From Caligari to Hitler: German Cinema in the Age of the Masses

Original title: Von Caligari zu Hitler: Das deutsche Kino im Zeitalter der Massen

2014
1h 59m

IMDb RATING

7.3/10

915

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From Caligari to Hitler: German Cinema in the Age of the Masses (2014)

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Focuses on the Weimar Republic (1918-1933) and its 'collective spirit' in cinema. The purpose of film as a cultural tool is examined. Based on celebrated sociologist Siegfried Kracauer's sem... Read allFocuses on the Weimar Republic (1918-1933) and its 'collective spirit' in cinema. The purpose of film as a cultural tool is examined. Based on celebrated sociologist Siegfried Kracauer's seminal book 'From Caligari to Hitler' (1947).Focuses on the Weimar Republic (1918-1933) and its 'collective spirit' in cinema. The purpose of film as a cultural tool is examined. Based on celebrated sociologist Siegfried Kracauer's seminal book 'From Caligari to Hitler' (1947).

Director
- Rüdiger Suchsland
Writers
- Siegfried Kracauer
- Rüdiger Suchsland
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.3/10

915

YOUR RATING

Director
- Rüdiger Suchsland
Writers
- Siegfried Kracauer
- Rüdiger Suchsland
Stars

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination total

Videos1

Trailer 1:59

From Caligari to Hitler: German Cinema in the Age of the Masses

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Rüdiger Suchsland

Narrator
(voice)

Hans Henrik Wöhler

Narrator
(voice)

Fritz Lang

Self
(archive footage)
(voice)

Volker Schlöndorff

Self

Fatih Akin

Self

Thomas Elsaesser

Self

Eric D. Weitz

Self

Elisabeth Bronfen

Self

Alfred Abel

Self
(archive footage)

Gertrud Arnold

Self
(archive footage)

Elisabeth Bergner

Self
(archive footage)

Brigitte Borchert

Self
(archive footage)

Bertolt Brecht

Self
(archive footage)

Louise Brooks

Self
(archive footage)

Lil Dagover

Self
(archive footage)

Lya De Putti

Self
(archive footage)

Carl de Vogt

Self
(archive footage)

Marlene Dietrich

Self
(archive footage)

Director
- Rüdiger Suchsland
Writers
- Siegfried Kracauer
- Rüdiger Suchsland
All cast & crew
Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Storyline

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Trivia
[Suchsland on From Caligari to Hitler: German Cinema in the Age of the Masses (2014)] Youth, freedom, irony, curiosity: Weimar is Modernity at its best and 'the' time of German cinema: By far the prime and richest period of our filmmaking. Cinema mirrors the turbulent era of the Twenties. These movies had it all! But more or less everything of it is forgotten, reduced to two or three footnotes. I wanted to take us all on an adventurous trip to this lost time, a trip which should entertain, move, surprise and remind us all of an open wound in our past. Siegfried Kracauer, a forgotten genius of cultural critique, is the perfect guide to an era, which is fascinating in its contradictions. This fascination and, yes: my love for this time and its cinema, I hope to share.

Connections
Features The Eyes of the Mummy (1918)

Soundtracks
Berlin: Symphony of a Metropolis (Berlín. Die Sinfonie der Großstadt)
Composed and conducted by Timothy Brock
Performed by Washington Chamber Orchestra

User reviews8

Review

Featured review

8/10

An Essential Documentary on Film History

Focuses on the Weimar Republic (1918-1933) and its 'collective spirit' in cinema. The purpose of film as a cultural tool is examined. Based on celebrated sociologist Siegfried Kracauer's seminal book 'From Caligari to Hitler' (1947).

As someone who loves Kracauer's book and the Weimar period of German cinema, this documentary was a godsend. I would have preferred it was dubbed rather than subtitled, but that is a small matter (and one that should not even bother me considering how many of the films referenced are subtitled).

Do I think the films of the 1920s predicted the rise of Hitler? No. But I absolutely love the exploration of them and German culture. The book has more detail than a film could hope to cover in 90-120 minutes, but the film brings everything to life. The clips are good (some of these films are hard to find), but even just daily life in Germany... very nice.