A HISTORY OF GERMAN CINEMA James “Günther” Groh

A New Industry ( ) The Skladanowsky Brothers (1895)

November 1, First films shown to a paying audience by the Skladanowsky Brothers at the Berlin Wintergarten theatre as part of a variety show The first dedicated cinema was opened in 1906 and by 1910 there were over 1000 cinemas in Germany Early cinema was aimed at working / lower-middle class people and played at fairgrounds as a novelty. They were shown in booths called Kintopps. By 1910, filmmakers aimed to create more artistic films by basing them on literary works The world’s first large-scale film studio, Babelsberg Studio, was founded in 1912 in Potsdam- Babelsberg Expressionism became popular in the 1910’s, reaching a peak during the 1920’s. Expressionist films were very stylized and layered with symbolism.

Wintergartenprogramm 1895

The Golden Age of Early German Cinema ( ) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)

The Tri-Ergon sound-on-film system was patented in 1918, but was too expensive to implement. The first German “talkie” was Der blaue Engel(1930). The film industry expanded due to the hyperinflation in 1920’s Germany. Expressionist landmarks such as Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari(1920), Nosferatu(1922), and Der letzte Mann(1924) are released. Expressionism becomes less popular by 1925, due to the rise of New Objectivity. Films begin to focus more on realism and societal problems. German filmmakers began experimenting with Mise-en-scene and camera movement By the end of the 1920’s sound in films became popular

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari(1920)

Nazi Germany ( )

Many influential filmmakers left Germany before the Nazis came to power due to financial reasons, many more emigrated after the rise of National Socialism. Propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels, appointed himself as “Patron of the German Film” and used cinema as a way to provide escapism and boost morale. Triumph des Willens(1935) chronicles the 1934 Nazi Party Congress in Nuremberg and is recognized as one of the greatest propaganda films in history. In 1932, the German company Agfa produced a color film in response to Technicolor. Agfacolor was used by MGM until 1956.

Triumph des Willens (1935)

New German Cinema ( ) Machorka-muff (1963)

Most movies made in this time strove to be unique, they were made by a generation rebelling against the past. On February 28, 1962, the Oberhausen Manifesto is issued by a group of young filmmakers as a response to Germany’s artistic stagnation. The manifesto states “Der alte Film ist tot. Wir glauben an den neuen.” (The old cinema is dead. We believe in the new cinema.) The Oberhausen Manifesto sparked a renaissance in German film and encouraged other German filmmakers to create quality movies. The German Federal Film Board was created 1968 to support film-making in Germany by providing financial support.

Oberhausen Manifesto February 28,1962

World on a Wire (1973)

Modern German Cinema (1980-now)

1980-now The Deutsche Filmakademie was founded in 2003 and aims to promote and discuss German films Since 2005, members of the Detsche Filmakadamie elect winners of the Deutscher Filmpreis (also known as the Lolas). The winner receives a three million euro cash prize. Babelsberg Studio continues to be one of Germany’s largest production studios. Many modern films have been made there, including The Hunger Games, V for Vendetta, The Bourne Ultimatum, Inglorious Basterds, and many more. American movies dominate the box offices, the highest grossing film in Germany is Avatar(2009)

Bibliography A New History of German Cinema (Screen Cultures: German Film and the Visual) by Jennifer Kapczynski & Michael Richardson From Caligari to Hitler: A Psychological History of the German Film by Sigfried Kracauer