Goodbye Lenin Film Analysis

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(1) How does the film Goodbye Lenin interpret the historical events at the heart of its narrative? Wolfgang Becker’s Goodbye Lenin clearly depicts the paramount differences between the German Democratic Republic and German Federal Republic; essentially the differences between the combating ideologies of the Cold War; Capitalism vs. Communism. In the film we see and hear about people fleeing to the West for a better life. West Germany was always the more affluent of the two newly created states. Stalin banned Marshall Aid into Eastern Europe while the West was benefiting for it. The difference in lifestyle between the opposing states was evident. East Germans experienced food shortages, low wages with 25% of its industrial output going to the USSR and suffered from poor housing and infrastructure. This is undoubtedly obvious with the juxtaposition of Christiane’s East European style room against the rapid onset of capitalism creeping into the former GDP following the fall of the Berlin Wall. The film portrays the inevitable collapse of the Soviet Union’s oppressive and restricting rule in Eastern Europe with the characters embracing the modern change and newfound freedom with open arms, wholly giving into one of capitalisms key characteristics – consumerism; immediately replacing their furniture, wardrobes, installing satellite television, and welcoming an extensive range of brands and products. (2) How does this representation of events change/deepen/complicate our understanding of this history in light of the other sources you have on this subject (lecture; assigned reading)? The film deepens the viewers understanding of life in the East by demonstrating that it was significantly harsher and more difficult than in the West. Yet how magnificent was the world it was replaced by? Ariane gives up her studies to work in a fast-food restaurant, where she meets
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