Original Title: In Schwimmen-Zwei-Vögel
Synopsis
The student Bran who lives at his uncle’s maintaining a constant quarrel with the same, writes on a novel with different beginnings. For this purpose he invents the devil Pooka MacPhellimey, the villainous John Furriskey and the legendary Old-Irish hero Finn Mac Cool. But John Furriskey himself is the creation of another character invented by Bran called Dermot Trellis. The same Trellis, himself working on a novel, forces all the characters created by him to live in the Red Swan Hotel and do what he likes them to do.
Bran develops an additional subplot around the devil Pooka MacPhellimey, who is visited by a Good Fairy learning from her that soon a child shall be born to Dermot Trellis at the Red Swan Hotel, a child the fairy wants to bless with her positive powers. Hearing that, Pooka as well sets off for the Red Swan Hotel to plant the seed of evil into newly-born Orlick’s heart. On their ramblings through the forests Pooka and the Good Fairy meet the drovers Shorty Andrews and Slug Willard and working class poet Jem Casey. The group of four is later joined by mad King Sweeney. After a two-day journey the company arrives at the Red Swan Hotel. To kill the time waiting for the child to be born, the group engages in a game of poker, the outcome of which gives the narrative course an unexpected turn …
Technical Information
1997; Austria; Drama; 90 minutes; HDCAM-SR; Original Language: English; Subtitles: German
DIRECTOR
Kurt Palm
WRITER
Flann O’Brien (book), Kurt Palm
D.O.P.
Wolfgang Lehner
EDITOR
Karina Ressler
MUSIC
Chrono Popp
PRODUCTION COMPANY
Fischer Film
PRODUCER
Markus Fischer
ART DIRECTOR
Ursula Hübner
COSTUME DESIGN
Wilbirg Reiter-Heinisch, Renato Uz
MAKE UP ARTIST
Karin Schön, Ulli Koppe
SOUND
Bruno Pisek
PRODUCTION MANAGER
Axl Newrkla
LINE PRODUCER
Thomas Dirnhofer
Paul Shanahan/Shorty Andrews
Andreas Sobik
Antony Lamont/Slug Willard
Renato Uz
Dermot Trellis
Andreas Karner
Pooka MacPhellimey
Johannes Friesinger
John Furriskey
Karl Ferdinand Kratzl
Sweeny
Stefan Wieland
Jem Casey
Ernst Wolzenburg
Finn Mac Cool
Harry Rowohlt
Bran
Werner Wultsch
KURT PALM
In 1981 Palm wrote his dissertation on Brecht and Austira at the University of Salzburg. Since 1982, Kurt Palm works as a director, writer and educational worker. In 1989 he founded the legendary theater group Sparverein “Die Unzertrennlichen” in Vienna. From 1994 to 1996 he directed 24 episodes of the show hosted by Hermes Phettberg. Since November 19th 1998 Palm is a member of the Society of Jem Casey, Dublin. He lives in Vienna and Litzlberg am Attersee.
Selective Filmography
Feature Film
2005 The Measuring of the Calves
2003 The Cut Through the Throat
1997 At Swim-Two-Birds
Feature Documentary
2007 Hermes Phettberg, Wretch
coming soon…
The Irish Times
The subversive humour of Flann O’Brien’s daring and complicated comedy not only transfers brilliantly from the page to the screen in Kurt Palm’s hilarious début movie, it also works well in German.
Der Standard
Singularly unbrilliant.
Die Presse
The highest degree of absurdity in the cinema.
Salzburger Nachrichten
Certificate: weird.
Kurier
Bizarre characters, fanciful pitfalls and a double-bottomed dramatization.
The Irish Times
An imaginative and hilarious screen version of Flann O’Brien’s subversive comic masterpiece.
Media Biz
A bright spot on the silver screen.
News
A terrific farce.
TV Media
A bizarre tale of magic abounding in powerful poetical imagery.
Oberösterreichische Nachrichten
A weed-like sprouting of the flowers of fantasy.
Rennbahn-Express
A cult movie.
Neues Volksblatt
Original, outstandingly produced, delightful casting.
Wiener Zeitung
[… ] a blazing hell-fire (…) a breathtaking ride on the ghost train.
After finishing high school (1979) and job training, Markus Fischer began working as a cinematographer. In 1988 he passed the state-certified producer exam and founded Fischer Markus Filmproduktion, based in Linz, Upper Austria.
In 1998, Markus Fischer decided to take a further step towards more independence and founded the Vienna-based Fischer Film GmbH.
With this company, it is Fischer’s goal to develop and produce Austrian films by well known filmmakers, as well as by young and talented writers, directors and artists and also European Co-Productions. Markus Fischer is a member of the “aafp – Association of Austrian Film Producers,” the Association of the Music and Film Industry Austria, and an EAVE graduate (Les Entrepreneurs de l’Audiovisuel Europeen).
Selective Filmography
Feature Film
2014 Kafka, Ganja, Maniacs
2007 Midsummer Madness
2005 Fremde Haut
2004 Fräulein Phyllis
Feature Documentary
2012 Slatin Pascha
2011 Gas Monopoly
