07_677 (01) FM.qxd 1/15/08 6:20 PM Page i HISTORICAL DICTIONARIES OF LITERATURE AND THE ARTS Jon Woronoff, Series Editor 1. Science Fiction Literature, by Brian Stableford, 2004. 2. Hong Kong Cinema, by Lisa Odham Stokes, 2007. 3. American Radio Soap Operas, by Jim Cox, 2005. 4. Japanese Traditional Theatre, by Samuel L. Leiter, 2006. 5. Fantasy Literature, by Brian Stableford, 2005. 6. Australian and New Zealand Cinema, by Albert Moran and Er- rol Vieth, 2006. 7. African-American Television, by Kathleen Fearn-Banks, 2006. 8. Lesbian Literature, by Meredith Miller, 2006. 9. Scandinavian Literature and Theater, by Jan Sjåvik, 2006. 10. British Radio, by Seán Street, 2006. 11. German Theater, by William Grange, 2006. 12. African American Cinema, by S. Torriano Berry and Venise Berry, 2006. 13. Sacred Music, by Joseph P. Swain, 2006. 14. Russian Theater, by Laurence Senelick, 2007. 15. French Cinema, by Dayna Oscherwitz and MaryEllen Higgins, 2007. 16. Postmodernist Literature and Theater, by Fran Mason, 2007. 17. Irish Cinema, by Roderick Flynn and Pat Brereton, 2007. 18. Australian Radio and Television, by Albert Moran and Chris Keating, 2007. 19. Polish Cinema, by Marek Haltof, 2007. 20. Old-Time Radio, by Robert C. Reinehr and Jon D. Swartz, 2008. 21. Renaissance Art, by Lilian H. Zirpolo, 2008. 22. Broadway Musical, by William A. Everett and Paul R. Laird, 2008. 23. American Theater: Modernism, by James Fisher and Felicia Hardison Londré, 2008. 24. German Cinema, by Robert C. Reimer and Carol J. Reimer, 2008. 07_677 (01) FM.qxd 1/15/08 6:20 PM Page ii 07_677 (01) FM.qxd 1/15/08 6:20 PM Page iii Historical Dictionary of German Cinema Robert C. Reimer Carol J. Reimer Historical Dictionaries of Literature and the Arts, No. 24 The Scarecrow Press, Inc. Lanham, Maryland • Toronto • Plymouth, UK 2008 07_677 (01) FM.qxd 1/15/08 6:20 PM Page iv SCARECROW PRESS, INC. Published in the United States of America by Scarecrow Press, Inc. A wholly owned subsidiary of The Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Inc. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706 www.scarecrowpress.com Estover Road Plymouth PL6 7PY United Kingdom Copyright © 2008 by Robert C. Reimer and Carol J. Reimer All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Information Available Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Reimer, Robert C. (Robert Charles), 1943– Historical dictionary of German cinema / Robert C. Reimer, Carol J. Reimer. p. cm. — (Historical dictionaries of literature and the arts ; no. 24) Includes bibliographical references. ISBN-13: 978-0-8108-5623-3 (cloth : alk. paper) ISBN-10: 0-8108-5623-9 (cloth : alk. paper) 1. Motion pictures–Germany–Dictionaries. I. Reimer, Carol J. II. Title. PN1993.5.G3R417 2008 791.43094303–dc22 2007037524 ϱ™ The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI/NISO Z39.48-1992. Manufactured in the United States of America. 07_677 (01) FM.qxd 1/15/08 6:20 PM Page v For Kirstin Reimer and Karl Reimer 07_677 (01) FM.qxd 1/15/08 6:20 PM Page vi 07_677 (01) FM.qxd 1/15/08 6:20 PM Page vii Contents Editor’s Foreword Jon Woronoff ix Preface xi Acronyms and Abbreviations xiii Chronology xv Introduction 1 THE DICTIONARY 33 The 100 Most Significant German Films 333 Bibliography 339 About the Authors 467 vii 07_677 (01) FM.qxd 1/15/08 6:20 PM Page viii 07_677 (01) FM.qxd 1/15/08 6:20 PM Page ix Editor’s Foreword Every national cinema is different, but in some ways German cinema would seem to be even more distinctive than most. Part of this can be traced to its relatively long history. Among the earliest to get started and now well over a century old, German cinema has gone through many phases, some determined by history, such as the Weimar period, the Third Reich, the fragmentation after World War II, and the postreunifi- cation era. It is old enough that the so-called New German Cinema lies several decades back, and German cinema has since reinvented itself, as it had repeatedly in the past and will do again hopefully in the future. Unlike most other national cinemas, it has also gone through two phases of acute split personality, first when some of the best actors and direc- tors fled Nazism, and then again during the period of the two Germa- nies, East and West. On top of all this, German cinema includes the cin- ema of Germany, and Austria, and even part of Switzerland. Certainly this is more than enough to generate an extremely varied cinema. On the whole it is rather good, sometimes even excellent, with films known and admired worldwide, but it has also produced some rather tenden- tious films and others that were simply kitsch. And there is no question that many of its actors, directors, and producers enjoy an international reputation. So this is certainly a cinema to contend with. But it is also an extremely difficult cinema to grasp and make sense of. This makes the task of writing a handy guide all the more difficult, yet all the more important. This series is therefore greatly enriched by the latest addition, a Historical Dictionary of German Cinema, which manages to encapsulate the unusual length, breadth, and variety. The long history is much easier to follow thanks to the extensive chronol- ogy. The different periods and styles are then neatly summed up in the introduction. The dictionary section disaggregates, focusing on some of the most notable films, actors, directors, production companies, and ix 07_677 (01) FM.qxd 1/15/08 6:20 PM Page x x•EDITOR’S FOREWORD government agencies, as well as an assortment of other related items. The range of these entries is impressive, and it is selective in providing the necessary elements to piece together this amazingly variegated na- tional cinema, showing many of its finest but not hiding some of its more dubious moments. In conclusion, realizing that there is so much more to know, it directs the reader toward other related works and In- ternet resources. This volume was written by two scholars of German cinema, Robert C. Reimer and Carol J. Reimer. Robert C. Reimer is a professor of German, and until 2007, when he became chair of the Department of Languages and Culture Studies, was director of UNC Charlotte’s Film Studies pro- gram. Carol J. Reimer has an M.L.S. and is a collection development as- sociate at the J. Murrey Atkins Library of UNC Charlotte. The Reimers were introduced to German film while living in Stuttgart, Germany, in the late 1960s, a turbulent period in which the New German Cinema was competing for viewer allegiance with commercial cinema, derogatorily known as “Opas Kino.” It was also a period when there was an awakened awareness of the films of the Third Reich. While viewing three or more works a week from different eras and in different styles, the Reimers de- veloped an understanding of the diversity of German film, which now, af- ter three subsequent extended residencies in Germany, includes Weimar, East German, and recent German film. Robert and Carol Reimer have produced a broad canvas that shows the length and breadth of German film. Thanks to this book it will be much easier than before to appreciate one of the world’s great cinemas. 07_677 (01) FM.qxd 1/15/08 6:20 PM Page xi Preface German film is diverse and multifaceted. This volume can only suggest the richness of a film tradition that includes five distinct German gov- ernments (Wilhelmine Germany, the Weimar Republic, the Third Reich, the Federal Republic of Germany, and the German Democratic Repub- lic), two national industries (Germany and Austria), and a myriad of styles and production methods. Paradoxically, the political disruptions that have produced these distinct film eras, as well as the natural incli- nation of artists to rebel and create new styles, allow for construction of a narrative of German film. Disjuncture generates distinct points of sep- aration and yet also highlights continuities between the ruptures. This introduction can only outline the richness of German film. Yet we hope that its broad canvas will lead students and scholars of cinema to appreciate the complex nature of German film and not only direct them to the answers they seek in the dictionary, but also help them formulate the questions that still need examination. Entries in the dictionary are ac- cordingly written to provide the basic information about the director, film, or concept and also to suggest avenues of research that may ulti- mately lead to answers for vexing questions: What exactly is German film, and how does it differ from the film of other national cinemas? We could not include all personalities engaged in the production of German film. We have instead focused on directors, actors, and classic films, as these are topics for which information is most often sought. Our concept for inclusion has been broad, encompassing directors and actors of mainstream, alternative, and experimental film from 1895 to the present. The choice of films that received their own entry is subjec- tive, but not arbitrary, as they represent those films that have become part of the lore of German cinema or created public debate at the time of their release.