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GÖRLIEWOOD
well be filming a movie about the
cinematic city of Görlitz. I would
film its history, shaped by various
influences, one of them —and an
important one— being that of Sile-
sia, which has its own fascinating
museum. I would highlight how
well, apparently, the Polish resi-
dents of Zgorzelec and the Ger-
mans of Görlitz get along, crossing
the Neisse bridge constantly: off to
Poland for dinner, off to Germany
for breakfast. In Poland shopping
is cheaper, but in Germany there
are fewer people in the supermar-
ket… and so it goes, day after day.
If I were a film director…
I would film the changing seasons.
With a setting as remarkable as
that of Görlitz, it seems essential to
capture the best of its spring, when
it dresses itself in flowers; the lush
green of summer; the spectacular
multicoloured attire of its autumn
leaves; and the snowy mantle of
winter. And also, why not, I would
film a period piece set in the High
Middle Ages, when in this Saxon
city —once part of Silesia— the two
great Renaissance routes intersec-
ted: the Via Regia, running from
Kiev to Santiago de Compostela,
offering commercial and pilgrima-
ge passages, and the route linking
the northern German ports with
the Balkans. I would write a script
telling the story of the constant
commercial, religious and cultural
movement that made Görlitz a pros-
perous city, specialised in the textile
industry and in the highly coveted
indigo from the Indies used for blue
dyeing in Europe, over which it held
a monopoly. Given the demand for
indigo, all kinds of intrigues, roman-
ces and murders would simmer in
the pursuit of the precious dye.
I must think about the cast; one of
them would undoubtedly be Timo-
thée Chalamet, and for the female
lead I might lean towards Dakota
Fanning. Neither of them went un-
noticed to me in their performances;
on the contrary, I thought they were
truly exceptional.
Görlitz has more than 4,000 listed buildings
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