German cinema in the eternal shadow of Hollywood? Of course, that cannot be said in general. But it often seems that way – especially when a film project in this country is Blockbuster dimensions that wants to compete with the dream factory. This rarely succeeds. What Michael “Bully” Herbig has created with Der Schuh des Manitu is all the more impressive.
23 years ago today, the parody of Karl May’s Winnetou epics celebrated its premiere and hit the nerve of the times. At that time, Hollywood was flooding numerous spoof movies The reason for this was the gigantic success of Scary Movie. Suddenly no franchise was safe: Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer made fun of everything that was of any importance in pop culture.
But they couldn’t keep up with Bully.
Bully took on the Hollywood spoof movie wave 23 years ago with The Shoe of Manitu
Film parodies have existed since the beginning of cinema. As early as 1905, Edwin S. Porter made fun of the silent film classic The Great Train Robbery, which had thrilled audiences two years earlier, with The Little Trian Robbery. So neither Bully nor Friedberg and Selzer invented the genre. But they definitely gave it their due. own stamp on – and at first glance it looks amazingly similar.
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The Shoe of Manitu
Both parties are taking popular franchises and bringing the elements that make these films iconic into the maximum ridiculousThe jokes range from bad puns to hilarious slapstick and are generally not afraid of anything. Sometimes the films are almost unbelievably embarrassing, sometimes they manage to brilliantly combine absurd meta-moments.
In Der Schuh des Manitu and later in (T)Raumschiff Surprise and Lissi und der wilde Kaiser, Bully draws on the humor that he had cultivated for six seasons in the Bullyparade. Friedberg and Selzer benefit from the experience they gained in Agent 00 with Leslie Nielsen, who himself led one of the most well-known parody series with the three The Naked Gun films.
Friedberg and Selzer’s parodies do not have any of the qualities of Bully’s Der Schuh des Manitu
What Bully and Friedberg/Selzer also have in common is that they deal with surprisingly large budgets. The Shoe of Manitu was made for a remarkable 9 million DM, and the first Scary Movie film even cost almost 20 million US dollars. That is more than many parodied films have ever cost. However, these impressive resources are never seen on screen in Friedberg and Selzer’s films.
20th Century Fox
My wife, the Spatans and I
Neither does Fantastic Movie conjure up the feeling of a fantasy adventure à la Harry Potter or Pirates of the Caribbean, nor can Disaster Movie keep up with the bombast of destruction of The Day After Tomorrow and 2012. My wife, the Spartans and I couldn’t be further from the battle painting 300, not to mention cinematic total failures like Beilight – Biss zum Supper and The Turkey of Panem.
Nobody expects a parody to be on par with the original, but what Friedberg and Selzer have made of the genre defies description as loveless. Not only in terms of humor, but above all in the way it is brought to the screen. Your films are incredibly hollownot because they are stupid, but because they are just a shell.
In love with the cinematic role models: The Shoe of Manitu would ideally be a Winnetou film itself
Bully, on the other hand, has understood that a parody – no matter how merciless – should first and foremost be imbued with love for the story being parodied. The Shoe of Manitu does not just take aim at Winnetou. Deep inside the film would ideally be a Winnetou film itself. The production lets us feel that. Bully is not satisfied with cheap costumes and puns. He wants the whole thing.
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The Shoe of Manitu
Many of the jokes in Der Schuh des Manitu have aged badly. But the enthusiasm with which he lets off steam in his Western setting has not. Bully takes all the gestures of the genre and diligently emulates the great role modelsSometimes one gets the impression that he only made a parody because there is no other way in German cinema to make a western with a decent budget.
When the overture sounds in the first few minutes and the camera makes its way through the vastness of the prairie, Der Schuh des Manitu has more of a feel for its genre than Superfast! did in its entire 99 (!) minutes. It desperately tries to make fun of Fast & Furious without understanding what makes the “Family” so special. Bully, on the other hand, knows exactly why Winnetou has been a topic for decades.
23 years later, The Shoe of Manitu goes into the next round, the spoof movies have fizzled out
Friedberg and Selzer’s spoof movies only lure in superficial curiosity. You want to know how far they will go or how stupid they are this time. But that’s all you get. This voyeurism is also present in The Shoe of Manitu. But in the end, you stay because the film really does take you on an adventure through the Wild West, where you can experience a lot.
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The Shoe of Manitu
It is no wonder that the Friedberg-Selzer School has now almost completely disappeared from the cinema. Apart from a bit of Scary Movie nostalgia, nothing has stuck that makes Hangover Girls, Date Movie and Co. Fast food equivalent among Hollywood parodies The legacy of Mel Brooks, who became immortal through Spaceballs, Robin Hood and Co., is nowhere to be found here.
The Shoe of Manitu is remembered and continues: Next year, Abahachi and Ranger will return in grand style when they go in search of the canoe of Manitu. And it is definitely worth taking a look at the predecessor before the second part. Not necessarily because of the humor, but because of the cinematic understanding for the genre that flashes through at every second.