Short Subject, On ...
.
Summary
''Wehrhafte Schweiz'' is a
Swiss Army
The Swiss Armed Forces (; ; ; ; ) are the military and security force of Switzerland, consisting of land and air service branches. Under the country's militia system, regular soldiers constitute a small part of the military and the rest are ...
propaganda film, made for the
Expo 64
The Swiss national exposition of 1964 (French: ''Exposition nationale suisse de 1964''), usually shortened to Expo 64, was the 5th swiss national exhibiton held in Lausanne, more specifically in Vidy and the neighbouring Vallée de la Jeunesse, b ...
national exhibition in the then-prevailing spirit of ''geistige Landesverteidigung'' (cultural national defense). It portrays the Swiss Army fighting against an unnamed, unseen enemy, using heavy weapons such as flamethrowers, artillery, tanks and bomber aircraft. After the enemy is repelled, the film closes with idyllic shots of beautiful Swiss landscapes. The 20-minute film was shot using the latest
action film
The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...
techniques in the
Cinerama
Cinerama is a widescreen process that originally projected images simultaneously from three synchronized 35 mm movie film, 35mm projectors onto a huge, deeply curved screen, Subtended angle, subtending 146-degrees of arc. The trademarked pr ...
format on expensive MCS-70 Super Panorama 70mm stock.
Reception
The film was a popular success in Switzerland, attracting more than four million viewers (about two thirds of the country's population). The project, led by Major General Gustav Däniker and by Rudolf Farner, a powerful advertising executive in civilian life, was however controversial because of its exorbitant
CHF 1 million production cost, concerns about military secrecy and the use of foreign rather than Swiss creative staff. Critical opinion was mostly positive, although concerns were voiced about the film being too militaristic and aggressive, not highlighting the Swiss tradition of
militia service, and for being too reminiscent of propaganda films by foreign totalitarian regimes. In a slightly adapted form, the film was also shown abroad under the English title ''Fortress of Peace''.
Restoration
In 2014, the deteriorated film stock was restored
Historical Firearms - WEHRHAFTE SCHWEIZ / FORTRESS OF PEACE (1964)
/ref> by the Swiss Army and Memoriav, a Swiss cultural heritage association, for public screenings in Switzerland on the occasion of the 50-year anniversary of Expo 64.
References
External links
*{{IMDb title, 0059194
Official Clip
on YouTube
YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
1964 films
Swiss war films
Propaganda films
Propaganda in Switzerland
1964 short films