Janis Plotkin: Femmes Fatales, Monsters and Murderers - the Jewish Presence in Weimar Cinema (Virtual on Zoom)

Many of the creators of early German cinema (1918 - 1933) were Jewish immigrants to Berlin from Eastern Europe.  German Expressionist cinema, a revolutionary innovation, found Jews both in front of or behind the camera. The class features cinematic masterpieces that foreshadow the coming political storms. Femmes fatales and monsters abound in: THE BLUE ANGEL, THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI, THE GOLEM, and M.

Format:  Introduction, film screening, post-film conversation.

4 sessions.

WATCH videos:

1. January 18: https://youtu.be/b4HH4hDmM64
2. January 25: https://youtu.be/QbjXuySrf60
3. February 1: https://youtu.be/evyn_jVZWXk
4. February 8: https://youtu.be/yI4iFvZY0MA

Trailer links:

BLUE ANGEL, 1930 – Joseph von Sternberg, Director

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lw6GJiGNO74

THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI, 1919 – Robert Wiene, Director https://www.kinolorber.com/film/thecabinetofdrcaligari2014restoration

THE GOLEM, 1920 – Paul Wegener, Carl Boese, Directors

M- 1930, Fritz Lang -Director

Suggested Background Reading: