6-8 page paper will be a close reading of a single film (analysis, interpretation, and formation of an argument that tells us more about a film than is immediately evident). This paper should include references and analysis of 4-5 specific clips or “aspects” of the film (indicated with time stamps), so that your analysis can be detail-oriented. You will be required to utilize at least three peer-reviewed, secondary-literature entries. Below is file that highlights different ways to analyze films.
Here is the list of movies to pick from:
1. Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
2. Nosferatu: Symphony of Shadows (1922)
3. Berlin: Symphony of a City (1927)
4. Pandora’s Box (1929)
5. M – A City Searches for a Murderer (1931)
6. The Blue Light (1932)
7. Triumph of the Will (1935) [selections]
8. Murderers are Among Us (1946)
9. Sun Seekers (1958)
10. Aguirre, Wrath of God (1972)
11. Marriage of Maria Braun (1979)
12. Die Bleierne Zeit (1981)
13. Wings of Desire (1987)
14. Run Lola Run (1998)
15. Head-On (2004)
16. Good Bye, Lenin! (2003)
17. Yella (2007)
18. The Lives of Others (2006)
19. A Coffee in Berlin (2012)
20. Toni Erdmann (2016)
21. System Crasher (2018)
22. Herr Bachmann und seine Klasse (2018)
Heres the list of outside reasources NOT to use for each movie:
1. **Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)**
– Brockmann, “Film as Hypnosis”
– Kracauer, From Caligari to Hitler, 3-11, 43-47, 58-76
2. **Nosferatu: Symphony of Shadows (1922)**
– Kracauer, From Caligari to Hitler, 77-87
– Massaccesi, “Signs and Meanings,” 83-101
3. **Berlin: Symphony of a City (1927)**
– Kaes, “City, Cinema, Modernity,” 173-192
– Brockmann, “Technology and Sex”
– Kracauer, From Caligari to Hitler, 165-167 & 181-189
4. **Pandora’s Box (1929)**
– McCarthy, “Surface Sheen & Charged Bodies,” 217-236
5. **M – A City Searches for a Murderer (1931)**
– Kracauer, From Caligari to Hitler, 215-222
– Kaes, M, 7-38
– Herzog, “M,” 291-309
– Brockmann, “Sound and Terror”
6. **The Blue Light (1932)**
– Rentschler, “A Legend for Modern Times,” 27-52
– Goebbels, “Kaiserhof Speech,” 153-158
– Riefenstahl, “Strength and Beauty,” 159-160
– Brockmann, “Documentary and Propaganda”
7. **Triumph of the Will (1935)**
– Same readings as “The Blue Light”
8. **Murderers are Among Us (1946)**
– Brockmann, “Zero Hour” & “Rubble Film”
– Staudte, “Letter to the Central Military Commander,” 195-198
– Groll, Käutner, & Talmon-Gros, “Every Audience,” 198-201
– Staudte, “A Reflection,” 206-208
9. **Sun Seekers (1958)**
– Brockmann, “Postwar East German Cinema” & “Searching for the Socialist Sun”
10. **Aguirre, Wrath of God (1972)**
– Schumann, “South American Dreams,” 12-17
– Ames, Aguirre, 9-83
11. **Marriage of Maria Braun (1979)**
– Fassbinder, “The Third Generation,” 229-235
– Brockmann, “West Germany Rebuilds”
– Elsaesser, “The BRD Trilogy,” 97-128
– Uecker, “Fatal German Marriage,” 45-59
– Haralovich, “Sexual Politics of Maria Braun,” 6-16
12. **Die Bleierne Zeit (1981)**
– Brockmann, “Film and Terrorism”
– Linville, “Retrieving History,” 446-458
13. **Wings of Desire (1987)**
– Cook, “Angels, Fiction, and History in Berlin,” 34-47
– Brockmann, “Berlin, City of Angels”
14. **Run Lola Run (1998)**
– Hamm-Ehsani, “Screening Modern Berlin,” 50-65
– Cormican, “Goodbye Wenders,” 121-140
15. **Head-On (2004)**
– von Eicken, “German-Turkish Identity in Fatih Akin’s Head-On,” 479-498
16. **Good Bye, Lenin! (2003)**
– Brockmann, “Farewell to the Socialist Motherland”
– Abel, “Heimat Building” 91-99
17. **Yella (2007)**
– No specific readings listed
18. **The Lives of Others (2006)**
– Brockmann, “Power of Art”
19. **A Coffee in Berlin (2012)**
– Blankenship & Twark, “History, Space, and Humor”
20. **Toni Erdmann (2016)**
– Brockmann, “Passing of a Generation”
– Glasenapp, “Mixed Feelings,” 35-51
21. **System Crasher (2018)**
– Berlinale, BFI, & Living Room interviews.
All other outside resources are free to use.
