Description
Book SynopsisThis study offers a fresh approach to the remarkable German film
The Lives of Others (2006), known for its compelling representation of a Stasi surveillance officer and the moral and ethical turmoil that results when he begins spying on a playwright and his actress lover. Annie Ring analyses the film's cinematography, mise-en-scène and editing, tracing connections with Hollywood movies such as
Casablanca and Hitchcock’s
Torn Curtain in the film's portrayal of an individual rebelling against a brutal dehumanising regime. Drawing on archival sources, including primary research from the Stasi files themselves, as well as Enlightenment philosophies of art and Brecht’s theories on theatre dating from his GDR years, she explores the film's strong but much-disputed claims to historical authenticity. She examines the way the film tracks the world-changing political shift that took place at the end of the Cold War – away from the collective dreams of socialism and towards the dreams of the private individual, arguing that this is what makes it at once widely appealing and fascinatingly problematic. In doing so, she highlights why The
Lives of Others is a crucial film for thinking at the horizon between film and recent world history.
Trade ReviewA considered study of the 2006 Oscar-winner. -- James Mottram * Total Film *
What makes a classic film? Annie Ring offers intriguing answers to this question in an accessible and engaging volume with breath-taking range and intriguing depth. From surveillance to melodrama and from Brecht to Hitchcock, she covers the myriad facets of a modern-day classic,
The Lives of Others. -- Barbara Mennel, University of Florida, USA
This original and fascinating analysis makes a compelling case for including
The Lives of Others in the canon of contemporary classic cinema. Anyone who has watched von Donnersmarck’s Stasi melodrama will profit from reading Annie Ring’s well-researched and accessible book. -- Daniela Berghahn, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1. A Contemporary Classic - and a Conservative One? 2. The Authenticity of a Very Hollywood Film Mode 3. Depicting the Stasi's Surveillance Regime 4. The Good Spy of East Berlin: Captain Gerd Weisler 5. Brecht, Performance, and the Politics of an Aesthetic Education 6. 'Sister Art Is/Coming on Stage': Christa- Maria Sieland 7. Success? Georg Dreyman and German Unification Conclusion Notes Credits Bibliography
