Gerhard Richter Painting

Art is one of the strongest, transcontinental languages. Paintings travel across the world and miraculously enjoyed by vastly different cultures. The German documentary, Gerhard Richter Painting, directed by Corina Belz, follows the internationally renowned artist, Gerhard Richter through his late artistic career and daily studio and gallery life. 

Gerhard Richter was born in Dresden, Saxony, leaving school after the 10th grade to apprentice as a stage set painter before attending the Dresden Academy of fine arts. Two months before the building of the Berlin Wall, Richter escaped from East to West Germany. After his escape he began studying at the Kunst Akadamie Dusseldorf where he discovered Capitalistic Realism, an art form he utilized as an anti-style of art, "appropriating the political shorthand of advertising." Richter now lives and works out of Cologne. 

Richter's works generally depict "illusionistic space." His earliest works created during the early 60's and 70's are called photo-paintings, taken from newspapers, personal photos or books. In the late 60's early 70's his works turned along a more abstract path with his "Grey paintings." The film begins by giving a scroll by of his earlier works (photo-realistic), preceded by an early interview with him after his move out of the east, and finally shows Richter painting two different human sized abstract paintings. We watch his cheerful little minions cleaning up for him, and purifying his paint. Ah this is how real artists work (good to know, as an art student).

This documentary on the influential artist, Gerhard Richter, moves along at a slow, real-life pace. I would recommend the documentary if you are interested in German culture, art, and the workings of the mind of an artist. Despite the 10 minute waiting period, the beginning scene in which Richter paints on two canvases at once is highly interesting for the sake of watching an abstract artist's process. I think it is common for people, even artists, to walk into a museum and automatically disregard an abstract work as silly. However simply through watching the process and the artist in action that opinion could drastically alter, as mine has. Even though the movie progresses extremely slowly, I felt as if I couldn't look away for fear of missing an important scene of "art action." You can watch this documentary on Netflix.

Dorothy

Winnetou

Karl May's novels of the fictional Native American hero, Winnetou gave lasting impressions of America to unexposed German population and became a collection of stories required in classes in Germany and beloved by many. May, having never traveled to America, based his stories off of the impressions received from other travelers. He wrote his stories between 1875 and 1910. The stories were so beloved in Nazi Germany that they were not banned, like many books were. They cling to romantic ideas where man is close to nature, and May sympathizes with the native population who have not yet found the time or need for ideas such as industrial growth or worldly expansion. These stories, and the film adaptations present the intrigue for internationalism, desire to understand varying cultures, and give insight into the challenges encountered in multicultural societies. In these stories we observe cultures clashing due to different ideologies, interests and cultural understandings.

The movie adaptations of the book, first released in 1963 and directed by Harald Reinl, consist of an international cast including the German actor Mario Adorf, American actor Lex Barker and the French actor Pierre Brice. The movie takes the audience through a world of tragedy, strugle, love, and brotherhood. Watch Winnetou I on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zklMom_5cp0

TRANSATLANTIC ZOMBIES!

Zombies have taken over Berlin! The intrigue of zombie movies has become transcontinental, seeing as how this is an inevitability we must all prepare for and unite over. This was intended on being a post-Halloween post, a little late maybe, but none-the-less relevant. We should all be well versed as to how Americans handle our not-so-friendly undead friends: machine guns, flamethrowers (everyone has these), chopping off of heads, and driving around in hummers. Americans are well aware of the perils of having open wounds, untrustworthy friends, and leaving one's house alone during a zombie apocalypse. So how would Germans handle such a terrifying situation?

The 2010 German zombie film Rammbock deals with the outbreak of an uncontrollable zombie virus in Berlin. Hoping to surprise his ex-girlfriend, Gabi, with the keys to her apartment and conclude a relationship, Michael unexpectedly becomes trapped in her apartment with Gabi nowhere to be found, and zombies on the loose allover Berlin. Also trapped in her apartment is a young handyman, Harper. They communicate with the neighbors through the windows of their apartments overlooking the a courtyard. The communication between the neighbors does little to remedy any situation, or provide any sort of camaraderie because they have to yell to hear each other, and we all know zombies love loud noises nor have they learned that zombies die when you chop off their heads or hit them in the skull with an axe, as we have learned from movies like Zombie Land, and TV shows like The Waking Dead.  As the apartment complex becomes infiltrated with zombies they learn that the progression of the virus can be delayed by taking heavy sedatives. The movie gains speed as a fellow neighbor across the way ask for Michael's help to find more sedatives for his pre-zombified wife. During the fight against the zombies to find and deliver more sedatives, Michael and Harper learn several things: Gabi is alive living with her new lover in the attic (a total bummer for Michael), and that zombies are afraid of quickly flashing lights (like those from a camera flash). And with this I leave you to watch the movie, which you can find for instant play on Netflix. 

From this movie we can observe that Germans and Americans react fairly similarly during a zombie apocalypse. There is a common sense of concern for loved ones, camaraderie, and in the end, every man for himself. Germans just need to learn how to kill zombies, and they'll be OK.







Dorothy

Nimm Dich in Acht vor Blonde Frauen

"Nimm dich in Acht vor blonde Frauen", those charming alarming blonde women, warns Marlene Dietrich in the 1930's film, Der Blaue Engel ( The Blue Angel) directed by Josef von Steinberg, also starring Emil Jannings and Kurt Gerron. This classic tragic film, shot simultaneously in both German and English, revolves around the downfall of the respected professor at a local Gymnasium, Immanuel Rath (Emil Jannings) due to his lust, desire and jealousy for the local cabaret star, Lola Lola (Marlene Dietrich). Upon discovering that his students have been spending their nights at the local cabaret (The Blue Angel), swooning over Lola Lola, Rath ventures to The Blue Angel hoping to catch his students. Instead of catching his students he meets the seductive and uninhibited Lola Lola. Upon venturing back the next night to met her once more, he falls in love with her and forfeits his position at the college to be with and marry the beautiful Lola. The professor quickly and tragically transforms into a cabaret clown as his sanity dissolves due to his lust and jealousy over Lola's profession as a "shared woman" ( like my last post, I will not attempt to include more plot because you can easily watch this movie for yourself on Netflix.) The movie progresses slowly, charming the audience with Marlene Dietrichs breakout songs such as: Ich bin von Kopf bus Fuss auf Liebe eingestellt (Falling in Love Again), Ich bin die fesche Lola ( They Call Me Naughty Lola), and Nimm dich in Acht vor blonde Frauen (Those Charming Alarming Blonde Women).
          

The movie was originally based on Heinrich Mann's 1905 novel, Professor Unrat (Professor Garbage) and is set in Weimar, Germany. Being filmed in both German and English, the movie gained international fame, and led Dietrich into international stardom. On set Janning's grew jealous of Steinberg and Dietrich's growing closeness and frequently acted out, threatening Dietrich. Janning's was a Swiss born German actor who was the first actor to win an Academy Award for Best Actor in the "lost film" The Way of All Flesh. He moved his career to Hollywood and attempted acting in sound films, but, amongst other things, his accent was too difficult to understand. He later acted in several Nazi propaganda films. He eventually retired in Austria and became a citizen in 1947.  After completing Der Blaue Engel Marlene Dietrich gained international fame and received a contract with Paramount Pictures. She became one of the highest paying actresses of the era. She became a US citizen in 1939 and was a prominent entertainer throughout WWII. Kurt Gerron, who stars as the cabaret manager was a German Jewish actor and film director, who first served in WWI after being called out of medical school to serve. Der Blaue Engel was one of his breakthrough roles. Gerron eventually fled Nazi Germany with his wife and family and fled to Paris, and then to Amsterdam and was offered to relocate to Hollywood, but refused. Once the Netherlands were occupied Gerron was sent to a few different concentration camps, and eventually boarded the final transit to Auschwitz where he soon met his death.

In this one film we are introduced to (because, lets face it, many of us didn't know about these actors before), at a bare minimum, three different actors who experienced different transatlantic and intercontinental ventures for different reasons, Germans moving to and from the US as well as other countries for jobs (Hollywood) and safety (WWII). All of these seasoned actors played a large role in crafting the cinema and stage scene of the 1920's, 30's and 40's. If you want to watch a movie with tragedy, historical intrigue and breakthrough actors of their time, you should defiantly consider watching Der Blaue Engel.

Bis später!
Dorothy 

*Oh and I would recommend watching this movie with a nice bubbly glass of champagne.... that appeared to be the drink of the movie, and if you want to get into a little "sing-along" version of the film, it could instigate a little German language practice, yay!