East German Cinema Blog
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A blog devoted to the films of the GDR. Every week or two (or sometimes three) Jim Mortons examines a new film, giving as much information as he can without spoiling the plot. Most posts also include historical information as well as biographies of actors, directors, composers, and cinematographers.
East German Cinema Blog
3M ago
Before I get too far into this article, I should point out that one’s opinion of what constitutes film noir is a highly subjective one. For some, the only films that qualify are those that contain the following elements: Anything else is either proto-noir, neo-noir, or noir adjacent. While others use the rule United States ..read more
East German Cinema Blog
4M ago
For those who grew up in the West, it often comes as a surprise to learn that East Germans celebrated Christmas. After all, wasn’t it a communist country and didn’t Karl Marx say “Religion is the opium of the people?” Well, yes, he did, although he did go on to say it was “…the sigh ..read more
East German Cinema Blog
4M ago
The American West is about as far from East Germany as one can get, politically, geographically, and philosophically, but Germans have a long—some might say bizarre—love affair with America’s past, and, in particular, the lives of the Indians who roamed the plains.1 Some Germans spend their summers living in teepees, wearing feathered headdresses and facepaint ..read more
East German Cinema Blog
5M ago
I have a love/hate relationship with movie listicles. Don’t we all? On one hand, it seems like a facile way to discuss films. They are rarely more than thumbnails with no depth or examination. But on the other hand, they are a great way to learn about movies one hasn’t seen. Since I don’t plan ..read more
East German Cinema Blog
7M ago
It occurred to me while working on the the Carole Lamberti that it was time to turn the burner down on the East German Cinema Blog. I’m not abandoning the site altogether. I’ll still write about films when they are made available with English subtitles, and I’ll definitely be updating some of my entries along ..read more
East German Cinema Blog
1y ago
Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in! – Michael Corleone, Godfather Part III [NOTE: I had planned to be finished adding new movies to this blog, but little did I realize that the long-lost experimental film Miss Butterfly (Fräulein Schmetterling) was about to be released with English subtitles by the ..read more
East German Cinema Blog
1y ago
It occurred to me while working on the last article for this website (Carole Lamberti) that its time to turn the burner down on the East German Cinema Blog. I’m not abandoning the site or the subject. I’ll still write about films when they are made available with English subtitles, and I’ll definitely be updating ..read more
East German Cinema Blog
1y ago
I recently returned to the Radio GDR studio (virtually speaking) to engage in a discussion on the female directors of East Germany. I was joined by Jeffrey Babcock, who curated a program on East German cinema for the Goethe Institute in Amsterdam, and show host Steve Minegar. It was a fun interview but shows how ..read more
East German Cinema Blog
1y ago
Romance and intrigue at the circus in this DEFA-in-name-only film from the fifties. The circus film is a genre that doesn’t get much attention although it’s one of the oldest film genres. Studios started making them during the silent era (The Circus Man, Crown and Whip, and Circus Days) and the genre reached an apex ..read more
East German Cinema Blog
1y ago
It was just a lighthearted fairytale, but it hit a little too close to home for the East German authorities. It’s said that timing is everything. This is certainly true when it comes to movies. Billy Wilder’s Ace in the Hole was one of his best films, and had it been released in the early ..read more