11/09/2003

A teenage comedy set in the Swiss Army, called Achtung, fertig, Charlie! by Mike Eschmann will be released in the German region of Switzerland on September 18. But the film, distributed in 40 prints by Buena Vista International Switzerland Ltd, has already sparked off a series of reactions from the military authorities. The army generously allowed filming to be done in its buildings, with the aim of improving the image of the military. But the heads of the Defence Department (the DDPS) are shocked at the cooperation with a popular comedy where “sex, drugs and beer” are shown as the daily routine for the young recruits.

Conscription is still compulsory in Switzerland and the army is one of the symbols of national unity. Apart from a few exceptions, the film about the rowdy troops, portrayed in an ‘American Pie’ style, hasn’t had much of a welcome from the Swiss-German press. This is in spite of the production’s aim to attract the public at large.

The 2001 release of a film showing a group of Swiss troops getting lost in French territory, Neutre, by the director Xavier Ruiz, didn’t create such a fuss. Even though it didn’t have an ironic style, that film showed an equally unflattering image of the Swiss armed forces.

(Translated from French)