Steff Gruber’s first feature film is the story of a young Swiss who, after absence of five years, returns to a small town in the US state Georgia where a love affair had come to an abrupt and, for him, unhappy end.
He tries to discover the reasons for the break-up of his relationship. His ex-girlfriend has since married and is in the throes of divorce. Parallel to this, he re-lives his own love relationship to this woman. Following a period of analytical observation, he becomes more and more involved with his own problems.
Moon in Taurus is a film without actors, for all the participants act themselves.
Based on selection from 15 hours of documentary materials, the film links fiction and documentation in an original way.
CH 1980
Feature Film
16 / 35 mm blow-up (1.66)
100 min. colour
Location: Athens, Georgia (USA)
Language: English
Subtitles: German, French
Credits:
Director: Steff Gruber
Script: Steff Gruber
Photography: Andy Humphreys
Editing: Steff Gruber, Beni Müller, Dani Koch
Music: Isaac Albéniz, Ruedi Burkhalter
Sound: Jim Hawkins, Eugen Surbeck
With
Wanda Linn Wester, Jack Wright, Bonnie T, Steff Gruber and the voice of Jim Herbert
Producer: Steff Gruber
Production: Alive Productions GmbH, Zürich
Distribution: STARFILM (Paramount), Filmcoopi Zurich
World Sales: KINO.NET
Wanda Wester, Steff Gruber, Jack Wright
A young man from Switzerland (the film maker Steff Gruber) returns to a small town in America, having left it five years ago when a love affair came to an abrupt and unhappy end.
With his film team, he tries to fathom the factors which made the relationship break down. His former partner Wanda has since married Jack, but is now divorced.
Steff feels that Wanda has changed a lot, and he finds it difficult to talk to her. When he notices that he too has changed, the conversation shifts its ground. Steff is now more concerned to find out the reasons of the breakdown of her relationship with Jack. In parallel to the tormented relationship that Wanda and Jack act out, Steff lives through his own affaire du coeur with Wanda once more.
Starting from the viewpoint of an analytical observer, Steff gets increasingly caught up in his own problems.
In a dialogue between Jack and Wanda the blocked-up emotions finally break out. Steff tries to intervene as a mediator, but their standpoints are irreconcilable. It is a matter of two different worldviews that clash with one another.
Steff realises that Jack has now taken his place.
Bonnie T.
Steff Gruber
Bonnie T
Wanda Wester
Switzerland 1980
Shot on location in Athens Georgia, USA
and Cortona, Italy 1978-1979
Wanda
WANDA LINN WESTER
Jack
JACK WRIGHT
Bonnie
BONNIE T.
Steff
STEFF GRUBER
Principal Photography
ANDY HUMPHREYS
Sound
JIM HAWKINS
Camera Assistance
BILLY SHERRILL
Edited by
STEFF GRUBER
BENI MÜLLER
DANIEL KOCH
Music
RUEDI BURKHALTER
Musical Advice
PAUL FISCHLI
Recorded by
URSLI WEBER
at Platinum One Studio
Sound Transfer and Mix
EUGEN SURBECK
at Tonstudio Riet
Laboratories
CINEGRAM Zurich
SFL, Georgia
Negativ Edit
ELLI WALLSTROEM
Additional Photography and Sound
STEFF GRUBER
DIANA MARIA THARALSON
Dialog Transcription
ANDREAS LÜTHI
SUSANNE FREY
Equipment
CINEUROPA, London
AFER, Atlanta
EBO, Zurich
CINERENT, Zurich
ALIVE GmbH, Zurich
Negative
FUJICOLOR
Titles
TRICKFILMLADEN, Zurich
Production Secretary
ANDREA FISCHER
Advertising Consultants
RENE GROSSENBACHER (CH)
LINDA DE PASCALE (USA)
‚Cordoba’ from ‚Iberia’
composed by Isaac Albéniz and played by Ruedi Burkhalter
“The Blues”
composed and played by Marcus Wyrsch and Mark Bänteli
I am very grateful for the support and the help from my friends:
ANNE-MARIE GRUBER
LUISE VOGELSANGER
CATHARINE HILLMAN
CAROLA HILLMAN
HANNES GRUBER
PAUL FISCHLI
RENE GROSSENBACHER
ANDREA FISCHER
PAUL HOYNINGEN
MARK BÄNTELI
MARCUS WYRSCH
ANDY HUMPHREYS
THYS BRUNNER
ANDY LÜTHI
ROLF DINKELMANN
TRUDY LINCKE
DAGMAR ZIMMER
BRUNO HÖFLER
JAMES A. HERBERT
DANIEL KOCH
REGULA KÖNIG
WOLFGANG HUMBERT-DROG
SERGE STAUFFER
A.C.N. NAMBIAR
HANS-PETER KUSTER
PIT GÜNTER
An extra thank to
Präsidialabteilung der Stadt Zürich
Bank Leu
3M Switzerland
Buchdruckerei Müller Werder
Schweizer Fernsehen DRS
Copyright by Steff Gruber, Zurich, Switzerland
© 1980. All rights reserved.
CH 1980
Feature Film
16 / 35 mm blow-up (1.66)
100 min. colour
Language: English
Subtitles: German, French
Producer: Steff Gruber
Production: Alive Media AG, Zurich
Distribution: STARFILM (Paramount), Filmcoopi Zurich
World Sales: KINO.NET AG, Zurich
Photo: Bonnie T.
„Steff Gruber’s thorough account of a failed relationship represents a novelty in Swiss film, in its method as well as in its subject. ‘Moon in Taurus’ does not tell a story but demonstrates how three people try to deal with their his/herstory. (…) Not only do two different languages come together (or rather not come together) in this film, but at least two different appreciations of what talking can do for you. Communication functions on many different levels. Not all the questions are answered. On the other hand, a lot of questions are answered in the film that haven’t even been asked. Documentary? Fiction? None of both? ‘Moon in Taurus’ should be seen first of all as an ethnological study. Not art is its prime concern, no message is reveald.“
Martin Schaub in: «Pro Helvetia – Films and Reality»
Athens Banner Herald
29. August 1978
(PDF – 327.6 kb)
The Athens Observer
31. August 1978
(PDF – 318.4 kb)
Züritipp
(PDF – 671.2 kb)
Variety
10. September 1980
(PDF – 300.7 kb)
Der Zürcher Oberländer
31. Oktober 1980
(PDF – 398 kb)
Neue Zürcher Zeitung
14. November 1980
(PDF – 498 kb)
La Tribune de Genève
15. November 1980
(PDF – 283.7 kb)
Cinema
Nr. 1/1981
(PDF – 804.7 kb)
