Uli the Farmhand (German: Uli der Knecht) is a 1954 Swiss film directed by Franz Schnyder and starring Hannes Schmidhauser, Liselotte Pulver and Heinrich Gretler. Based on Jeremias GotthelfâÂÂs 1841 story Wie Uli der Knecht glücklich wird, it follows a farmhand who reforms his life, rises to a position of responsibility on a struggling farm, and must decide whom to marry. The film premiered in Zurich on 19 October 1954 and was a box-office success.
Uli is a farmhand known for drinking and womanising. After being urged to change his ways, he reforms and soon earns a better name. He is then hired by the farmer Joggeli as head farmhand on a neglected farm, where he works to restore order despite resistance. He must also decide whom he should marry, and in the end Joggeli and his wife hand over the farm on lease to the couple.
The cast includes:
The film is based on Jeremias GotthelfâÂÂs 1841 story Wie Uli der Knecht glücklich wird. It was produced by Gloriafilm AG in Zurich, and its producers were Oscar Düby and Max Dora. Filming took place from 12 April to 19 June 1954. Interior scenes were shot at Filmstudio Rosenhof in Zurich. Exterior scenes were filmed in the Emmental at Brechershäusern ob Wynigen, Eggiwil, Heimischmatt and Würzbrunnen, and in Bern at Junkerngasse.
The film premiered on 19 October 1954 at the Scala cinema in Zurich. It was a box-office success and became a breakthrough film for Hannes Schmidhauser and Liselotte Pulver. Franz SchnyderâÂÂs Gotthelf films were commercially very successful, though some critics and younger filmmakers regarded them as unpolitical and reactionary. It was among Franz SchnyderâÂÂs works that were digitally restored by Swiss Radio and Television (SRF) in collaboration with the Cinémathèque suisse and the Memoriav foundation.
The film was screened at the 65th Locarno Film Festival in 2012.