HIST 342: Cinema in Hitler’s Germany

HIST 342: Cinema in Hitler’s Germany

Second Writing Assignment

Instructions: Write a 3-5 page paper (double-spaced) in response to the following question. When you discuss the films in your paper, do not be too general: give specific examples of characters and scenes and plot points.  If your memory is hazy and you feel that you need to see the film again, you can watch any of the movies from this course at the library.  They are all on reserve there.  You should use material from the Blackboard documents, including direct quotations, if documents are mentioned in the question.  When citing information or quotations from the packet you do not need to give a full citation; just write the author’s last name and the page number and put it in a footnote[1] or in brackets at the end of the sentence. [Zweig, p. 4] Please use either italics or quotation marks to identify the titles of all movies mentioned in your paper [Nosferatu or “Nosferatu”].

 

If you are having a hard time remembering the names of characters, specific plot points, or  the name of the director or screenwriter, I suggest you consult the internet.  All of the films that we are watching in this course are quite famous, and you can find detailed Wikipedia articles for most of them.  You do not need to give a citation for general information about the film taken from internet (names of characters, for example), but if you include a detail about the movie taken from the internet that is not something we have talked about in class you need to include a citation.

 

Topic: The Role of women in modern society was changing rapidly in the 1920s, both in Europe and America.  In particular, the strict traditional rules controlling female sexual behavior began to break down.  The flapper, with her short hair and short skirt and liberated manner, fascinated some observers and horrified others.  In your essay, analyze the depiction of women in two films that we watched in class: Pandora’s Box (1928) and The Blue Angel (1930).  Do the heroines of these movies rebel against the expectations that society imposed on women?  Do the filmmakers regard these women as heroes or as wicked and destructive?  Look at the following documents found on Blackboard: Polgar (Oct. 7), and “Enough is Enough,” an article that appeared (with no author identified) in a German newspaper in 1925. (Oct. 14) What bothers them about these changes in female appearance and behavior?  Do we find similar concerns in the two movies mentioned above?  Ultimately, do you think that the filmmakers are celebrating or denouncing the evolution of new female roles?  Are they fascinated or appalled (or both)?

 

 

This paper is due in class on Friday, Nov. 4.

[1] Zweig, p. 29.

enough_is_enough

polgar