German Cinema Essay

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PART A GERMAN FILM Cinema in Germany can be traced back to the late 19th century. German cinema has made major technical and artistic contributions to film. Unlike other national cinemas, which developed in the context of relatively continuous and stable political systems, Germany witnessed major changes to its identity during the 20th century. Those changes determined the periodization of national cinema into a succession of distinct eras and movements. The history of cinema in Germany can be traced back to the years shortly after the introduction of cinema. On November 1, 1895 Max Skladanowsky and his brother Emil demonstrated their self-invented film projector the Bioscop at the Wintergarten music hall in Berlin. A 15-minute series of eight short films, it was the first screening of films to a paying audience in Europe. In its earliest days, the cinematograph was perceived as an attraction for upper class audiences, but the novelty of moving pictures did not last long. Soon, trivial short films were being shown as fairground attractions aimed at the working and lower-middle class. Due to Germany’s dark history, most German movies which are released on an international level are about the Nazi Germany days or the East/West Germany days. Films like Downfall, Valkyrie and others are about Nazi Germany and its downfall and assassination attempts against Hitler. German films today often have a great influence around the world. In the earlier days of German cinema, most films were censored or edited so that these films would not paint a dull picture of the German history. Since the demise of East and West Germany, this censoring is no longer present. Most German made films are a crime/thriller/drama type film, which are often dreary. Films about Nazi Germany and Hitler are always dull lit films, which is used to paint Hitler in the bad light the world sees
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