The Nazi Past in Contemporary German Film

From intimate portrayals of ordinary Germans and Nazi leaders to immersive spectacles of war and defeat, this study argues that, since 1990, German film has focused on portraying the Nazi past from within.



How has the German image of the Nazi past changed since the reunification of East and West Germany? And what role have cinema and television played in this process? This intriguing study argues that since 1990, the two media haveturned toward inner German experiences of the Third Reich. From intimate portrayals of ordinary Germans and Nazi leaders to immersive spectacles of war and defeat, German film has focused on portraying the Nazi past from within. Stimulating and accessible, combining close readings with broad contextualization, this monograph shows how profoundly cinema and television have transformed collective remembrance of the Third Reich. The first publication on the topic to embrace the two decades since 1990, it provides a comprehensive account of cinema and television productions, presenting case studies of national film events such as Stalingrad (1993) and Downfall (2004), andassessing the influence of international blockbusters from Schindler's List (1993) to The Reader (2008). Targeted at a wide readership, the book will be a central reference point for university teachers offering courses on German film or cultural memory, will give guidance to both undergraduate and postgraduate students, and will make a lasting impact on research in the field of German screen cultures.

Axel Bangert holds a doctorate from the Faculty of Modern and Medieval Languages, University of Cambridge. Previously a Junior Research Fellow at Homerton College, Cambridge, he is an Adjunct Professor at New York University Berlin where he teaches German Cinema Studies.