GERM 1171 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Joseph Goebbels, Cold War, Iron Curtain
1/23/18
GERM 1171
Review: Styles of filmmaking
Realism
• Illusion of unmanipulated slice of life; minimum of distortion
• Objective
• Focus on content
• Camera comments little
Formalism
• Stylization and distortion of reality
• Camera is used as a method of commentary
Nosferatu Review
Style: Formalism
Central Theme: Good vs evil, light vs dark
What do you already know about German history in the 20th/21st Century?
• Lost WWII
• Country split by iron curtain
• Berlin wall came down in 1989
• German empire until 1918
• Weimar republic (1918-1933)
• Third Reich = Nazi Germany
• Occupation by Allies (US, GB, F, USSR) (1945-1949)
• FRG vs GDR = West vs East Block (Cold War Era)
• Reunification: West and East Germany (1990)
• European Union (28 countries)
Film History in Germany
1918-1933 (Weimar Republic)
• Ioatie epressioist fil; It’l reputatio
1933-1945 (Third Reich = Nazi Germany)
• Unprecedented politicization of the entire cinema apparatus (Joseph Goebbels); film as a tool of
political propaganda
1945/49 – 1989 (Divided Germany)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
Illusion of unmanipulated slice of life; minimum of distortion: objective, focus on content, camera comments little. Formalism: stylization and distortion of reality, camera is used as a method of commentary. Central theme: good vs evil, light vs dark. 1933-1945 (third reich = nazi germany: unprecedented politicization of the entire cinema apparatus (joseph goebbels); film as a tool of political propaganda. 1945/49 1989 (divided germany) (cid:1005)9(cid:1009)(cid:1004)s/(cid:1010)(cid:1004)"s: east (gdr, studios in berlin), revitalization of socially critical tradition of weimer republic filmmaking, west (frg, studios in munich, nonpolitical, superficial, commercial. 1970/1980s in west germany: new german cinema: state subsidies, young generation of independent filmmakers = social conscience of the world; heavy movies. 1990s/2000s/2010s in united germany: commercial and uplifting movies. Mise-en-scene: what does it mean? (cid:862)pla(cid:272)i(cid:374)g o(cid:374) stage(cid:863: placement in the frame (scene), top: important, strong, significant, bottom: vulnerable, weak, suppressed, unimportant powerless, center: focus of attention, sides: insignificant, past or future, off frame: unknown, mysterious, suspenseful.
