As an American living in France and working in Switzerland during the early 1980s, I'd often stop at the border and chat with a friendly Swiss customs/immigration officer. One morning, he asked me if I'd seen 'Die Scweizermacher' and, with a smile, recommended it to me. Accepting this as an 'official' and informed recommendation, I soon saw the film. It was in German with the other 3 official languages as subtitles but, because the lead character is played by Emile, the famous circus clown, and the stories within the film are so stereotypical, understanding it is no problem. (The film was shown one year in New York City at the Swiss Cultural Center on lower Broadway but seems not to be known in the US.) Besides the traditional European nationalities being screened for Swiss citizenship, the film fades on an American who bops into the office making the same request. For those who appreciate the Swiss — and who marvel at current US immigration procedures — this film is a gem!

"Die Schweizermacher" or "The Swissmakers" is a 105-minute movie from Switzerland and this one came out in 1978, so it will soon have its 40th anniversary. For Swiss people, this is still one of their most known from the 1970s and a bit of a cult film. The writer and director is Rolf Lyssy and it is certainly his most known career effort, even if it is a work from relatively early in his career. And as the Swiss did not make too many films back then that ended up well-known way beyond their borders, it is also among the most known for pretty much all the cast members.

The story focuses on the men working inside an immigration agency and their daily challenges when working with immigrants and deciding if they should become Swiss citizens and working with them in order to achieve this natural "swissification". The most memorable character of the film, the grumpy Max Bodmer, is played by late actor Walo Lüönd and the film also is about him opening up to new cultures and influences from abroad the longer it goes. There are no really serious moments in here, so I would say that it is 100% comedy. But it's really not that often funny as it should be for a film of over 100 minutes, plus even as a native German speaker, you should get a good set of subtitles because of the thick Swiss accents. All in all, I don't recommend the watch here and I cannot share the praise this film has been receiving to this day. Very overrated in my opinion, it hasn't aged too well.

The idea of an object and its creator is important to ascertain their relationship. It is important as a lot is spoken about the creator who is solely responsible for giving life to his creation. It is with this idea in mind that Swiss director Rolf Lyssy decided to shoot an intelligent film about people who are involved in "making Swiss people". One might wonder how people can be made ? The Swissmakers presents a very macho yet safe view about people who recommend names of persons who would be granted Swiss citizenship to become Swiss citizens. As Switzerland is a prosperous nation, certain guidelines have been prepared by Swiss government in order to discipline foreigners/immigrants. One can be sure that if watched with alert eyes, viewers can learn how bureaucracy can meddle with ordinary people's lives. If things are bad for some people then it can make a real mess of their cherished dreams of becoming Swiss citizens. The Swissmakers is more than 38 years old but it continues to exercise tremendous influence on all those who would like to call Switzerland their new home.