Brother Klaus 1991

Directed by Edwin Beeler

“Brother Klaus” takes an approach to St. Niklaus von Flüe (1417-1487) on various levels. From the sparse evidence and quotations from his surviving mystical texts, especially the tower and well vision, a portrait emerges of a multi-faceted personality of historical relevance, who developed from a farmer and politician into a deeply religious mystic. This is a film about a visionary who went his own way, but who has been labeled by posterity as a defensive father of the country (“spiritual national defence”) or a pacifist (peace movement), but who has also often been kitsched into a devotional figure. The film director does not deny his point of view, but lets the images speak for themselves and the viewers draw their own conclusions.