GERMANY in the 1920S

CHAPTER • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • GERMANY IN THE 1920s THE GERMAN SITUATION AFTER WORLD WAR I Although Germany lost World War I and suffered severe economic and po litical problems as a result, it emerged from the war with a strong film in dustry. From 1918 to the Nazi rise to power in 1933, the German film industry ranked second only to HoLlywood in technical sophistication and world influence. Within a few years of the armistice, German films were seen widely abroad, and a major stylistic movement, Expressionism, arose in 1920 and continued until 1926. The victorious France could not rejuve nate its film industry, so how did Germany's become so powerful? The German industry'S expansion during World War I was due largely to the isolation created by the government's 1916 ban on most foreign films. The demand by German theaters led the number of pro ducing companies to rise from 25 (1914) to 130 (1918). By the end of the war, however, the formation of the Universum Film Aktiengesellschaft (Ufa) started a trend toward mergers and larger companies. Even with this growth, if the government had lifted the 1916 import ban at the end of the war, foreign films might have poured in again chiefly from the United States. Unlike the situation in France, however, the German government supported filmmaking throughout this period. The ban on imports continued until December 31, 1920, giving produc ers nearly five years of minimal competition in their domestic marker. The expansion of the war years continued, with about 300 film production companies forming by 1921. Moreovel~ by 1922, most anti-German sen timent in enemy countries had been broken down, and German cinema became famous internationally. Ironically, much of the film industry's success came while the nation underwent enormous difficulties stemming from the war. By late 1918, the war had pushed the country deep into debt, and there was widespread 101 102 CHAPTER 5 Germany in the 19205 hardship. During the last month of the war, open revolt since money lost its value sitting in a bank or under a broke out, demanding the end of the monarchy and the mattress. Wage earners tended to spend their money war. On November 9, just two days before the armistice, while it was still worth something, and movies, unlike the German Republic was declared, abolishing the mon food or clothing, were readily available. Film atten archy. For a few months, radical and liberal parties strug dance was high during the inflationary period, and gled for control, and it seemed as if a revolution similar many new theaters were built. to the one in Russia would occur. By mid-January 1919, Moreover, inflation encouraged export and dis however, the extreme left wing was defeated, and an elec couraged import, giving German companies an interna tion led to a coalition government of more moderate lib tional advantage. As the exchange rate of the mark fell, eral parties. In general, the German political climate consumers were less likely to purchase foreign goods. drifted gradually toward the right during the 1920s, cul Conversely, exporters could sell goods cheaply abroad, minating in the ascension of the Nazi party in 1933. compared with manufacturers in other countries. Film Internal strife was intensified by the harsh measures producers benefited from this competitive boost. Im the Allies took in their treatment of Germany. The war porters could bring in relatively few foreign films, while officially ended with the signing of the infamous Treaty countries in South America and eastern Europe could of Versailles on June 28, 1919. Rather than attempting buy German films more cheaply than they could the to heal the rift with Germany, Great Britain and France Hollywood product. Thus, for about two years after insisted on punishing their enemy. A "war guilt" clause the war, the German import ban protected the film mar in the treaty blamed Germany as the sole instigator of ket from competition, and even after imports were per the conflict. Various territories were ceded to Poland mitted in 1921, unfavorable exchange rates boosted the and France (with Germany losing 13 percent of its pre domestic cinema. war land). Germany was forbidden to have more than The favorable export situation fostered by high in 100,000 soldiers in its army, and they were not to carry flation fit in with the film industry's plans. Even during weapons. Most crucially, the Allies expected Germany the war, the growth of the industry led to hopes for ex to pay for all wartime damage to civilian property, in port. But what sorts of films would succeed abroad? the form of money and goods. (Only the United States More than any other country in postwar Europe, Ger demurred, signing its own peace treaty with Germany many found answers to that question. in 1921.) Resentment over these measures eventually helped right-wing parties come to power. In the short run, these reparations gradually pushed GENRES AND STYLES the German financial system into chaos. The reparations OF GERMAN POSTWAR CINEMA arrangement required that Germany regularly send high payments in gold and ship coal, steel, heavy equipment, Partly because the German film industry operated in food, and other basic goods to the Allies. Although Ger near isolation between 1916 and 1921, there were few many was never able to fulfill the amounts demanded, radical changes in the types of films being made. The fan domestic shortages soon developed and prices rose. The tasy genre continued to be prominent, typified by films result was inflation, beginning at the war's end and be starring Paul Wegener, like The Golem (1920, Wegener coming hyperinflation by 1923. Food and consumer and Henrik Galeen) and Der verlorene Schatten ("The goods became scarce and outrageously costly. In early Lost Shadow," 1921, Rochus Gliese). Directly after the 1923, the mark, which had been worth approximately 4 war, the leftist political climate led to a brief abolition to the dollar before the war, sank to about 50,000 to the of censorship, and that in turn fostered a vogue for films dollar. By the end of 1923, the mark had fallen to on prostitution, venereal disease, drugs, and other so around 6 billion to the dollar. People carried baskets of cial problems. The widespread belief that such films paper money simply to purchase a loaf of bread. were pornographic led to the reinstitution of censor It might seem at first glance that such severe eco ship. The same sorts of comedies and dramas that had nomic problems could not benefit anyone. Many people dominated production in Germany and most other suffered: retirees on pensions, investors with money in countries during the mid-teens continued to be made. fixed-rate accounts, workers whose earnings lost value We can, however, single out a few major trends of genre by the day, renters who saw housing costs spiral up and style that gained prominence in the postwar era: the ward. Big industry, however, benefited from high infla spectacle genre, the German Expressionist movement, tion. For one thing, people had little reason to save, and the Kammerspiel film. Genres and Styles of German Postwar Cinema 103 5.1 In Madame 5.2 The heroine [)ubarry, large of The Cabinet of sets and hundreds Dr. Caligari of extras re-create wanders through revolutionary the Expressionist Paris. carnival set. It almost seems that she is made of the same material as the fairground setting. Spectacles ter Princess," 1919) and Die Puppe ("The Doll," 1919). Before the war, the Italians had gained worldwide suc But it was with Polish star Pola Negri that Lubitsch cess with historical epics such as Quo Vadis? and achieved international recognition. Cabiria. After the war, the Germans tried a similar tac Negri and Lubitsch first worked together in 1918 tic, emphasizing historical spectacles. Some of these on Die Augen der Mumie Ma ("The Eyes of the Mummy films attained a success similar to that of the Italian Ma "). This melodramatic fantasy took place in an ex epics and, incidentally, revealed the First major German otic Egyptian locaje and was typical of German produc director of the postwar era, Ernst Lubitsch. tions of the late 1910s. Negri's costar was the rising Ger Spectacular costume films appeared in a number of man actor Emil Jannings, and with these two Lubitsch countries, but only companies able to afford large bud made Madame Dubarry (1919), based loosely on the ca gets could use them to compete internationally. Holly reer of Louis XV's mistress (5.1). It was enormously suc wood, with its high budgets and skilled art directors, cessful, both in Germany and abroad. Lubitsch went on could make Intolerance or The Last of the Mohicans, to make similar films, most notably Anna Boleyn (1920). but productions on this scale were rare in Great Britain In 1923, he became the first major German director and France. During the inflationary period, however, hired to work in Hollywood. (Negri had preceded him the larger German companies found it relatively easy to under a long-term contract with Paramount.) Lubitsch finance historical epics. Some firms could afford exten quickly became one of the most skillful practitioners of sive backlots, and they expanded studio facilities. The the classical Hollywood style of the 1920s. costs of labor to construct sets and costumes were rea Historical spectacles remained in vogue as long sonable, and crowds of extras could be hired at low as severe inflation enabled the Germans to sell them wages. The resulting films were impressive enough to abroad at prices that no other country's film industry compete abroad and could earn stable foreign currency.

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