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Trümmerfilm

October 20, 2023

Trümmerfilm (English: Rubble film) was an aesthetic choice for those films made directly after World War II dealing with the impact of the battles in the countries at the center of the war. The style was mostly used by filmmakers in the rebuilding film industries of Eastern Europe, Italy and the former Nazi Germany. The style is characterized by its use of location exteriors among the "rubble" of bombed-down cities to bring the gritty, depressing reality of the lives of the civilian survivors in those early years.[1]

Notable films Edit

A Foreign Affair (1948), The Search (1948) and The Third Man (1949) are examples of Hollywood films of the same period with European directors who made innovative use of location shooting of German and Austrian rubble.[2]

Topics of the Rubble film Edit

  • Problems of returning soldiers
  • The poverty, suffering and distress in post-war Germany
  • Stunde Null
  • Confrontation with the past, particularly with issues of collective guilt
  • Crime and punishment
  • War damage and war losses
  • Life among the rubble
  • Reconstruction

The rubble aesthetic Edit

The desolation left as a consequence of the bombing that Germany endured before the end of World War II left the major German cities in shambles. However, unlike other cities, Berlin's structures had steel frames. This enabled many of them to remain standing, despite the bombings. This left jagged figures on the landscape, as well as a lot of rubble on the ground. Often, directors would have either horizontal or vertical shots of the rubble from a low angle.[3]The Murderers Are Among Us begins with a ground shot facing upwards showing a Berlin street, complete with piles of rubble, and destroyed buildings. The viewer sees several children running around, and the protagonist ambling up the street. The viewer also sees German citizens working together to clean up, and getting on with their lives, despite the devastation. Critics have observed similarities between the rubble film aesthetic and Weimar era Expressionism, as well as Romanticism. These features include gloomy environments, canted angles and chiaroscuro lighting, along with morally ambiguous protagonists.[4] It has been argued by Gertrud Koch that, aside from the expressionist and neorealistic qualities of the Rubble Film, a major purpose of these films was to re-invigorate the German people, and instill a work ethic that would facilitate the reconstruction of Germany.[5]

Filmpause Edit

In the year after the war ended, no films were made. This one-year period is referred to as the Filmpause, and is due in large part to the destruction or seizure of Germany's film studios, as well as artistic uncertainty. Furthermore, people had little interest in seeing films, much less the facilities with which to do so.[6] This uncertainty was caused by Hitler's delegitimization of conventional filmmaking practices, which forced filmmakers to reinvent their filmography methods, and film content.[7] It was not until Wolfgang Staudte released The Murderers Are Among Us in 1946 that German cinema began to further develop.

Reception Edit

Originally, the name "Trümmerfilm" held negative connotation. These films were seen as a symbol of defeat and desolation. They symbolized the control that the German Nazis had over the German people, as well as the success of the Allies in destroying their country. Instead of offering a nostalgic attachment to what Germany was, it simply was a mark of trauma and despair. The German identity had been stripped by the Nazi party, and they felt that these films did little more than re-affirm the horrors that Germany suffered.[8]

The genre has also received criticism for its whitewashing of Nazi history. In the film The Murderers Are Among Us, the female protagonist Susanne returns from a concentration camp and is shocked by the misery of Germans in the cities. A common trope in the rubble films is the highlighting of German soldiers' trauma at the expense of relegating the suffering of political and racial enemies of the Third Reich. The dwelling on wartime trauma is not in itself a cause for concern. But the omission of any depictions of Nazi violence, in a genre so consumed with expressing suffering, is a criticized feature of the Heimkehrerfilm, a genre centered around returning veterans' trauma and re-adjustment to civilian life.[9]

Bibliography Edit

  1. ^ Shandley, Robert R. (2001). Rubble films: German cinema in the shadow of the Third Reich. Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press. ISBN 1566398770.
  2. ^ "Cinema in the rubble: movies made in the ruins of postwar Germany". bfi.org.uk. Retrieved 2019-04-15.
  3. ^ Rubble in the Trümmerfilm>"New German Critique 110". 37. Duke University, Durham, NC: Duke University Press. Summer 2010: 9. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  4. ^ Moeller, Martina (2013). Rubble, Ruins, and Romanticism: Visual Style, Narration, and Identity in German Post-War Cinema. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 40–43. ISBN 9783837621839.
  5. ^ The Place of Rubble in the Trummerfilm>Eric Rentschler. "The Place of Rubble in the Trümmerfilm". Harvard University. p. 3.
  6. ^ Rubble in the Trümmerfilm>"New German Critique 110". 37. Duke University, Durham, NC: Duke University Press. Summer 2010: 10. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  7. ^ Baer, Hester (2009). DISMANTLING THE DREAM FACTORY Gender, German Cinema, and the Postwar Quest for a New Film Language. Berghan Books. ISBN 9780857456175.
  8. ^ Rubble, Ruins and RomanticismMoeller, Martina. Rubble, Ruins and Romanticism: Visual Style, Narration and Identity in German Post-War Cinema. transcript Verlag, 2014. pp. 13, 14. ISBN 3839421837.
  9. ^ German Postwar FilmsFisher, Jaimey. German Postwar Films: Life and Love in the Ruins. Palgrave Macmillan, 2008. p. 178. ISBN 9781349375042.

October 20, 2023
trümmerfilm, english, rubble, film, aesthetic, choice, those, films, made, directly, after, world, dealing, with, impact, battles, countries, center, style, mostly, used, filmmakers, rebuilding, film, industries, eastern, europe, italy, former, nazi, germany, . Trummerfilm English Rubble film was an aesthetic choice for those films made directly after World War II dealing with the impact of the battles in the countries at the center of the war The style was mostly used by filmmakers in the rebuilding film industries of Eastern Europe Italy and the former Nazi Germany The style is characterized by its use of location exteriors among the rubble of bombed down cities to bring the gritty depressing reality of the lives of the civilian survivors in those early years 1 Contents 1 Notable films 2 Topics of the Rubble film 3 The rubble aesthetic 4 Filmpause 5 Reception 6 BibliographyNotable films EditDie Morder sind unter uns 1946 Irgendwo in Berlin 1946 Ehe im Schatten 1947 Und uber uns der Himmel 1947 Razzia 1947 Zwischen gestern und morgen 1947 Film ohne Titel 1947 Und finden dereinst wir uns wieder 1947 In jenen Tagen 1947 Strassenbekanntschaft 1948 Lang ist der Weg 1948 Germania anno zero 1948 Morituri 1948 Film ohne Titel de 1948 Und wieder 48 1948 Die Affaire Blum 1948 Der Apfel ist ab 1948 Berliner Ballade 1948 Liebe 47 1949 Der Ruf 1949 Der Verlorene 1951 A Foreign Affair 1948 The Search 1948 and The Third Man 1949 are examples of Hollywood films of the same period with European directors who made innovative use of location shooting of German and Austrian rubble 2 Topics of the Rubble film EditProblems of returning soldiers The poverty suffering and distress in post war Germany Stunde Null Confrontation with the past particularly with issues of collective guilt Crime and punishment War damage and war losses Life among the rubble ReconstructionThe rubble aesthetic EditThe desolation left as a consequence of the bombing that Germany endured before the end of World War II left the major German cities in shambles However unlike other cities Berlin s structures had steel frames This enabled many of them to remain standing despite the bombings This left jagged figures on the landscape as well as a lot of rubble on the ground Often directors would have either horizontal or vertical shots of the rubble from a low angle 3 The Murderers Are Among Us begins with a ground shot facing upwards showing a Berlin street complete with piles of rubble and destroyed buildings The viewer sees several children running around and the protagonist ambling up the street The viewer also sees German citizens working together to clean up and getting on with their lives despite the devastation Critics have observed similarities between the rubble film aesthetic and Weimar era Expressionism as well as Romanticism These features include gloomy environments canted angles and chiaroscuro lighting along with morally ambiguous protagonists 4 It has been argued by Gertrud Koch that aside from the expressionist and neorealistic qualities of the Rubble Film a major purpose of these films was to re invigorate the German people and instill a work ethic that would facilitate the reconstruction of Germany 5 Filmpause EditIn the year after the war ended no films were made This one year period is referred to as the Filmpause and is due in large part to the destruction or seizure of Germany s film studios as well as artistic uncertainty Furthermore people had little interest in seeing films much less the facilities with which to do so 6 This uncertainty was caused by Hitler s delegitimization of conventional filmmaking practices which forced filmmakers to reinvent their filmography methods and film content 7 It was not until Wolfgang Staudte released The Murderers Are Among Us in 1946 that German cinema began to further develop Reception EditOriginally the name Trummerfilm held negative connotation These films were seen as a symbol of defeat and desolation They symbolized the control that the German Nazis had over the German people as well as the success of the Allies in destroying their country Instead of offering a nostalgic attachment to what Germany was it simply was a mark of trauma and despair The German identity had been stripped by the Nazi party and they felt that these films did little more than re affirm the horrors that Germany suffered 8 The genre has also received criticism for its whitewashing of Nazi history In the film The Murderers Are Among Us the female protagonist Susanne returns from a concentration camp and is shocked by the misery of Germans in the cities A common trope in the rubble films is the highlighting of German soldiers trauma at the expense of relegating the suffering of political and racial enemies of the Third Reich The dwelling on wartime trauma is not in itself a cause for concern But the omission of any depictions of Nazi violence in a genre so consumed with expressing suffering is a criticized feature of the Heimkehrerfilm a genre centered around returning veterans trauma and re adjustment to civilian life 9 Bibliography Edit Shandley Robert R 2001 Rubble films German cinema in the shadow of the Third Reich Philadelphia PA Temple University Press ISBN 1566398770 Cinema in the rubble movies made in the ruins of postwar Germany bfi org uk Retrieved 2019 04 15 Rubble in the Trummerfilm gt New German Critique 110 37 Duke University Durham NC Duke University Press Summer 2010 9 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help Moeller Martina 2013 Rubble Ruins and Romanticism Visual Style Narration and Identity in German Post War Cinema New York Columbia University Press pp 40 43 ISBN 9783837621839 The Place of Rubble in the Trummerfilm gt Eric Rentschler The Place of Rubble in the Trummerfilm Harvard University p 3 Rubble in the Trummerfilm gt New German Critique 110 37 Duke University Durham NC Duke University Press Summer 2010 10 a href Template Cite journal html title Template Cite journal cite journal a Cite journal requires journal help Baer Hester 2009 DISMANTLING THE DREAM FACTORY Gender German Cinema and the Postwar Quest for a New Film Language Berghan Books ISBN 9780857456175 Rubble Ruins and RomanticismMoeller Martina Rubble Ruins and Romanticism Visual Style Narration and Identity in German Post War Cinema transcript Verlag 2014 pp 13 14 ISBN 3839421837 German Postwar FilmsFisher Jaimey German Postwar Films Life and Love in the Ruins Palgrave Macmillan 2008 p 178 ISBN 9781349375042 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Trummerfilm amp oldid 1180297124, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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