Forklift Driver Klaus - The First Day on the Job
Encyclopedia
Forklift Driver Klaus – The First Day on the Job (in German Staplerfahrer Klaus – Der erste Arbeitstag) is a German short film from 2000 about the first day of Klaus' work as a forklift driver. The film is a parody of work safety films from the 1980s.
The film was written and directed by Stefan Prehn and Jörg Wagner. Konstantin Graudus plays the role of Klaus, and Egon Hoegen is the narrator. It adds to the air of authenticity that the narrator's voice is well known from road safety films.
The film quickly became famous, much thanks to its splatter film
violence, which fans regard as comical due to its extreme and obviously fake nature. The film received several awards and was made available on DVD by Anolis Entertainment in 2003, dubbed in English, French and Spanish.
drivers and shows the first day of work for newly-qualified forklift truck driver Klaus. The film highlights in a gory manner the dangers of unsafe operation of machinery. As the film progresses the injuries/deaths become more brutal, beginning with things like a man falling from the fork lift after he was lifted improperly, and ending with the most violent: a stray chainsaw that had been on when the arm using it was cut off drives itself around before reaching a man who has already been cut in half and hit on the head by an emergency warning bell (which has fallen off the wall due to its overuse from previous accidents Klaus is involved in), and it is stopped by a hammer. As it cuts through the hammer's handle, the man stares at the example of what the saw is about to do to him. Finally the saw breaks the hammer and drives into the man, and we see a POV shot of his guts being chopped up. The film ends after Klaus is killed by decapitation and two men are left stuck to the fork 'prongs' screaming. The truck drives off into the sunset as the men continue to scream.
The film was written and directed by Stefan Prehn and Jörg Wagner. Konstantin Graudus plays the role of Klaus, and Egon Hoegen is the narrator. It adds to the air of authenticity that the narrator's voice is well known from road safety films.
The film quickly became famous, much thanks to its splatter film
Splatter film
A splatter film or gore film is a subgenre of horror film that deliberately focuses on graphic portrayals of gore and graphic violence. These films, through the use of special effects and excessive blood and guts, tend to display an overt interest in the vulnerability of the human body and the...
violence, which fans regard as comical due to its extreme and obviously fake nature. The film received several awards and was made available on DVD by Anolis Entertainment in 2003, dubbed in English, French and Spanish.
Plot
The film is presented as a safety instruction video for forklift truckForklift truck
A forklift is a powered industrial truck used to lift and transport materials. The modern forklift was developed in the 1920s by various companies including the transmission manufacturing company Clark and the hoist company Yale & Towne Manufacturing...
drivers and shows the first day of work for newly-qualified forklift truck driver Klaus. The film highlights in a gory manner the dangers of unsafe operation of machinery. As the film progresses the injuries/deaths become more brutal, beginning with things like a man falling from the fork lift after he was lifted improperly, and ending with the most violent: a stray chainsaw that had been on when the arm using it was cut off drives itself around before reaching a man who has already been cut in half and hit on the head by an emergency warning bell (which has fallen off the wall due to its overuse from previous accidents Klaus is involved in), and it is stopped by a hammer. As it cuts through the hammer's handle, the man stares at the example of what the saw is about to do to him. Finally the saw breaks the hammer and drives into the man, and we see a POV shot of his guts being chopped up. The film ends after Klaus is killed by decapitation and two men are left stuck to the fork 'prongs' screaming. The truck drives off into the sunset as the men continue to scream.
Context
Although the film is not officially part of the German training and education system for forklift trucks, it is frequently shown by instructors to lighten up the mood.Awards
The film has won many awards, including:- The Canal+Canal+Canal+ is a French premium pay television channel launched in 1984. It is 80% owned by the Canal+ Group, which in turn is owned by Vivendi SA. The channel broadcasts several kinds of programming, mostly encrypted...
International Award for Best Short Film at the Cinema Jove Festival Internacional de Cine València in 20012001 in filmThe year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy... - The Jury Award for Best Short Film and the Audience Award for Best Short Film at the San Sebastian Horror and Fantasy Film Festival in 2001
- The Audience Award for Short Film and the Special Prize of the European Broadcasters Jury for Best Original Idea at the Brussels International Festival of Fantasy FilmBrussels International Festival of Fantasy FilmThe Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival , previously named Brussels International Festival of Fantastic Film was created in 1983 as a venue for horror, thriller and science fiction films. It takes place in Brussels, every year in March...
in 20022002 in filmThe year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of... - The Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Award at the Day of the German Short Film awards in 2002
- The German Film Critics Award for Best Short Film at the German Film Critics Association Awards in 2002
- The Jury Prize for Best Short Film at the Fantasia Film Festival in 20032003 in filmThe year 2003 in film involved some significant events. Releases of sequels took place with movies like The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, 2 Fast 2 Furious, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Pokémon Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines,...
(where it also won 3rd place in the Best Short Film category