William Tell: Film Review
I knew very little about the fictional Swiss marksman William Tell – beyond him shooting an apple off somebody’s head with an arrow – so it was enlightening learning more about the folk hero in this historical epic.
Set in Switzerland in 1307, the story follows our protagonist Wilhelm Tell (Claes Bang) as he helps a peasant farmer evade capture by the Austrians after killing one of their soldiers. The evil Austrian tyrant Gessler (Connor Swindells) becomes convinced Tell is the peasant farmer so the marksman must protect his family and country from the repercussions. The folk hero eventually leads a rebellion against the Austrians in occupied Switzerland and helps his country fight for independence from the House of Habsburg.
Based on the play by Friedrich Schiller, William Tell is an old-school medieval epic that you don’t see on screen very much anymore. It reminded me of films like Braveheart, Robin Hood and Kingdom of Heaven. There are stunning Sound of Music-style landscapes, hordes of flying arrows, bloody violence and an awesome final battle.
The big problem is that it feels so long and takes forever to get going. The second half is good but you have to be patient while the film sets up everything. There are a lot of characters and it naturally takes a while to introduce them all and build the relationships and dynamics between them. There are so many people that I struggled to keep track of names and if the person was Swiss or Austrian because there is no discernible difference beyond their clothes.
Bang was an excellent choice for Tell. He is stubborn, fearless and refuses to bow down to the Austrians, which really riles up the detestable Gessler. There are a lot of other cast members – even appearances from Ben Kingsley, Jonathan Pryce and Rafe Spall – but the other one who deserves a mention is Ellie Bamber as Bertha, the independent and headstrong Austrian princess who wants to help the Swiss.
It took far too long to hook me in but my patience paid off in the end. Worth a watch if you like old-fashioned medieval epics.
In cinemas from Friday 17th January
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
