History of the Swiss Army Knife, a Humorous Take on Arms Escalation

History of the Swiss Army Knife, a humorous take on arms escalation Date: 1988 Length: approx. 10 minutes Funded by the Delaware State Arts Council. Produced by Steve Prather and Graham Webster and directed by Steve Prather Finalist American Film and Video Festival Shooting was done in Cornwall, UK and Landenberg, Pa, using actors who were participating in the Mount Hope Renaissance Festival. The Swiss Army knife’s history is recapped in a series of dramatized vignettes. This tongue-in-cheek video shows how the Swiss, for many centuries, unsuccessfully attacked others and defended themselves, using the popular all-purpose knife. In one vignette the Swiss make a gigantic knife to fight a war. However, in charging the enemy with their super-large knife, they can’t quite overcome the cannon. Eventually this leads to the use of statesmanship in the present day and an understanding of why the Swiss have since remained neutral. “The video is a charming bit of imaginative fluff”, comments Jennifer Ju