Nazi cinema as enchantment : the politics of entertainment in the Third Reich
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Nazi cinema as enchantment : the politics of entertainment in the Third Reich
（Studies in German literature, linguistics, and culture / edited by James Hardin）
Camden House, 2004
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Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. [265]-285) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
The Nazi regime did not merely terrorize its citizens into submission; it also seduced them by offering stability, a traditional value system, a sense of belonging, and hope of a better standard of living. Nazi cinema's popularityrested on its ability to express positive social fantasies and promote the enchantment of reality, so that one would want to share in the dream at any price. This is an interdisciplinary study, written for scholars and students in the fields of film studies, German studies, history, critical studies, and political science, that explores how cinema participated in the larger framework of everyday fascism. The book examines how five film genres - the historical musical, the foreign adventure film, the home-front film, the melodrama, and the problem film - enchanted audiences and enacted shared stories that can tell us much about how family, community, history, the nation, and the war were imagined in Nazi Germany. The book analyzes thirteen motion pictures, many of which are not well known to English-speaking audiences: Wunschkonzert, Die grosse Liebe, Tanz auf dem Vulkan, Damals, Die Degenhardts, Opfergang, Kautschuk, Robert und Bertram, Verklungene Melodie, Frauen fur Golden Hill, Das Leben kann so schoen sein, Der verzauberte Tag, and Via Mala. Based on exhaustive research in German archives, the book examines, in addition to the films themselves, articles from the propaganda ministry's official organ, Der deutsche Film, daily trade sheets, fan magazines, and even studio press packages for individual stars and films.
Mary-Elizabeth O'Brien is Professor of German at Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, New York.
Table of Contents
Introduction
History, Utopia, and the Social Construction of Happiness: The Historical Musical
Mapping German Identity: The Foreign Adventure Film
The Celluloid War: The Home-Front Film
Discontented Domesticity: The Melodrama
The Forbidden Desires of Everyday Life: The Problem Film
Epilogue
Works Cited
Index
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