William Tell: The Swiss Folk Hero on the Big Screen

This crossbow-wielding warrior is sort of a Swiss Robin Hood or King Arthur. He is more a figure of legend than history, despite his inspiring folk-hero status. Of course, in the 1970s, leftist Swiss intellectuals like Max Frisch demonized Tell as a backwoods “deplorable,” while arguing his notorious nemesis Albrecht Gessler was just a well-meaning tax-collector. Needless to say, their radical reinterpretations never took hold. Instead, he remains the hero who shot that famous apple, which is exactly how director-screenwriter Nick Hamm presents him in William Tell, opening today in theaters.

The good thing about mythic figures with little evidence to prove their existence is the leeway they leave filmmakers like Hamm to fill in the holes. In this film, Tell fought as a crusader in the Holy Land, but the brutality he witnessed left disgusted with war. However, it was also there that he met Suna, his not very Swiss-looking wife. Initially, Tell would rather stoically endure the Habsburgs’ oppression, rather than risk re-igniting the horrors of war. However, he still feels compelled to help a poor yeoman farmer who killed the Habsburg agent guilty of defiling and murdering his own wife.

Of course, that puts Tell on Gessler’s radar. Recognizing the archer’s potential danger, Gessler sets a very public trap for him. Naturally, Tell refuses to bend the knee for a Habsburg monument, so Gessler forces him to attempt an impossible shot, targeting an apple atop his son’s head. Refusal means certain death for the entire Tell family, but making it would create a national hero.

Logically, Hamm starts with the apple and then flashes backwards, to explain how Tell got there. Yet, there is still quite a bit of story left after that. In fact, there is a whole rebellion to fight. Hamm is not known for action, but he stages some of the best ancient historical battle sequences on film since Gladiator II. Thanks to Tell, the crossbow figures prominently and Hamm fully capitalizes. In terms of grit and theme, William Tell is very much like vintage Mel Gibson.

Claes Bang also delivers one of his best performances in several years as the strong but silent Tell. He inspires confidence, while Connor Swindells inspires hatred and revulsion as the profoundly nasty Gessler. Golshifteh Farahani radiates heartfelt motherly concern as Suna, but, unfortunately, Hamm never gives the opportunity to show off the action chops she honed in Extraction franchise. Regardless, Jonathan Pryce and Sir Ben Kingsley add grizzled heft as Attinghausen, the Swiss provincial lord, and the Habsburg King Albert.

Rossini’s Overture remains unheard during the film, which might disappoint many potential viewers. However, if you want medieval crossbow action, Hamm and company have it covered. The film also expresses its themes of freedom and independence with stirring passion. Recommended for the flying bolts and the refusal to bend the knee, William Tell opens today (4/4) in New York, at the AMC 34^th Street.