Dismantling the Dream Factory: Gender, German Cinema, and the Postwar Quest for a New Film Language Contributor(s): Baer, Hester (Author) |
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ISBN: 184545605X ISBN-13: 9781845456054 Publisher: Berghahn Books OUR PRICE: $128.25 Product Type: Hardcover - Other Formats Published: September 2009 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - Performing Arts | Film - History & Criticism - Social Science | Gender Studies |
Dewey: 791.430 |
LCCN: 2009032996 |
Series: Film Europa: German Cinema in an International Context |
Physical Information: 0.75" H x 6" W x 9" (1.31 lbs) 318 pages |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: The history of postwar German cinema has most often been told as a story of failure, a failure paradoxically epitomized by the remarkable popularity of film throughout the late 1940s and 1950s. Through the analysis of 10 representative films, Hester Baer reassesses this period, looking in particular at how the attempt to 'dismantle the dream factory' of Nazi entertainment cinema resulted in a new cinematic language which developed as a result of the changing audience demographic. In an era when female viewers comprised 70 per cent of cinema audiences a 'women's cinema' emerged, which sought to appeal to female spectators through its genres, star choices, stories and formal conventions. In addition to analyzing the formal language and narrative content of these films, Baer uses a wide array of other sources to reconstruct the original context of their reception, including promotional and publicity materials, film programs, censorship documents, reviews and spreads in fan magazines. This book presents a new take on an essential period, which saw the rebirth of German cinema after its thorough delegitimization under the Nazi regime. |
Contributor Bio(s): Baer, Hester: - Hester Baer is Associate Professor of Germanic Studies at the University of Maryland, College Park. She has published widely on postwar and contemporary German cinema, women's literature, and feminism. |