A popular format on East German TV was the teleplay. These were videotaped on stage in front of a live audience. In America, you’ll see this most…… Read more “The Teleplays of Christa Kulosa”
Category: Pop Culture
Journey Into the Nuptial Bed
East Germany had a difficult relationship with musicals. As with western audiences, the East German public enjoyed musicals and paid to go see them. The box office…… Read more “Journey Into the Nuptial Bed”
whisper & SHOUT
For anyone whose preconceptions about life in East Germany is informed by what was taught in American schools, whisper & SHOUT (flüstern & SCHREIEN) is the film…… Read more “whisper & SHOUT”
Next Year at Lake Balaton
Road movies are common enough to warrant their own category. Whether the characters in a film are trying to get from point A to point B (The…… Read more “Next Year at Lake Balaton”
Interrogating the Witnesses
At first, Interrogating the Witnesses (Vernehmung der Zeugen) looks like it’s going to be a murder mystery, or a police procedural. A boy named Rainer (Mario Gericke)…… Read more “Interrogating the Witnesses”
Herzsprung
When the Berlin Wall finally came down, East Germans danced for joy in the streets. No more Stasi, no more food shortages, no more travel restrictions, and…… Read more “Herzsprung”
Berlin Around the Corner
In the mid-fifties, director Gerhard Klein and screenwriter Wolfgang Kohlhaase made a trio of films about life in Berlin. The films were inventive, daring, and popular. Both…… Read more “Berlin Around the Corner”
The Naked Man on the Sports Field
Konrad Wolf’s three feature films—Goya, The Naked Man on the Sports Field (Der nackte Mann auf dem Sportplatz), and Solo Sunny—form a loose trilogy. On the face of…… Read more “The Naked Man on the Sports Field”
The Man Who Replaced Grandma
The Man Who Replaced Grandma (Der Mann, der nach der Oma kam) belongs to the comedy of errors genre—specifically the sub-genre that finds comedy in the mistaken…… Read more “The Man Who Replaced Grandma”
No Cheating, Darling!
In 1975, director/screenwriter Jim Sharman, along with co-author Richard O’Brien, had a huge hit with The Rocky Horror Picture Show. In 1981, they decided to try again…… Read more “No Cheating, Darling!”
