Description
Book SynopsisThe most comprehensive, readable history of German cinema now appears in an expanded, up-to-date new edition that is particularly useful for students and teachers of German film history. From early masterpieces such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) and Metropolis (1927) to the post-1945 films of Fassbinder, Herzog, and Wenders, German film constitutes a crucial part of the history of world cinema. It helped to shape Hollywood cinema and had a major impact on other cinemas as well. This tried and tested book, popular in college classrooms and among general-interest readers, is the most comprehensive and readable introduction to the history of German cinema, specifically designed to meet the needs of those who want a comprehensible, accessible introduction to the subject. There is no other book that covers the history of German cinema in the same depth and also explores the genesis and meaning of the most important masterpieces in German film history. It does so in chapters devoted to each of thirty-two individual films and in seven interchapters that provide context for historical periods from early German cinema to postunification. The book now appears in an improved, expanded, and up-to-date second edition that covers five additional films, expands the coverage of women's cinema, and brings the history of filmmaking in Germany up to the present moment. The book is specifically designed to appeal to cinema aficionados and for use in college classrooms, where it has been greeted with acclaim by students and teachers alike. Stephen Brockmann is Professor of German at Carnegie Mellon University.
Trade ReviewBrockmann's analysis of films that are both representative and accessible results in a text that offers the kind of broad understanding of German film history that is a prerequisite for further work in the field. As a result, [the book] can serve as an ideal text for teaching. Its strength lies precisely in its breadth: it is an engagingly and clearly written introduction to the distinct periods of German film history and the key moments and significance of some of the best-known films belonging to that history. . . . Th[e] second edition . . . only increases the usefulness of the text for those looking for an introduction to the field as well as those engaged in teaching the material. -- Anjeana K. Hans * GERMAN STUDIES REVIEW *
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Critical Film History and German Studies PART ONE: EARLY GERMAN FILM HISTORY 1895-1918 Early German Film History 1895-1918: Historical Overview Der Student von Prag (1913) and Learning to Look PART TWO: WEIMAR CINEMA 1919-1933 Weimar Cinema 1919-1933: Historical Overview Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (1920) or Film as Hypnosis Der letzte Mann (1924) or Learning to Move Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed (1926): The Birth of the Feature-Length Animation Film Metropolis (1927) or Technology and Sex Der blaue Engel (1930) and Learning to Talk M (1931) or Sound and Terror PART THREE: NAZI CINEMA 1933-1945 Nazi Cinema 1933-1945: Historical Overview Triumph des Willens (1935): Documentary and Propaganda Hallo Janine (1939): Dancing and Singing to Happiness Die große Liebe (1942) or Love and War PART FOUR: GERMAN CINEMA AT THE ZERO HOUR 1945-1949 German Cinema at the Zero Hour 1945-1949: Historical Overview Die Mörder sind unter uns (1946): The Rubble Film PART FIVE: POSTWAR EAST GERMAN CINEMA 1949-1989 Postwar East German Cinema 1949-1989: Historical Overview Sonnensucher (1958) or Searching for the Socialist Sun Spur der Steine (1966) or Traces of Repression Die Legende von Paul und Paula (1973) or East Germany in the '70s Solo Sunny (1980) or Even Socialism Can't Stave Off Loneliness PART SIX: POSTWAR WEST GERMAN CINEMA 1949-1989 Postwar West German Cinema 1949-1989: Historical Overview Grün ist die Heide (1951) and the Reinvention of the German Homeland in Living Color Die Brücke (1959): Film and War Der junge Törless (1966) or Recapturing Tradition Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes (1972): Film and the Sublime Deutschland im Herbst (1978) or Film and Politics Die Ehe der Maria Braun (1979) or West Germany Rebuilds Die Blechtrommel (1979) or Coming to Terms with the Nazi Past Die bleierne Zeit (1981): Film and Terrorism Männer (1985) and the New German Film Comedy Der Himmel über Berlin (1987): Berlin, City of Angels PART SEVEN: GERMAN FILM AFTER REUNIFICATION 1990-2019 German Film after Reunification 1990-2019: Historical Overview Der bewegte Mann (1994) or West German Self-Absorption Rossini (1997) or West German Self-Absorption Criticized Lola rennt (1998) or Cool Germania Good Bye Lenin! (2003) or Farewell to the Socialist Motherland Gegen die Wand (2004) or Germany Goes Multicultural Das Leben der anderen (2006) or the Power of Art Toni Erdmann (2016) and the Passing of a Generation Conclusion: The Future of German Cinema? Index
