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1972, WERNER HERZOG
The film makers of the school of New German cinema had a strong sense of (film) history. Their subject matter engages with themes from (German) history and they tried to reclaim the history of German cinema for their own film making.
THEME: man vs. nature, heroic film, shit like that
Techniques: first movie we see in full color, nature shots |
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| The Marriage of Maria Braun |
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1979, Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Some girl loses her husband at a concentration camp. She sluts her way to the top and gets a nice job but then gets depressed.
Theme: post-war depression, women treated like shit
Major film techniques: moving camera through walls, omnipresent camera |
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1987, WIM WENDERS
Shows a Very fucked up/war-torn Berlin after the war. Since this film came out in 1987 it was long enough for Germans to really acknowledge their past comfortably.
Themes: love story, revisiting grim past
Techniques: Human perception is in color, angels in black and white (since they cant feel good things humans can), MONTAGE: show angels thoughts from past since they've been around forever, sequence of short shots to create impression of condensed time |
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1981, Wolfgang Peterson
Shows the sad life of the German soldier bros in the u-boats. These guys were pretty much about to die then they miraculously fixed the submarine and made it to surface. During they're celebration they are airstriked similar to call of duty and they all die.
THEME: WAR IS SAD, no happy endings. ONCE AGAIN another film way after the war that shows how shitty it was.
Techniques: FRAMING: loose=freedom, tight= confinement, frame in frame= entrapment |
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2002, Roman Polanski
ANOTHER holocaust film, very commercialized and mainstream. Shows a pianist trying to survive and escape being sent to a concentration camp with the help of a nazi bro. Piano man makes it out of there and becomes HUGE, happy ending.
THEME: since this is more mainstream, obviously its gonna have a happy ending. Grim holocaust setting.
Techniques: none really because its like a normal movie, i guess special effects? |
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2000, Stefan Ruzowitzky
Movie about secret society of doctors running brutal tests on people. (This shit actually was happening during this time by Josef Mengele), therefore it was a legitimate fear which we call UNCANNILY SCARE = it COULD happen to you.
Theme: Thriller, slasher movie, western style, horror story with a happy ending.
Thoughts: More modern and contemporary style, there was suspenseful music in the film as well as some interesting camera angle shots (feet level), also scattered humor.
I DONT THINK THIS MOVIE IS IMPORTANT |
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2001, Caroline Link
Story about jewish family escaping to Kenya amidst hardships in nazi Germany. (This is a real story written by Stefanie Zweig). The people bond with the Africans then the war ends and they go back to postwar Germany. Upon leaving they realize how much Africa meant to them. real cool.
Themes: depicts Germany in war and after war, shows all the conflicts.
I DONT THINK THIS MOVIE IS IMPORTANT |
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2006, Florian Henckel Von Donnersmark
Film about the STASI: secret police of GDR (west germany govt) that ensured people were complying with GDR ideas. Those who didnt get fucked up. In the film, some stasi guy realizes how bad his job is and tries to make things right by secretly speaking out against them.
Themes: Corrupt west germany |
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| 1945: Nazi Era DEAD, German film DEAD. Alright so Germany was divided between East and West in 1949, EAST = GOOD, WEST=Russian controlled= GDR=BAD. Relating to film, east germany (in berlin) made "happy" movies with heroes and shit. West Germany (in munich) made movies about anything EXCEPT POLITICS (because russia doesn't want their overcontrolling ways to be questioned). No one had Nazi war films because it was wayyyyy too soon for that. Thats why we see films like Aguirre in 1972- a movie with nothing to do with Germany. So by 1979 (30 years after Germanys divison) we start to see movies with Germanys shitty past get realized starting with Maria Braun. As time goes on, these movies get more and more brutal with the depictions of Mid and post-war Germany. (Films are VERY critical of German past, EVERYONE of these has SAD endings)- which in turn becomes a very marketable export item. So from 1970-1990 all the movies we saw are like this. Then the film makers were like enough is enough its time to stop making movies about our rough past and start making commercialized popular movies that will sell. so now we see these 2000-present movies anatomie, nowhere in africa, pianist, the lives of others. and what do these all have in common? HAPPY ENDINGS. Sure some show hardships in the old Germany, but to really compete with todays industries you cant have all these fucked up war movies with sad endings (no one wants to see that). AKA: Germany is going more mainstream while still reflecting bits and pieces of the past. OVERALL here's what i got: immediately after the war and upon division of the country, everyone was too scared and certainly too shocked and still recovering from what this place just went through. Over time, they became more comfortable with showing their past. And now, they still have their past but they are showing more western style movies with happy endings. yay. |
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2001, Oliver Hirschbiegel
Thriller movie reflecting stanford prison experiment. People volunteer to be part of experiment where some are guards and some are prisoners and it gets taken way too far resulting in people dying.
Themes: Roles taken too far, Sad truths about human beings.
Importance: film shows nothing about germany, reflects the idea that german films are becoming more commercialized and western. happy ending as the man gets away and eventually gets his girl. |
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