Berlin Replayed: Cinema and Urban Nostalgia in the Postwall Era

312 Pages·2015·10.773 MB·English

by  Brigitta B. Wagner

B E R L I N R E P L AY E D
Wagner.indd 1 26/10/2015 2:28:13 PM
Wagner.indd 2 26/10/2015 2:28:13 PM
B E R L I N R E P L A Y E D
Cinema and Urban Nostalgia in the Postwall Era
Brigitta B. Wagner
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA PRESS
MINNEAPOLIS • LONDON
Wagner.indd 3 26/10/2015 2:28:14 PM
A portion of chapter 4 previously appeared in “10 August 1994: One Month
after X-Filme Founding, Filmboard Berlin–Brandenburg Paves Way for New
Productions in the German Capital,” in A New History of German Cinema, ed.
Jennifer M. Kapczynski and Michael D. Richardson, 530–36 (Rochester, N.Y.:
Camden House, 2012).
The author gratefully acknowledges the DEFA Foundation for generously
providing selected images for this book. http://www.defa.stiftung.de/
Copyright 2015 by the Regents of the University of Minnesota
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 written
permission of the publisher.
Published by the University of Minnesota Press
111 Third Avenue South, Suite 290
Minneapolis, MN 55401-2520
http://www.upress.umn.edu
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wagner, Brigitta B.
Berlin replayed: cinema and urban nostalgia in the postwall era /
Brigitta B. Wagner.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-8166-9171-5 (hc)
ISBN 978-0-8166-9174-6 (pb)
1. Berlin (Germany)—In motion pictures. 2. Berlin (Germany)—
Civilization—20th century. 3. Cities and towns in motion pictures. I. Title.
PN1995.9.B47W34 2015
791.430943´155—dc23 2014043040
Printed in the United States of America on acid-free paper
The University of Minnesota is an equal-opportunity educator and employer.
21 20 19 18 17 16 15 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Wagner.indd 4 26/10/2015 2:28:14 PM
To
Gertrud, Heinz, and Bernhard Wagner,
drei Berliner Kinder
Wagner.indd 5 26/10/2015 2:28:14 PM
This page intentionally left blank
C O N T E N T S
Abbreviations and Terms ix
Introduction: Auf Wiedersehen, Berlin! 1
1
Remake Berlin Symphonies and the Myth of
the Weltstadt 23
2
Generation A 1950s Place for Us 83
3
Virtuality Cinema, Archive, and the Interactive
Map of Potsdamer Platz 139
4
Orientation Geographical Didacticism and the
X-Films of New Berlin 189
Epilogue: Berlin Returns, Again 233
Acknowledgments 243
Notes 245
Filmography 285
Index 291
Wagner.indd 7 26/10/2015 2:28:14 PM
This page intentionally left blank
A B B R E V I AT I O N S
A N D T E R M S
BArch Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv (Federal Film Archives)
BFF Berliner Filmförderung (Berlin Film Funding)
BPB Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (Federal Agency for Civic
Education)
Bundestag German Parliament
CDU Christlich Demokratische Union (Christian Democratic
Union)
CGI computer-generated imagery
DEFA Deutsche Filmaktiengesellschaft (German Film Company)
DFFB Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (German Film
and Television Academy Berlin)
DFFF Deutsche Filmförderfonds (German Federal Film Fund)
DK Deutsche Kinemathek (German Cinemathèque)
FBBB Filmboard Berlin–Brandenburg (regional film funding body for
Berlin and Brandenburg from 1994 to 2004)
FDJ Freie Deutsche Jugend (Free German Youth)
FFA Filmförderungsanstalt (German Federal Film Board)
FRG (BRD) Federal Republic of Germany, the official name of West
Germany and Germany today (Bundesrepublik Deutschland);
“Germany” used with films designates German productions
released before the end of the Second World War in 1945
GDR (DDR) German Democratic Republic, the official name of East
Germany (Deutsche Demokratische Republik), 1949–89
GmbH Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (limited liability
company)
ix
Wagner.indd 9 26/10/2015 2:28:14 PM