Weimar Cinema : An Essential Guide to Classic Films of the Era

Noah (Book Review Editor Isenberg

ISBN 10: 0231130546 / ISBN 13: 9780231130547

Published by Columbia University Press Jan 2009, 2009

About this Item

Neuware - Weimar Cinema focuses on the most widely taught films of the period: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Nosferatu, The Joyless Street, Faust, Metropolis, Pandora's Box, and The Blue Angel, among others. Chapters address the technological advancements of each film; their production and place within the larger history of the German studio and Weimar cinema in general; the signature style of the film's director; the actors in the film and the rise of German stars; and the critical reception of the film both during and after its release. Genres discussed include horror, science fiction, melodrama, avant-garde and fantasy films. Readers can revisit the German debut of Greta Garbo, Louise Brooks, and Marlene Dietrich, the early careers of such directors as F. W. Murnau and Fritz Lang, and the visionary producers and cinematographers that cemented Weimar's reputation for unprecedented artistic innovation.

Seller Inventory # 9780231130547

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Weimar Cinema : An Essential Guide to Classic Films of the Era
• Publisher: Columbia University Press Jan 2009
• Publication Date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0231130546
• ISBN 13: 9780231130547
• Binding: Buch
• Condition: Neu
• Dimensions: 235W x 156H x 0D millimeters 235 millimeters width by 156 millimeters height by 0 millimeters depth

About this title

Synopsis

Taken as a whole, the sixteen remarkable films discussed in this provocative new volume of essays represent the brilliant creativity that flourished in the name of German cinema between the wars. Encompassing early gangster pictures and science fiction, avant-garde and fantasy films, sexual intrigues and love stories, the classics of silent cinema and Germany's first talkies, each chapter illuminates, among other things: the technological advancements of a given film, its detailed production history, its critical reception over time, and the place it occupies within the larger history of the German studio and of Weimar cinema in general. Readers can revisit the careers of such acclaimed directors as F. W. Murnau, Fritz Lang, and G. W. Pabst and examine the debuts of such international stars as Greta Garbo, Louise Brooks, and Marlene Dietrich. Training a keen eye on Weimer cinema's unusual richness and formal innovation, this anthology is an essential guide to the revolutionary styles, genres, and aesthetics that continue to fascinate us today.

About the Author

Noah Isenberg is associate professor of University Humanities at Eugene Lang College-The New School, where he teaches literature, film, and intellectual history. He is the author, most recently, of Detour (British Film Institute, 2008).