GERM 265 - German Film in English Translation

Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)

This course offers an overview of selected historical and formal developments in German films from the silent period to the present.

Topic for 2014/15a: Nazi Cinema: Propaganda, War, and Mass Entertainment. During the twelve years of Nazi rule in Germany, film played an essential role in propagating the regime’s ideological and aesthetic norms. Keenly aware of cinema’s powerful influence on the public, the Nazi regime quickly seized control of the industry to utilize film’s potential to manipulate the masses. The course covers the wide spectrum of film production from notorious propaganda, such as Leni Riefenstahl’s Triumph of the Will or Jew Süss, to more subtle promotion of ideology in entertainment films and musicals, such as Wunschkonzert and The Great Love, featuring Zarah Leander. We also examine the legacy of Nazi Cinema in Germany after the war and the different ways of handling or avoiding the dark past in the divided country and the two separately emerging film industries. Ms. Ungurianu.

Readings and discussions are in English, and all films have English subtitles.

Open to all classes. German majors see GERM 269 .

Two 75-minute periods.