MA 2412 - Die Staatsdiener (2003)
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Directors
Cast
Alfred Dorfer, Roland Düringer, Monica Weinzettl, Karl Ferdinand Kratzl, Wolfgang Böck, Barbara Stöckl, Peter Fröhlich
A report-style film revisits the pasts of Vienna municipal-office workers while tracing how their department was founded.
The story
Framed as a report, the film uses flashbacks to recount the founding of a Vienna municipal department and revisit the pasts of its main characters. Engelbert Breitfuß is shown as a child, with his father preparing him for a life in public service. Michael Weber’s use of his permanent post at the Traffic Office leads to his transfer to the Office for Christmas Decorations. The film also follows secretary Knackal’s earlier work as a sausage seller, before she became a civil servant.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The feature film based on the successful ORF series picks up where it left off and tells stories from the main characters’ pasts. It also serves as the finale to the stories from the Vienna municipal offices. In the form of a report, it recounts how the municipal department was founded, using various flashbacks. Engelbert Breitfuß (Roland Düringer) is shown as a child, and we see how his father prepared him for a life in public service. Michael Weber (Alfred Dorfer) takes full advantage of his permanent post at the Traffic Office and is therefore transferred to the Office for Christmas Decorations. Before becoming a civil servant, secretary Knackal (Monica Weinzettl) was a sausage seller. One day, her hidden “talents” are revealed by the Senior Senate Councillor (Wolfgang Böck), who now wants her close by. The film also looks back at history to trace the origins of the civil service. It travels to the Stone Age, ancient Rome, the era of Maria Theresa, the Congress of Vienna, and the early years of the Second Republic. According to the film, the roots of the Austrian civil service can be found everywhere.
Genres
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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