Einsvierzig

Karl Wallner, the protagonist of this film, is a man aged about 50. At the age of 14 he stopped growing and didn’t get any taller than 4 foot 7. The film shows scenes from the life of a dwarf at home, at work, in his free time.
Ulrich Seidl (1952, Austria): ‘This is the first film I made at the Viennese film Academy. I wanted to make a film about a handicapped man who stayed small but without hypocritically feigning sympathy as usual in such a case. I wanted to show the handicapped man as an individual, laugh at him or think he’s boring just like anyone else. The film caused fierce debates and I was attacked, as I would often be later, as a Sozialpornographen.’