Die Soldaten des Papstes

Soldiers of the Pope
Les soldats du Pape
I soldati del Papa

Switzerland, December 2005
FILM, Documentary, 55 min.

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directed by
Felice Zenoni
Written by
Felice Zenoni
Status
In distribution
Website
www.meschuggefilm.ch

The world-renowned Swiss Guard may be the smallest army in the world, but they have guarded the Pope’s every turn for the last 500 years. They swear on oath to protect the life of the Holy Father with their own, as indeed they did during an attempted assassination in 1981. Here, the director gets exclusive behind the scenes access to this select group and pieces together the mystery still surrounding the shocking murder of Swiss Guardsman Alois Estermann and of his wife Gladys in 1998. Interwoven with fascinating and hereto unseen archive footage, the film introduces recent new findings on the case. The perpetrator is meant to be another Swiss Guard, but doubts are cast on the Vatican’s official version. The film is a unique insight into the everyday activities of the Papal Soldiers who are anything but everyday.

credits

World Premiere
December 2005
Original Version
Italian, French, Swiss-German, German,  colour and b/w, Digi Beta, 55 min.
Production
Mesch & Ugge AG, SRG SSR
Producer
directed by
Felice Zenoni
Written by
Felice Zenoni
Cinemato­graphy
Björn Lindroos
Editing
Christian Müller
Music
Pater Theo Flury
Location Sound Mix
Hans-Peter Studer

World Sales / World Rights

World Sales
Accent Films International Ltd.

Worldwide Distribution

Switzerland
Mesch & Ugge AG Distribution
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