Lüthi und Blanc

Lüthi und Blanc is a Swiss German language television drama serial (soap opera) of the 1990s and 2000s. It was filmed and produced at locations in Switzerland by Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen SRF.

Lüthi und Blanc
Created byKatja Früh
Theme music composerMartin Schenkel featuring Tamy
Opening themeWenn immer
Country of originSwitzerland
Original languageGerman
No. of seasons8
No. of episodes288
Production
Running time25 minutes
Release
Original networkSchweizer Radio und Fernsehen SRF
Original release1999 (1999) –
2007 (2007)

Cast and characters (inclompete)
Actress/ActorRoleEpisodesYear
Hans Heinz Moser († 2017) [1]Jean-Jacques Blanc1–2881999–2006
Linda GeiserJohanna Blanc1–2881999–2006
Isabelle von SiebenthalCatherine Lüthi, geb. Blanc1–2881999–2006
Hans SchenkerMartin Lüthi1–2881999–2006
Benjamin FueterThomas Lüthi1–2881999–2006
Stefanie StämpfliJulia Lüthi1–158, 196, 259–2881999–2004, 2006
Viola TamiLotta Waser1–2881999–2006
Tonia Maria ZindelMaja Lüthi1–2881999–2006
Martin Schenkel († 2003)Steve Meier #11–1401999–2003
Noel WiggerPascal Lüthi1–2181999–2005
Renate SteigerLilian Lüthi1–2881999–2006
Esther GemschLisbeth Rohner1–2881999–2006
Hanspeter Müller-DrossaartHanspeter Rohner †1–45, 2871999–2000, 2006
Beat SchlatterWilli Huber1–2881999–2006
Graziella RossiAbusinda1–2881999–2006
Gilles TschudiMichael Frick2–2881999–2006
Monica BuddeMadame Delley2–288 (durchgehend)1999–2006
René VuilleumierPierre2–217 (durchgehend)1999–2005
Anja MargoniNatalie Rohner3–120, 184–223, 281–2881999–2002, 2005–2006
Jessica FrühDorothea Hurni-Frick3–2881999–2006
Yor MilanoFranco Moretti4–1171999–2003
Patrick FreyKurt Schwarz5–2881999–2006
Bernhard MichelLucky Schmid †6–661999–2001
René SchoenenbergerUlrich Rohner9–47, 86–102, 152–244, 280–2871999–2006
Dorothee ReizeAngelika9–471999–2000
Anne-Laure LuisoniMadame Fonjallaz11–148 (durchgehend), 2871999–2004, 2006
Ludwig BoettgerAlbert Fink21–2881999–2006
Ettore Cella († 2004)Lukas Wälti-Kern †27–862000–2001
Sibylle Courvoisier († 2003)Letti Merian31–172 (durchgehend)2000–2003
Hanna ScheuringJeanine Wälti-Kern32–1182000–2002
Alfred PfeifferSchmuklerski33, 50–672000–2001
Joris GratwohlMaurizio Galfatti37–1082000–2002
Katharina von BockSabina Köster49–2882000–2006
Tessie TellmannUrsula Schmid50–105, 159–2882000–2002, 2004–2006
Jodoc SeidelJosef †59–902000–2001
Klaus-Henner RussiusDr. Honecker66–68, 253–2622000, 2006
Andreas KrämerGeri72–1402001–2003
Jean-Pierre CornuDr. Tobler72–1542001–2004
Regula StüssiSekretärin Kuster76–2832001–2006
Raphael ClamerAlex Weiss77–120, 164–2642001–2006
Bernard MichelDaniel Schmid84–1582001–2004
Anne-Marie Blanc († 2009)Esther Weiss91–116, 177, 2192001–2002, 2004–2005
Andrea MarinMargrith "Angelique" Müller94–126, 151–153, 2472001–2005
César Keiser († 2007)Alfred Bernasconi94–1472001–2003
Roland HerrmanPaul Nyffenegger96–133, 168–179, 211–2162001–2005
Tiziana BurkartTamara Müller104–2882002–2006
Manuel LöwensbergUrs Wicky112–128, 153–200, 221–2882002–2006
Mathias Gnädinger († 2015)[2] Ruedi Egger120–2882003–2006
Birgit SteineggerDoris Ruf141–203, 275–2782004–2006
Roeland WiesnekkerSteve Meier #2143–2882003–2006
Anikó DonáthDoris Hummer160, 264–2872004, 2006
Walter Andreas MüllerBela Straub163–2192004–2005
Jörg Schneider († 2015)[3] Oskar Wehrli169–2882004–2006
Sabina SchneebeliRegula Imboden †175–2632004–2006
Helmut VogelRainer Sanders196–268, 2812004–2006
Joel BasmanZizou Imboden199–2862004–2006
Andreas MattiRené Imboden †208–216, 254–2632004, 2006

Plot (excerpt)

The various plot lines are about the fate of families around the stubborn chocolate factory-owner Jean-Jacques Blanc (Hans Heinz Moser), his wife Johanna (Linda Geiser), whose daughter Catherine (Isabelle von Siebenthal) and her son, and Catherine's husband Martin Lüthi (Hans Schenker). Opponent of the Lüthi and Blanc-clans and "villain" of the series is the opaque, scheming bankers and illegitimate son of J.J. Blanc, Michael Frick (Gilles Tschudi). The serial focusses on locations in Zürich and Sainte-Croix, the location of the fictional chocolate factory J. J. Blanc.

In addition to the places where the characters live and work, the locations include the "Calvados Bar" in Zurich-Wiedikon, which is run by Martin Lüthi's mother Lilian (Renate Steiger) and his half-sister Maja (Tonia Maria Zindel) and her husband Steve Meier (Martin Schenkel and Roeland Wiesnekker respectively), various shared flats and a farm in the Zurich province. In addition, there are the fictional restaurants "De la Poste" in Sainte-Croix and "Balthasar" in Zurich, which serve as meeting places.

Other important characters are the widowed, scheming gossip reporter Lisbeth Rohner (Esther Gemsch), her brother-in-law, the hypocritical-seeming pastor Ulrich Rohner (René Schoenenberger); street sweeper and "Calvados" regular Willi (Beat Schlatter); the son of the Lüthi couple and young lawyer Thomas (Benjamin Fueter), his sister Julia (Stefanie Stämpfli) and Thomas' ex-girlfriend Lotta Waser (Viola Tami). The popular actor Mathias Gnädinger can be seen in the role of the farmer Ruedi Egger. It should be noted, of course, that the constellations of characters and settings have changed considerably in some cases during the more than 200 episodes that have been broadcast.

At the beginning, the series was conceived as a cross-language project; the series also ran in dubbed versions on the SRG stations TSR and TSI. In addition to the locations in the German and French-speaking parts of Switzerland, there was also a plot location in Ticino. This concept failed, however, and Lüthi und Blanc was continued as a purely Swiss-German project. What remained was the occasional bilingualism of the series. Although the main characters usually speak German with each other, French is often spoken in conversations with outsiders in Vaud, even in the dialect version.

The series sometimes touches on controversial topics such as open homosexuality, racism, drug abuse, prostitution, celibacy, incest or polygamy. The often very different social milieus portrayed are striking.

Production

Lüthi und Blanc was shot at locations in the Canton of Vaud and in Zürich, and produced in Glattfelden.[4]

Around 80% of the scenes were shot in a studio set up especially for the soap in Glattfelden. There were over 30 sets for the series in the former spinning mill. Among the most famous were the "Villa Blanc" and the "Calvados Bar", which exists in real life in Zurich and was recreated in a slightly modified form in the studio. The exterior views were shot all over Switzerland, for example in Estavayer-le-Lac (Villa Blanc) or Embrach (farm).

The smaller part, about 20% of all scenes, were shot "on location". The Lüthi and Blanc crew spent about four weeks a year filming in Switzerland.

The filming was not open to the public, but it was possible to visit the Glattfelden Film Studios - an opportunity taken advantage of by several thousand visitors each year.

The series was shot up to nine months in advance of broadcast. In addition, the scripts were written half a year in advance. Filming was done in so-called sub-sets, which were assigned to a director.

Reception

As well as Fascht e Familie, Lüthi & Blanc is still very popular in the Swiss German culture, and from time to time re-broadcast in the Swiss German television.[4] Lüthi and Blanc was by the Swiss media often called Schoggi Soap (chocolate soap).

References
  1. "Schauspieler Hans Heinz Moser gestorben" (in German). 3sat. 2017-05-02. Retrieved 2017-05-02.
  2. "Jörg Schneider: "Gnädinger gehörte zur ersten Garde"" (in German). Zürcher Oberländer. 2015-04-05. Retrieved 2015-08-23.
  3. "Jörg Schneider ist tot" (in German). Zürcher Oberländer. 2015-08-22. Retrieved 2015-08-22.
  4. "Lüthi und Blanc". SRF (in German). Retrieved 2015-04-07.
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