Serbski Són - sich sorbisch trauen
Serbski Són - Marriage, the Sorbian Way
With Andreas taking part in the Easter riding process, Michaela singing Sorbian church songs and the two of them on a pilgrimage to Rosenthal, the viewer encounters an apparently thriving culture. Discussions with a Ralbitz priest highlight how heavily this culture is shaped by Catholicism and its unifying power. At the same time however a sermon is preached against the "godless mischief" of local youngsters and the braška complains of the growing influence of German on Sorbian weddings. On a similar note Michaela prefers to marry in white rather than traditional costume. The idyll is fragile, despite the haunting lyrics of Měrćin Weclich, which emphasise the importance of remembering one's roots.
In Sorbian circles the film received a critical reception due to its portrayal of customs as a dynamic, lived experience rather than abstract ideals, an approach which ran contrary to the local portrayal of tradition as unchanging in its supposedly "correct" implementation. GL
Beta S | Doc. | Farbe / colour
Edmund Ballhaus
Anja Müller
Gesellschaft für den kulturwissenschaftlichen Film
Am Storchennest 9
26847 Detern
Germany
+49.49.57.69.34.70 0
www.gfkf.de
info@gfkf.de
Edmund Ballhaus - born in 1954 in Echte, Germany. He is the initiator and was the director of the area of studies „Visual Anthropology“ at the University of Göttingen. 1990 he founded the society GFKF. He directed and produced documentaries for schools, universities, museums and TV.
SCHERBENWIESE IM GRENZGEBIET (1991)
ÜBER DER KOHLE WOHNT DER MENSCH (1996)
LETZTE AUSFAHRT LOGGER (2007)
WEGE ÜBER DEN FLUSS (2008)
