GERM 1171 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Berlin Wall, West Germany, Movie Movie
Germ 1171: Week 2
9-6-17 German Film as Cultural Text
Review:
style of filmmaking
• Realism: objective, focuses on content, camera comments, little seems to merely
reord, iial distortio
• Formalism: abstract, idealizing, manipulated, subjective, focuses on form/ technique,
camera is used as a method of commenting, distortion of reality
• Classism: common in fiction movies
Nosferatu:
• Central theme
• Contrast
• Good vs. evil
• Fear vs. bravery
• Power vs. powerless
• Light vs. darkness
• Purity vs. sexuality
German Film as Cultural Context
Brief History of 20th and 21st Century Germany;
• German empire (monarchy) until 1918
• WWI (1914-1918)
• Weimar Republic (1918-1933)
• Third Reich- Nazi Germany (1933-1945)
• WWII (1939-1945)
• Occupation by Allies: US, GB, France, USSR (1945-1949)
• Geray’s diisio y Iro Curtai, Berli Wall 1961-1989)
• Federal Republic of Germany (West) v. German Democratic Republic (East)
• Fall of Berlin Wall (1989)
• Reunification of West & East Germany took the name Federal Republic of Germany
(1990)
Film History in Germany
1918-1933:
• Innovative expressionist film, international reputation
1933-1945: Third Reich
• Unprecedented politicalization of the entire cinema apparatus
1950-1960
• East Germany: studio located in East Berlin
• Revitalization of traditional Weimar Republic films
• West Germany: studios located in Munich
• Non-political, superficial, commercial
find more resources at oneclass.com
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Document Summary
Nosferatu: central theme, contrast, good vs. evil, fear vs. bravery, power vs. powerless. 1933-1945: third reich: unprecedented politicalization of the entire cinema apparatus. 1950-1960: east germany: studio located in east berlin, revitalization of traditional weimar republic films, west germany: studios located in munich, non-political, superficial, commercial. 1970-1980 west germany: new german cinema: state subsidized, young generation of independent filmmakers, focused on social consequences of the nation, coming to terms with nazi past. Mise-en-scene: what does it mean: placement in the frame (scene, top: powerful, authoritative, dominant, important, bottom: weakness, unimportant, powerless, center: focus of attention, right: future, insignificant, off frame: tend to hear it, suspense, mystery, foreshadowing. Film= text: mo(cid:448)ies are like (cid:862)(cid:448)isual (cid:271)ooks(cid:863, tell stories using visual means and sounds. Less abstract than books; appeal to senses: o(cid:373)eo(cid:374)e (cid:862)(cid:449)rote(cid:863) the fil(cid:373, nothing is on screen by chance, every visual and sound element has purpose.
