Debate about Karl May figure: Pierre Brice’s widow defends “Vineto”

Debate about the Karl May figure
Widow of Pierre Brice defended “Vineto”

08/26/2022 5:03 pm

To this day, the late actor Pierre Brice is the most recognizable face of “Vinetu”. His widow Hela Bryce can’t understand that the character played by her husband is now in danger of being discredited. The original message from author Carl May has been pushed into the background.

Hella Brice, the widow of famed Winnetto actor Pierre Brice, has protested allegations of racism against writer Carl May. “I can’t understand the allegation at all,” said the 73-year-old. “If Carl May were racist, he would hardly have allowed Winneteau and Old Shatterhand to be bloody brothers and fight side by side for the good.”

Thus Hella Bryce took a position on the current debate about “cultural appropriation” and racism, which arose after the withdrawal of two accompanying books for a new Vinnetto film for children. Born in the Upper Palatinate, she was married to a French actor for over 30 years. Bryce became a cinema legend in the 1960s with film adaptations of the Carl May books as “Vineto”. He died in Paris on 6 June 2015 at the age of 86. He is buried in Grfelding near Munich, where Hella Bryce lives today.

Pierre Brice was nicknamed “Rainbow Man”.

“I think it’s a pity that this discussion is pushing Karl May’s message and Winneteau’s values ​​into the background,” said Hella Bryce. Neither the new film “The Young Chief Vinnetto” and the actors from the previous films, nor the stage where Carl May performed today, had anything negative in mind, quite the opposite.

“My husband was named Rainbow Man by the Winnebagos at the Carl May Games in Bad Sejberg in 1991,” said Hella Bryce. The Winnebagos would have accepted the actor as an honorary member of their clan. Widow emphasized that she certainly would not have done so if she felt offended or offended by Karl May’s portrayal and language.

“The exact opposite of what Pierre always wanted,” assured Hella Brice. “He wanted to bring people closer to the culture of Indians, their desire for connection with nature, peace, freedom, tolerance and respect, as these were also their own values, for which they fought throughout their lives.”

Discussions about “Vineto” intensified after Ravensburger Publishing House withdrew two books on the film “The Young Chief Vinnetto” from sale. Meanwhile, it has also become known that ARD no longer shows the famous “Winnetou” films of the 1960s. However, this is probably mainly related to licensing issues.