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Spectacular backdrop: “Davos” is filmed on the Schatzalp, among other places.
Jean Claude GalliEditor People
Sanatorium Schatzalp Davos, 1917: Nurse Johanna Gabathuler approaches, wearing a bonnet and a white coat, next to her is a sophisticated lady with a fur coat and a pointed head in her arms. “Cut!” calls Jan-Eric Mack (39) and scares the viewer back from the past.
This week, important scenes for the new SRF series “Davos”, a joint production of Contrast Film, Letterbox Filmproduktion, SRF and ARD/Degeto, are being created in the house above the Grisons spa, which is now used as a hotel. Set in the time of the First World War, “Davos” is the largest and most expensive series production with SRF participation to date.
With the start of shooting came the snow
15 million were originally communicated, but in the end it will probably be more expensive. “In the film business, a budget is constantly changing,” says producer Ivan Madeo (47) from Contrast Film. He and Stefan Eichenberger (39) have been driving the major project together for years, and now it is entering the final phase. “The Schatzalp is the heart of our series,” says Madeo.
With the start of shooting on location, the snow finally came at the beginning of the week. “We now know why Thomas Mann was inspired here for the ‘Magic Mountain’. We had sleepless nights, now the timing is perfect.”
The bottleneck of the shoot on the Schatzalp was the train. “We drove up material for a week, truckloads of costumes.” The 100 extras were made ready to shoot in the village and also drove up, the actors stayed in the hotel, which was closed for the shoot.
The main role is played by Dominique Devenport (26) from Lucerne, who has just shone in the second season of the RTL series “Sisi”. As Johanna Gabathuler, she unexpectedly finds herself caught between the fronts of the spies operating secretly in Davos. In order to win back her illegitimate daughter, she gets involved in a deadly game with the German secret service.
There are many familiar faces in the cast
«Johanna is a very wild character, a woman who wants to emancipate herself from her homeland, the mountains. She feels restricted, her options are limited. And she’s a nurse. She is a doer, a helper, she tackles, helps and takes responsibility, »explains Devenport.
Other well-known faces also figure in the cast, such as Sven Schelker (33), Hanspeter Müller-Drossaart (67), Anna Schinz (36) and Sunnyi Melles (64). From the German side, David Kross (32, “The Reader”) and Jeanette Hain (53, “Babylon Berlin”) are there.
“‹Davos› is the first SRF series that was designed from the start for both a local and an international audience. This gives Swiss filmmaking an even stronger showcase abroad, »says SRF culture director Susanne Wille (48). Six episodes of 45 minutes each are planned. The broadcast is scheduled for the winter of 2023/24.