Notes on language in image and sound by Theodor Hierneis or How to become a former royal chef by Hans-Jürgen Syberberg

by Claudia Siefen-Leitich

If you want to get a picture of Germany, it is important to note that this country is made up of 16 constituent states. Well, if you start from the current political situation: The German Empire of that time is something you can read about and appropriate historically, but let´s return to a Germany of 16 federated states. Today this not only means a concert of sounds and a mix of 16 dialects, cultures and temperaments, which some people may not realize if they only look at Germany from the outside. Or on a map.

A history of ‘service’ and the tradition of the German middle class in the German provinces: these are the phrases with which the film begins. We also read briefly in this introduction that it is loosely narrated from the memories of Theodor Hierneis (1868-1953). Hierneis entered the court of King Ludwig II at the age of 14, where he began his apprenticeship as a cook´s assistant in the court kitchen and remained as court chef until 1886. After the king’s death, he became court chef of Prince Regent Luitpold from 1886 to 1890, before moving to Berlin in 1890, where he worked as an apprentice in the court kitchen of Emperor Wilhelm II and eventually became court chef there. Historically interesting, right? And these are also the cornerstones of time that interest us in the film (by the way, when naming the film, I prefer the spelling found in a 16mm print and also when it was broadcast on TV: Th. Hierneis oder: wie man ehem. Hofkoch wird).

An image of Germany. The south, Munich. Do you remember the 16 dialects, cultures and temperaments? That also means 16 different styles of clothing, music, painting, literature, social structures, banalities and perversities, and not least different flavours, smells and cuisines! With his little book, Hierneis brings us closer to the working and proud middle class. You become a court chef and entrepreneur, save a lot and work on your noble reputation. After Hierneis’s death, his memoirs are published. And as with memories: they don’t always have to be true. But even what is freely told, perhaps even freely invented from memory… there is always some truth in it, and invention and omission also play an important role in the tone of a story.

So we are in Munich. In the Free State of Bavaria. The tone of a story, I said. Musically, in certain circles, this is the music of Richard Wagner. His widow, Cosima Wagner, was also the daughter of the pianist and composer Franz Liszt. In her diaries, she describes in vivid colors the relationship between her husband and the king. Above all, she describes the financial situation: the king kept Richard Wagner’s ‘machinery’ running, financially speaking. Ludwig II adored and idolized Wagner’s music. But the Wagners overestimated the king’s financial means, which often led to misunderstandings. A difficult and dependent friendship.

A small excerpt to give an impression of the book’s sound, brought to live in the film by Sedlmayr (translated here by myself):

“When a king goes on excursions, it’s different than when we go backpacking into the mountains. The paths and crossings have to be repaired days in advance – the responsible forestry office is responsible for this. The hunting lodges must be cleaned, the beds must be beaten, the forecourts must be gravelled or cleared of snow. In short, everything imaginable has to be done in order to be well prepared for the visit of such a demanding guest. Such mountain areas always placed particularly high demands on the court kitchen. The king’s accommodation in the hunting lodges was often simple enough, even primitive – when it came to food, the king always wanted it to be just as plentiful as in his castles! The largest possible selection of dishes and their most careful preparation were a matter of course for the court chefs. For who would want to arouse the anger of their highest lord? So even in the most extraordinary circumstances, after the soup there was a starter, such as patties, mussels gratinated or something similar, then boiled ox meat with fresh vegetables, a course that the king requested every day, then an intermediate course such as lamb chops with chestnut puree, chicken fricassee, afterward Roast game or poultry according to the season, followed by ducat noodles with crab butter as a warm dessert, cream strudel or savarin with fruit, then ice cream, fruit, dessert and mocha”.

In both the original book and the film it is mentioned that Ludwig II became obese as he grew older and his teeth were not the best. The youthful appearance of his early beauty had long disappeared. But if we think briefly about Visconti and his Ludwig II from 1973, the actor Helmut Berger retains this beauty, yes, he almost manifests it on the screen. The tone of a story. There is no music in Hans-Jürgen Syberberg’s film. And the only voice we listen to and follow, the only person we follow is a single actor from Munich, the likeable Walter Sedlmayr (1926-1990). He was found murdered in his Munich-Schwabing apartment, but that would be a completely different story. Sedlmayr acted in theater, directed and wrote screenplays for film and television, and his collaborations with Rainer Werner Fassbinder or Herbert Achternbusch brought him international fame as a ‘Bavarian model’ with sharp edges. Things were always humming, even when he was creating a popular travel show on german TV! He also worked with Syberberg on the text for this film and his skill with language, rhythm and movement remains fascinating. His performance and recitation with Syberberg earned him the long-awaited recognition of his acting skills.

Syberberg was right to trust Sedlmayr. There will be no music in this film. Sedlmayr takes us by the hand. His clothes change with each new scene, he speaks scenes from the original book as if he just remembered everything. As if things that were buried there for a long time were returning to his memory… Sedlmayr recovers them himself, not without irony, not without humour. The long shots are calm, here and there a scene opens with the entrance to a room. And Sedlmayr speaks directly to the camera. This can be irritating for the first ten minutes, I know. But during the 81 minutes he doesn’t let go, he tells anecdotes, he caresses a wooden table: “This is where we sat back then”. (“Hier sind wir damals gesessen”.) He continues walking, looking out of a window.

Oh, you weren’t allowed to talk to the king! If you ever encounter him at night, quietly back up against the wall and look down at the floor! Sedlmayr nods thoughtfully and closes the door. He steps out to the countryside. It’s raining.