Film Persona

  Abel Gance "J'accuse" After the horrors of World War I, France was in a state of bitterness. Many were traumatized by the horrors of the war. Many were bitter and resentful. Many acted as if the war never happened. To those people, Abel Gance would say, "J'accuse!" The phrase 'j'accuse' is a quotation from the French novelist Emilie Zola. It literally translates to 'I accuse,' however the intention is that of bitter denunciation. Abel Gance was able to expertly capture the public mood of France after the war with his 1919 film " J'accuse ."  The film centers on a love triangle between a poet named Jean, his lover Edith, and her husband Francois. The love triangle breaks apart after the war begins in 1914. Francois is enlisted and leaves for battle, Edith is captured by Germans, and Jean enlists to avenge her. When Jean comes home on leave years later, he discovers that Edith has returned, with the child of her German rapis...

  G.W. Pabst's "Kameradschaft" By 1931, the Nazi party's political and social influence started to infest Germany and Europe as a whole. Their hateful rhetoric, which included nationalism, xenophobia, and racism were influencing the perspectives of the average citizen everywhere. Europe was starting to become more and more fractured, especially after the global crisis of World War I. Borders between countries grew increasingly stronger, as it became more and more difficult to travel and become associated with people from another country. Tensions between international citizens had never been higher. As an antidote to this heated social perspective, G.W. Pabst made a film that encouraged unity between differing nations.  The film, " Kameradschaft " tells the story of the real mining incident that occurred in 1906 in Courrieres, France - a city which borders Germany. The incident, which is known as 'The Courrieres Mine Disaster' is considered one of th...

  G.W. Pabst's "The Threepenny Opera" By 1931, sound pictures had taken complete control over the film industry. With the introduction of sound came one of the most stylistic uses of sound, the musical. With the ease of recording sound with visual imagery, Hollywood flooded the market with lavish, expensive musicals, like Ernst Lubitsch's " The Love Parade ," Harry Beaumont's " The Broadway Melody ," and Roy Del Ruth's " The Gold Diggers of Broadway ." These visually stunning, flashy, and lavish musicals were a means of escapism during an economically traumatic time. After the stock market crash of 1929, global economies began to collapse. The middle and lower classes were in a state of panic and turmoil while the upper classes were clinging to any advantage they could get. This is why they poured money into films that distracted consumers with frivolity and gaiety. G.W. Pabst, on the other hand, had other ideas. He decided to ada...

  G.W. Pabst's "Westfront 1918" By 1930, sound pictures were the new mainstay format of the film industry. G.W. Pabst, who had just completed work on some of the greatest silent films of the Weimar Republic, made a film that was notable for its use of sound. " Westfront 1918 " demonstrated how sound could be used as a primary vehicle for the film, rather than just as an accompaniment. It depicted the events of the first World War, through the eyes of a handful of German soliders. The war, which had just ended a decade prior, was still fresh in the minds of the German citizens. " Westfront 1918 ," with its ability to place you directly in the heart of the action, was an emotional and visceral experience for audiences in 1930.  The film centers on four infantrymen - the Bavarian, the student, the lieutenant, and Karl. Not only is Karl the only named character, but also the only character whose life outside of war we actually get to see. After the men def...

  G.W. Pabst's "Diary of a Lost Girl" After working with Louise Brooks in " Pandora's Box ," G.W. Pabst decided to work with her once again the same year for " Diary of a Lost Girl ." The film continues to showcase the naturalism that Louise Brooks emits on screen. Despite it retrospectively falling short of the heights that " Pandora's Box " reaches, " Diary of a Lost Girl " still manages to showcase just how talented Louise Brooks is, as well as demonstrate similar themes of oppression. The film centers on Thymian, the daughter of a wealthy pharmacist, Robert Henning. After Henning impregnates their maid, she winds up dead in a river, having committed suicide. The new housekeeper, Meta, sees an opportunity to move in and become pregnant by Henning as well. However, her plans are to take part in his wealth. After Thymian gets raped by her father's assistant, Meinert, she becomes pregnant. After having the baby, she refu...

  G.W. Pabst's "Pandora's Box" Whenever German films of the 1920s are discussed, it is always important to explore the context of Germany's Weimar Republic. After the first World War, Germany was in a state of chaos. Currency devaluation and extreme inflation created a separation of the classes, unlike anything the country had seen in recent history. On top of this, the fear and terror instilled in the country's people left them in a state of moral confusion. The wealthy aristocracy that was toppled in the war left a chasm of authority. Citizens turned to indulgence to satiate their restless uncertainty. With this uncertainty, Pandora's Box was unleashed. Hidden within the confines of this uncertain searching led to both freedom and control. Because the society was in a state of lavish extravagance, sexual freedoms began to become explored, such as homosexuality and sexual liberation from socially accepted monogamy. Other forms of freedom began to take sha...

G.W. Pabst's "The Love of Jeanne Ney" After Sergei Eisenstein released his Soviet masterpieces, " Strike " and " Battleship Potemkin " in 1925, all of Europe had become fascinated by Soviet cinema. One such director, G.W. Pabst, even decided to make a Soviet-esque film, one that takes place during the Bolshevik Revolution. Although the film is not entirely montage-driven like the early films of Eisenstein, it does dabble in montage theory around the edges. It also showcases a theme that Pabst would continue to mine in his career; that being the mistreatment of women. The film takes place during the Bolshevik uprising in Crimea. Jeanne Ney is the daughter of a French diplomat stationed there. After her father is murdered, she must flee to Paris, leaving her lover, Andreas, behind. When she gets to Paris, she is taken in by her uncle Raymond and his blind daughter, Gabrielle.  After Andreas follows her to Paris and finds her there, mishaps ensue. Uncle R...

  G.W. Pabst's "Secrets of a Soul" 1920s Germany was a great time and place for creativity in filmmaking. Unlike the directors of Hollywood, the directors of German cinema at the time were given so much creative freedom. With that freedom, they could explore filmmaking styles, techniques, and controversial subject matters. G.W. Pabst was a director who explored many different ways to make a film with varying subject matters. His 1926 film, " Secrets of a Soul ," examines the field of psychology. Sigmund Freud had already published the phenomenon, " The Ego and the Id " in 1923. Psychology and psychoanalytics had become a public fascination. With " Secrets of the Soul ," Pabst explores an example of how psychoanalytics can benefit a contemporary world.  The film's protagonist is a learned professor who begins to develop a strange symptom in which he cannot touch knives. This happens immediately after a woman shouts from a nearby building t...