Film and the German Left in the Weimar Republic

From Caligari to Kuhle Wampe

Nonfiction, Entertainment, Performing Arts, Film
Cover of the book Film and the German Left in the Weimar Republic by Bruce Murray, University of Texas Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Bruce Murray ISBN: 9780292788039
Publisher: University of Texas Press Publication: July 5, 2010
Imprint: University of Texas Press Language: English
Author: Bruce Murray
ISBN: 9780292788039
Publisher: University of Texas Press
Publication: July 5, 2010
Imprint: University of Texas Press
Language: English
The Weimar Republic of Germany, covering the post-World War I period of civil and governmental strife, witnessed a great struggle among a variety of ideologies, a struggle for which the arts provided one important arena. Leftist individuals and organizations critiqued mainstream art production and attempted to counter what they perceived as its conservative-to-reactionary influence on public opinion. In this groundbreaking study, Bruce Murray focuses on the leftist counter-current in Weimar cinema, offering an alternative critical approach to the traditional one of close readings of the classical films. Beginning with a brief review of pre-Weimar cinema (1896-1918), he analyzes the film activity of the Social Democratic Party, the German Communists, and independent leftists in the Weimar era. Leftist filmmakers, journalists, and commentators, who in many cases contributed significantly to marginal leftist as well as mainstream cinema, have, until now, received little scholarly attention. Drawing on exhaustive archival research and personal interviews, Murray shows how the plurality of aesthetic models represented in the work of individuals who participated in leftist experiments with cinema in the 1920S collapsed as Germany underwent the transition from parliamentary democracy to fascist dictatorship. He suggests that leftists shared responsibility for that collapse and asserts the value of such insights for those who contemplate alternatives to institutional forms of cinematic discourse today.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
The Weimar Republic of Germany, covering the post-World War I period of civil and governmental strife, witnessed a great struggle among a variety of ideologies, a struggle for which the arts provided one important arena. Leftist individuals and organizations critiqued mainstream art production and attempted to counter what they perceived as its conservative-to-reactionary influence on public opinion. In this groundbreaking study, Bruce Murray focuses on the leftist counter-current in Weimar cinema, offering an alternative critical approach to the traditional one of close readings of the classical films. Beginning with a brief review of pre-Weimar cinema (1896-1918), he analyzes the film activity of the Social Democratic Party, the German Communists, and independent leftists in the Weimar era. Leftist filmmakers, journalists, and commentators, who in many cases contributed significantly to marginal leftist as well as mainstream cinema, have, until now, received little scholarly attention. Drawing on exhaustive archival research and personal interviews, Murray shows how the plurality of aesthetic models represented in the work of individuals who participated in leftist experiments with cinema in the 1920S collapsed as Germany underwent the transition from parliamentary democracy to fascist dictatorship. He suggests that leftists shared responsibility for that collapse and asserts the value of such insights for those who contemplate alternatives to institutional forms of cinematic discourse today.

More books from University of Texas Press

Cover of the book Latina/os and World War II by Bruce Murray
Cover of the book Eleven Days in Hell by Bruce Murray
Cover of the book South American Indian Languages by Bruce Murray
Cover of the book Women and the Texas Revolution by Bruce Murray
Cover of the book How Writing Came About by Bruce Murray
Cover of the book Courage, Resistance, and Women in Ciudad Juárez by Bruce Murray
Cover of the book Written in Blood Vol. 1 by Bruce Murray
Cover of the book Thursday Night Lights by Bruce Murray
Cover of the book Ambassadors at Sea by Bruce Murray
Cover of the book Brazil and the World System by Bruce Murray
Cover of the book Organizing Strangers by Bruce Murray
Cover of the book Screen Couple Chemistry by Bruce Murray
Cover of the book Old Riot, New Ranger by Bruce Murray
Cover of the book Science in Medieval Islam by Bruce Murray
Cover of the book Amazons, Wives, Nuns, and Witches by Bruce Murray
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy