History of German Cinema & Caligari installation. Deutsche Kinemathek Berlin
Feb 15th 2020
This was a spectacularly impressive museum – even better than the lamented one on the South Bank next door to the BFI which had a glorious but all-too-brief lifespan.
It covers the history of cinema through German eyes – which is pretty much the history of cinema per se – not least with the vast influx of largely Jewish refugees from Germany and surrounding countries in the 30’s who essentially created Hollywood.
It started with a brilliantly baffling entrance way down an illuminated path with rapid-fire images appearing on screens at various heights and levels and with many mirrors so that you were never sure if you were looking at an image or a reflection – shades of Orson Welles (I make this reference to his name only as I have forgotten the name of the film with the famous mirrors sequence in!). And with the ceiling mirrored as well it was even more bafflingly exciting. This was a neat metaphor for cinema I suppose which is all about illusion etc etc. The entire museum with one crucial exception,was designed in this style with many mirrored ceilings as well as walls, m aintaoing the baffling illusions and uncertainty – was it ‘real’ or was it a reflection?
The sections of the (very large-scale) museum basically went chronologically focusing on key movements and players – Expressionism with a particular reference to Caligari – of which more later, early cinema, the move to sound, Riefenstahl, both as actress in the naturvolk films and then later as a Nazi propagandist, Dietrich, the Nazi period and then postwar with divided Germany and finally unification.
The expressionist section had a wealth of fascinating artifacts from many great films, particularly those of Paul Murnau with scripts and notes and Caligari which was also the focus of a separate mini-show where there was a full size reproduction of the coffin/chest in which the somnambulist Cesare stood/lay – and his figure was there as well. Most intriguingly you could experience Caligari with a VR headset moving around in the world created. DP with whom I was visiting the museum filmed me having this experience and I will try and get it to post here as well. There was also a showing of the complete film and DP had the envious experience of seeing the film for the first time
The Dietrich section was excellent – film excerpts, some stunning costumes and many fascinating notes and letters from her to her collaborators. There was at the end an amusing section which showed her with all the eminent people she was ‘friends’ with – but in fact they were all her lovers, ranging from Garbo to Hemingway to Jimmy Stewart to John Wayne.…she was a popular girl.
Following on from this the section on movies in the early 30’s introduced Leni F and then there was a remarkable section, quite unlike all other sections in the way it was displayed. For the Nazi period there was a room which looked as if the walls were made of steel boxes. There were two lower rows which had handles on and to see the materials and access the history you had to consciously pull them out and so you were not suddenly plunged in to a Nazi environment. A very thoughtful and sensitive way of dealing with a controversial issue that had to be addressed but which did not gloss over it at all.
The last part dealt with film in the two Germanys – ad it was fascinating in one display of small film posters to see the most popular films in each section for the entire postwar period and how very different in tone style and content they were. Sex orientated films in the West in the 60’s and a little after were NOT the sort of films that were in the East.
A magnificent place – and I could easily go back to it. I have the feeling there may have been a whole section I missed but, as with any museum or art gallery, no matter how stunning it is, after a certain time you reach mental overload.