Franz Schnyder

The Swiss filmmaker Franz Schnyder (1910–1993) attracted millions of Swiss people to the cinemas in the 1950s with films like "Uli the Farmhand," "Heidi and Peter," and others. Schnyder grew up in Burgdorf and began his career as an actor and theater director in Germany. The patriotic film "Gilberte de Courgenay" made him famous overnight in 1941. However, Schnyder also directed other critical films, such as "Wilder Urlaub" (1943) and "Der 10. Mai" (1957). His career as a director ended in 1968 with "Die 6 Kummer-Buben." The New Swiss Film movement brought a cinematic shift, marking the end of Schnyder's era. Lonely, confused, and bitter, he died in 1993 at the psychiatric center in Münsingen. With this first comprehensive biography of Franz Schnyder's life and work, the authors fill a gap in film history. Numerous images from Schnyder's life and a complete chronology provide a rounded view of a significant piece of Swiss film history.