As I’ve discussed on this blog before, East Germany had an above-average track record on female equality and films about women’s issues, yet there were only a…… Read more “The Blue Light”
Those East German Barge Films
Living on a boat is not easy. You’re in a constant fight against the elements and there’s no end to the maintenance. Boat owners will tell you…… Read more “Those East German Barge Films”
When Martin was Fourteen
When Martin Was Fourteen (Als Martin vierzehn war) is the story of a teenage boy who finds himself in the middle of the fighting that followed the…… Read more “When Martin was Fourteen”
Set a Fire, the Fire Brigade Is Coming
What happens to a fire department when the town there in never has any fires? That’s the idea behind the TruTV’s new comedy Tacoma FD. But it…… Read more “Set a Fire, the Fire Brigade Is Coming”
Sleeping Beauty
The story of Sleeping Beauty (Dornröschen) is old enough that it’s origins are a point of debate. The Grimm Brothers felt the story had enough Germanic elements…… Read more “Sleeping Beauty”
Held for Questioning
The backstory of Held for Questioning (Der Aufenthalt) is the story of a film that was made against all odds, by a director that DEFA had, essentially,…… Read more “Held for Questioning”
Isabel on the Stairs
In 1970, Chile—the most democratic of South American nations—held a presidential election that would change the course of things in that country for the next twenty years…… Read more “Isabel on the Stairs”
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”
Minna von Barnhelm, or the Soldier’s Fortune
Not surprisingly, most of the films that came out of the DEFA studios in East Germany were concerned with the twentieth century, that being the century when…… Read more “Minna von Barnhelm, or the Soldier’s Fortune”
Dusk: 1950s East Berlin Bohemia
Just off the Schiffbauerdamm, a street that runs along the River Spree on the north side of the river, sits the Berliner Ensemble Theater. It was founded…… Read more “Dusk: 1950s East Berlin Bohemia”
