Mr. Bachmann and His Class

A humane, unorthodox schoolteacher is showcased in a non-fiction masterpiece.

It is quite remarkable to discover that two of this year’s most distinguished documentaries cover ground that is in so many ways identical despite having very different settings. Last March saw the UK release of Young Plato, a study of an inspirational teacher, Kevin McArevey, who is the headmaster of a primary school for boys in Belfast. Now we have Mr Bachmann and His Class from Maria Speth and her film shows that Mr Bachman, who lives and works in the German town of Stadtallendorf, is another exceptional teacher.

However, the similarities between these films go much further than this. In each case we have a work which, presented without any commentary, takes a close-up look at school life mainly shot in the classroom but with additional footage of one-to-one discussions between the teacher and a pupil and with occasional glimpses of parents. Given that central emphasis, neither film spends any substantial time considering the private life of the teacher but each contains scenes in which we get to hear a few details about it. In the case of Dieter Bachmann we learn that he is 64 now and has been at the same comprehensive school for seventeen years, that he had a difficult childhood, that he became a teacher to support his former wife (to whom he was married for 15 years) and that he has obtained a profound satisfaction in teaching because of the bond with his pupils which has become central to his life. His approach in class is decidedly informal reflecting his dislike of regarding schools as institutions geared to setting up pupils to do well in society. Instead, he believes that the key aim should be to encourage everyone to develop his or her own individuality. In keeping with this and despite having to assess his students as to their suitability to go on to high school (pupils range in age from 12 to 14), Mr Bachman finds grading distasteful and prefers to focus on the efforts made by each child according to their individual capabilities. He is self-evidently the most caring of teachers.

Just as Kevin McArevey in Belfast encourages his pupils to take account of the history of the Troubles, Dieter Bachman touches on Hitler's regime and on the exploitation of industrial workers in Stadtallendorf which has remained a feature of life there. Foreign workers have long been present in this town, including many from Turkey, Italy and Greece. Indeed, Mr Bachman's class contains students from nine different countries (there are around 5000 Muslims living in this town of some 21,000 people including 25% who don't have German citizenship). It is part of Mr Bachmann's outlook that he encourages acceptance of diversity and difference by talking through these issues in class, whether that involves contrasting religious attitudes or differing sexual preferences.

If the sense of authenticity - of everybody on-screen appearing at ease with the filming going on and uninfluenced by it – is equally remarkable here and in Young Plato, the main difference between them is one of length. Whereas Young Plato effectively opted for a conventional length (102 minutes), Maria Speth’s film follows the example of Frederick Wiseman in being unusually long. It is a huge tribute to her filmmaking skills that the running time of 217 minutes is so well sustained. With material shot over a year, Mr Bachmann and His Class shows us the children developing but otherwise lacks any great dramatic shape. Consequently, it is all the more to the credit of Maria Speth as director and editor that the whole film flows so smoothly.

One does sense that references to an upcoming class trip will lead to that event being shown in the later stages of the film and the end of term provides a natural conclusion. Nevertheless, it is arguable that in the last hour of the film not everything feels like essential footage. Yet, in view of the length, it is surprising that one does not sense that more. Instead, spending time with this teacher in this class (around twenty in number) does mean that the chosen length enables us to get to know them. As against that, although occasional exteriors capture the feel of the town well, the absence of any commentary means that we learn little about the school itself or about the other teachers even though two of them make appearances. It may well be that many audiences would prefer Young Plato in preference to the challenge of a film lasting over 3½ hours. Nevertheless, Mr Bachmann and His Class is less daunting to watch than it might sound and it seems all the more real because it does not have a music score. Both films come close to being documentary masterpieces.

Original title: Herr Bachmann und seine Klasse.

MANSEL STIMPSON

Featuring  Dieter Bachmann, Aynur Bal, Önder Cavdar and the pupils.

Dir Maria Speth, Pro Maria Speth, Screenplay Maria Speth and Reinhold Vorschneider Ph Reinhold Vorschneider, Ed Maria Speth.  

Madonnen Film-New Wave Films.
217 mins. Germany. 2021. US Rel: 20 February 2022. UK Rel: 9 December 2022. Cert. PG.