Weimar Cinema

"Weimar Cinema" focuses on the most widely taught films of the period: "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari," "Nosferatu," "The Joyless Street," "Faust," "Metropolis," "Pandora's Box," and "The Blue Angel," among others. Chapters address the technological advancements of each film; their production and place within the larger history of the German studio and Weimar cinema; the signature style of the film's director; the actors and the rise of the German star; and the critical reception of the film both during and after its release. Genres discussed include horror, science fiction, melodrama, avant-garde and fantasy. Readers can revisit the German debut of Greta Garbo, Louise Brooks, and Marlene Dietrich, the early careers of such directors as F. W. Murnau and Fritz Lang, and the visionary producers and cinematographers that cemented Weimar's reputation for unprecedented artistic innovation.