AllMovie

Meant to memorialize the legendary 13th century Swiss hero Wilhelm Tell (William to English-speakers), this costume drama by novice director Michel Dickoff does not do justice to the legend.The uneven story relates how Gessler (Wolfgang Rottsieper) the governor over the general area of Switzerland, set up a pole with a hat in Austrian colors right in the center of Altdorf square. Everyone had to bow to the hat and when William Tell (Robert Freitag) refuses, Gessler orders him to shoot an apple off his son's head at 50 paces, or he would be executed. Even when the famed marksman succeeds in this legendary shot, he is still condemned to prison. A boat is prepared to take him across Lake Lucerne to the jail. Gessler and others get on board and before long, a high south wind comes up and threatens to capsize the craft. The story continues with the saga, as Tell's exploits take him into history as a key figure in Swiss independence.