The Genres of Europeanization — Moving Towards the New Heimatfilm
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THE GENRES OF EUROPEANIZATION | MOVING TOWARDS THE NEW HEIMATFILM by Yvonne Franke B.A. equivalent, German Literature, University of Augsburg, Germany, 2003 M.A., German Studies, University of Pittsburgh, 2006 M.A., German Literature, University of Augsburg, Germany, 2007 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of the Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Pittsburgh 2013 UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH DEPARTMENT OF GERMAN This dissertation was presented by Yvonne Franke It was defended on April 10, 2013 and approved by Randall Halle, Klaus W. Jonas Professor of German Film and Cultural Studies, Department of German John B. Lyon, Associate Professor, Department of German Sabine von Dirke, Associate Professor, Department of German Lucy Fischer, Distinguished Professor of English and Film Studies, Department of English Dissertation Director: Randall Halle, Klaus W. Jonas Professor of German Film and Cultural Studies, Department of German ii Copyright c by Yvonne Franke 2013 iii THE GENRES OF EUROPEANIZATION | MOVING TOWARDS THE NEW HEIMATFILM Yvonne Franke, PhD University of Pittsburgh, 2013 This thesis explores the contemporary tensions between home and travel in German film as they transform under the influences of Europeanization and globalization. It refrains from viewing the Heimatfilm as a separate genre that has been predominantly understood as a local principle, whose foil is the travel and road film as allegedly more vital and mobile engagements with geo-political developments. Instead, Heimat is the overarching principle of my dissertation with the goal of formulating the New Heimatfilm as a hybrid genre comprising elements from the rural, urban and road film that demonstrate a conceptual shift within German film. Therefore, the New Heimatfilm features mobility and dwelling as strongly intertwined with each other, and provides both local explorations and a larger transgressive and comparative perspective. The theoretical framework I propose relies on theories of space, globalization, and genre, such as those developed by Michel de Certeau, Ulrich Beck, and Rick Altman. Similarly to the deterritorialization of Heimat in accordance with the Spatial Turn, I argue that Heimat also transgresses its conventional generic categorization. This is an unfinished process, since iv we are moving towards the New Heimatfilm. The figure of movement, the flˆaneur as the modern figure par excellence, aids in this endeavor. Within the urban surroundings of Second Modernity, the conjunction of Heimat and the urban space brings forth a new form of flˆanerie that revitalizes both concepts. There are burgeoning and ongoing discourses on Heimat, its new spatial configurations and European identity, but they remain separate. My dissertation views these concepts as intertwined and discusses the possibility of a European Heimat as further step within the conceptual shift of the Heimat discourse and Heimatfilm genre. v TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................. ix 1.0 INTRODUCTION .................................1 1.1 HEIMAT DISCOURSES............................1 1.2 THE CLASSICAL HEIMATFILM .......................7 1.3 HEIMAT IN THE NEW GERMAN CINEMA................. 12 1.4 HEIMAT AND MOBILITY........................... 18 1.5 IMAGINING A EUROPEAN HEIMAT IN AUDIOVISUAL CULTURE.. 22 1.6 UNDERSTANDING EUROPE THROUGH THE NEW HEIMATFILM .. 27 1.7 STRUCTURE.................................. 35 2.0 NO HOME IN PLACE | REVISITING THE RURAL IN THE RE- CENT HEIMATFILM .............................. 38 2.1 THE \MODERN" HEIMATFILME OF HANS STEINBICHLER AND MAR- CUS H. ROSENMULLER¨ ............................ 41 2.2 SHOWDOWN AT THE BAVARIAN MCVILLAGE | HEIMAT AND GLOB- ALIZATION IN THOMAS KRONTHALER'S THE HYPOCRITES (2001) 49 vi 2.3 THE RURAL HOME IN THE BERLIN SCHOOL | VALESKA GRISE- BACH'S LONGING (2006)........................... 59 2.4 HEIMAT BETWEEN THE ALPS AND PLATTENBAU | TAMARA STAUDT'S WHERE THE GRASS IS GREENER (2008)................. 66 2.5 OVERCOMING THE EXCLUSIVENESS OF PLACE............ 75 2.6 CONCLUSION.................................. 79 3.0 HOME IN THE CITIES | HEIMAT AND THE URBAN FILM ... 83 3.1 THE KIEZ AS HEIMAT | ANDREAS DRESEN'S NIGHT SHAPES AND SUMMER IN BERLIN ............................. 87 3.2 ANGELA SCHANELEC'S MARSEILLE | HOME IN BERLIN OR EUROPE103 3.3 POACHING HER OWN TERRITORY | TATJANA TURANSKYJ'S THE DRIFTER .................................... 117 3.4 CONCLUSION.................................. 136 4.0 FROM THE HEATHLAND TO THE HIGHWAY | HEIMAT, THE ROAD, AND TRAVEL FILM ......................... 140 4.1 GENRE HISTORY | HEIMAT AND THE ROAD FILM.......... 145 4.2 HOW DO YOU IMAGINE BOUNDLESS SOCIALISM?........... 150 4.3 DETERRITORIALIZING HEIMAT | FROM WENDEFILM TO EURO- PEAN FILM................................... 156 4.4 TRAVELING EAST IN THE POST-WENDE FILM | ANDREA MARIA DUSL'S BLUE MOON (2002)......................... 159 4.5 LEGACIES OF THE NEW GERMAN CINEMA | HAYAT IN THE CITIES170 4.6 WIM WENDERS' KINGS OF THE ROAD | \PAPAS KINO IST TOT". 175 vii 4.7 FATIH AKIN'S THE EDGE OF HEAVEN | PAPAS KINO LEBT !.... 179 4.8 CONCLUSION.................................. 189 5.0 CONCLUSION | EUROPE/HEIMAT/FILM ............... 192 BIBLIOGRAPHY............................................. 202 viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank my dissertation advisor Dr. Randall Halle for all the years we have worked together on this manuscript, for his enthusiasm, sacrifices, constructive criticism, and for finding the right balance between patience and urgency. Dr. Halle is not only an exceptional advisor, who commits himself to his students regardless of the time zones he frequently travels to for his numerous projects. He also treats his students like \future colleagues," which gave me a lot of confidence in my abilities and made my transition into the profession a smooth one. I took great pleasure from our collaboration and discussions, whether they were about our research, the future of German Studies, or simply about baking bread. I am very fortunate to be able to call Randall my Doktorvater, particularly because this German term carries the affection I wish to express. I would also like to extend my thanks to each member of my dissertation committee, Dr. John B. Lyon, Dr. Sabine von Dirke, and Dr. Lucy Fischer for their assistance and invaluable feedback. My first semester at Pitt, my first stay in the US, was also a time of cultural, linguistic and academic acclimatization, and it was Dr. Lyon's seminar on German Realism in particular, which bridged the gap between German and American academia for me. Furthermore, our small but well-connected department quickly turned into my new home. Dr. Fischer's class on the American silent film was a true eye opener for me, both ix in a literary and figurative sense. It aroused my curiosity about film, and subsequently I began working on German literature and audiovisual culture. Dr. von Dirke's contemporary literature and theory courses put current socio-cultural phenomena into perspective for me. I can count myself lucky to be a part of the Department of German that allowed me to grow personally and professionally. Without Dr. Klaus Post, coordinator between the German programs of Augsburg and Pittsburgh, who recruited me in the first place, I would not be here. He has my sincere thanks for bringing me aboard! Parts of this research have been presented at various conferences and colloquia through- out the last three years. I thank my colleagues in German, Film, Cultural, and European Studies, for the interest they showed, the thought-provoking questions they raised, and our inspiring discussions. An Andrew Mellon Predoctoral Fellowship and a European Union Dissertation Fellowship from the European Union Center of Excellence/European Studies Center proved integral for the intermediate phases of dissertation writing. An Arts & Sciences Graduate Fellowship in Cultural Studies supported the final stages of this project. I reserve special thanks for my dear friends: To my continuing idols Zsuzsa Horv´ath and Boryana Dobreva, who graduated before me. I learned a lot from them and I will always admire them for their accomplishments; to my partner in crime Katrin Montiegel, with whom daydreaming and deadlines at “Coffee Tree Roasters" were equally enjoyable; To Katrin Mascha and Gavin Hicks, who were always there for me whenever I had doubts, and who adopted me into their little family, and to Martina Wells and her encouraging words during our regular lunches | the three of you are next in line! To my colleague in Slavic Film Studies Olga Klimova, who kept me on track through our \doghouse" writing sessions at \Jitters." We all had countless discussions about our professions and each of you helped x me maintain my sanity throughout graduate school. Thank you so much! I am dedicating this dissertation to my first Heimat, which is my family: My parents Brigitte and Bernhard Franke, and my sisters Sandra Weber and Anja Heyng, whose lov- ing support through all of the ups and downs accompanied me during my long journey away from home. I am indebted to Judith and Edward Friedman, who gave me a home in my early dissertation phase. To Gabriele Eichmanns, who, during my final writing stage, kindly shouldered responsibility for our co-edited forthcoming volume Heimat Goes Mobile | Hybrid Forms of Home in Literature and Film. Lastly, I wish to express my deepest gratitude to Richard Pelikan,