European%20Cinemas%20in%20Context%20Germany%20(1)

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European Cinemas in ContextGermany (1)

• From the beginnings to the 3rd Reich
• Dr Gert Vonhoff

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Film and Cinema in Wilhelmine Germany The Birth
of German Cinema
1 Nov 1895 - Max Skladanowsky, Bioscope (double
projection) 1st screening of 15 minutes
1896-97 Berlin AlexanderplatzOskar Messters
inventor Maltese cross Oct 1897 sales catalogue
listed 84 films, visual reports (optische
Berichterstattung) from 1910 Messter Woche,
the first Wochenschau
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From Cinema of Attractions to Industries
variety theatres travelling shows focus on
filmsfrom 1905 stationary cinemas (shop
cinemas, rented films) 1905 40, 1906 200,
1908 1000, 1912 30001913 Marmorhaus in
Berlin opened1909-1913/14 rise of a national
film industries Gottschalk 1910
MonopolfilmPAGU (1909) Projektions AG Union
DECLA (1915) Deutsche Eclair Film und
Kinematographen GmbHUFA (1917) Universum Film
AG
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Consolidation years 1914-1920
During WWI German companies expanded, Ludendorff
founded the BUFA in 1917, escapism is the demand
of the day1911-1914 longer narrative film
emerged(film drama), multi-reelersnew
techniques in camerawork, editing,
mise-en-scenefilm-specific languagebirthplace
of genre, star system (Paul Wegener, Albert
Bassermann, Asta Nielsen, Henny Porten), and
directors (Ernst Lubitsch, Max Mack, Joe May,
Franz Hofer)Fantastic Genre The Student of
Prague (1913), The Golem (1915), Homunculus
(1916-17) as Gothic style German Cinemaresearch
since 1990s sees continuation of pre-war
traditions
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What does Expressionist Film Mean?
Covers the period from 1919-1924/27
expressionist film (German pre-war arts) / films
of New Objectivity (American influence) best
term is Weimar film and Weimar cinema of the
silent eraafter German consolidation in 1870s
Expressionist Art expressed resistance against
and opposition to static forms of official art
in the Kaiserreich counter movement to French
Impressionist Art which was felt not be enough
of opposition express the unrest and demand of
change in Wilhelmine Germany Die Bruecke in
Dresden Der Blaue Reiter in Munich
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What does Expressionist Film Mean? (2)
Expressionism in pre-war decades vitalistic, at
times slightly naïve blow up paralysed
self-images of bygone era use of bright vibrant
colours vs monochrome movement vs
static abstraction in form and colour vs
realism human emotion, sexuality vs
etiquettemisunderstanding of WWI as liberation
from paralysismachine driven war in the trenches
as wake-up callthis and political change after
war-end (Empire turned Republic) makes it obvious
that there is an end of 1st phase of
expressionism change into more analytical modes
of painting and illustration (influence of
Sigmund Freud and the new psychoanalysis)
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What does Expressionist Film Mean? (3)
Robert Wienes The Cabinet of Dr Caligari
(1919/20) DECLA
production starred Werner Krauss as Dr Caligari
and Conrad Veidt as the somnam- bulist
Cesaresets the standards for the expressionist
style in film extensive use of
mise-en-scene sharp black and white contrasts
(chiaroscuro lighting) strict regime on the
geometry painted sets reduce a naturalistic
setting to an artificial space of two
dimensional lines (following Max Reinhardts
theatre) actor motion develops from a still
jerky, slowed- down dance-like
movements revealing the inner world of the
characters and their state of alienation
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The Cabinet of Dr Caligari
Cinematic devices editing kept simple shot
reverse shot, crosscutting slower
pace functional camera-work oblique camera
angles false perspectivesAll this stresses the
disintegration of the individual, loneliness,
isolation, alienation disillusioned analysis of
life in a modern capitalist society other
topics effect of authoritarian structures,
misuse of power and science
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The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (cont.)
Original script of the film by Hans Janowitz and
Carl Meyer Kracauer reads this as a
revolutionary storyErich Pommer accepted the
scriptRobert Wiene suggested essential
modification invention of the framing story
Kracauer while the original exposed the
madness inherent in authority, Wienes Caligari
seems to glorify authority and convicted its
antagonist of madness a revolutionary film
seems to be turned into a conformist oneBut is
Kracauer right?
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The Cabinet of Dr Caligari (cont.)
Ending of the film within the mental
asylum uses similar camera-angles, actor
movements, lighting effects as the rest film
much more continues to produce
vagueness more than one possible reading as a
technique used in avant-garde art of the
1920s
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Weimar Cinema
To fully understand Weimar Cinema one has to look
at its precarious position between art, politics
and entertainment. put it into context of the
wider debate on culture within the
capitalist society of Weimar Germany general
atmosphere of lost orientation, insecurity and
unease in the 1st phase of the Republic
(1919-1924)
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Weimar Cinema, 1st phase
Entanglement of the new media in rules of
mass-production and markets script-writers,
artists, actors, directors more often on the
avant- garde half of the cinematic
world producers, distributors, film companies on
the capitalist side1919-1923 increase in
German film productions due to low
costs Caligari helped selling German films
abroad UFA in Babelsberg competitors of
Hollywood sophisticated sets, lavish costume,
star system (UFA stars) UFA as merger of
industry, banks and state (at 1st military
forces) Fridericus Rex, 1920-23 in 4
parts example of conservative influence
brought along by joint ventures Otto
Gebuehr as star Mountain films as popular
genre
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Weimar Republic (2nd and 3rd phase)
Inflation peaked in 1923, introduction of new
currency stabilized markets 5 years of
prosperity, stability and wealth from 1924-1929
The Golden Twenties 1929 stock market crashed
and marked the beginning of a deep and long
economic crisis.With Dawes Plan (in 1924)
America became raw-model New Objectivity style,
modernity, ideology of the machine age new
image of the woman Flapper the Angestellten as
new social class Hollywood influence in film
makingInfluence of Alfred Hugenberg
(Deutschnationale Volkspartei)
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Fritz Langs Metropolis (1927)
310 days and 60 nights of filmingtotal costs of
2,000,000 dollars750 actors in supporting
roles36,000 walk-on partsrefined sets and
latest technology monumental film set new
standards the most significant utopian film of
the silent erabut lack of contentsthe
satirical magazine Simpl brought caricatures, the
captions of which read Simple newsreel for
film directors. Take ten tons of horror, pour
into it a tenth sentimentality, boil it with
some kind of social attitude, season it with
mythicism according to taste, stir it well with
Deutsch-Mark (seven million of it) and youll get
a marvellous epic movie.
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Metropolis Ufa Aethetics and cliches
Fascination and fears of the modern technology
ultra modern opening of the filmdepiction of
faceless mass of workers sets social quality
of the analysis left wing positionsMaria and
the film deals with her sentimental
simplifications takes shape love story with
Freder the heart as intermediary between the
brain and the hands philanthropic 18th
ideaevil located in relentless and fanatic
Rotwang, a Jewish scientist who creates robots
right winga typical UFA production, as it
hasa strong capital base, squandered
carelessly, a talent for large-scale organization
and a tendency to go astray in microscopic
details devotion to artistic excellence and to
its perversion, which was empty perfectionism a
delight in the imaginative use of technology and
in its reverse, which was mere technical
slickness a quest for philosophical power, but
pursued in an intellectual vacuum a will to
form that produced an amorphous ruin
craftsmanship, imagination, and diligence, and
the waste of all those virtues through
intellectual arrogance and the lack of a
governing concept. (Kreimeier, 1999, The UFA
story, pp.151f.)
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Film as product of the culture industries
Frankfurt School since late 1920s analysis of
the culture industries works through
instrumentality instrumental reason
represents the negation of the substan- tive
rationality of the EnlightenmentWalter
Benjamins essay The Work of Art in the Age
of Mechanical Reproduction (1936) loss of the
aura for works of art because of mere
technique of industrial reproduction instrumental
ity opens art up for misuse analysis of Fascism
efforts to render poli- tics aesthetic
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Late Weimar Years and 3rd Reich
After Black Friday, 1929, economic
crisis unemployment and social unrest
exploited by the parties of the right, rise of
NSDAPGerman Film remains successful despite
decrea- sing audiences, industries by far the
strongest in EuropeIntroduction of sound
creates new formats and genres (musicals,
comedy) new stars (Marika Roekk, Willy Fritsch,
Heinz Ruehmann, Hans Albers) multi-language
versions NAZI Germany continued light
entertainment cinema growing concentration of
film business Goebbels as Reichspropagandaministe
r 1937 Reich bought 70 of UFA stocks 1942 film
industries fully nationalized rise of propaganda
film, Leni Riefenstahl
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Propaganda film The Triumph of the Will
Formally experimental, but ideologically narrowed
to Nazi ideologyfilmic representation of the
1934 NSDAP rally in Nurem- berg, released in
193535 cameramen, technical workforce of 170,
120km of filmmasterpiece of style and
editing lending of movement to static
images use of contrasting light and dark use of
symbols as controlling images depicting people
as architecture moving camera, intercuts with
close-ups use of musicfilms opening borrowing
from popular mountain films, but from plane
adds different modern perspective blending
conservative ideology with the utmost frontier
of technological progress blending mythology
and politics masses as the foundation but
meaningless basis for the Nazi movement