Introduction
Amnesia, Nostalgia, and Anamnesis as Reactions to the Wende
In the Shadow of the Wall: Political Oppression and Resistance in
the GDR
The Wild West and East of Eden: The Red Army Factionand German
Terrorism
History Lessons: The Enduring Appeal of Utopianism and the Specter
of Violence
Epilogue
Works Cited
Index
Skidmore College
O'Brien successfully points to cinematic trends and shifts and
highlights the thematic interplay between individual historic
events and their cultural conversions. . . . O'Brien's study of
post-Wall cinema provides thorough and thought-provoking readings
of history films and convincingly presents utopianism and dissent
as core concepts in the current debates about German national
identity.
*GERMAN STUDIES REVIEW*
[S]ituates itself at the heart of contemporary debates about recent
German history . . . . O'Brien's thematic and contextualist
approach allows for an inclusive inquiry that overcomes binary
models . . . . [W]ith its analyses of previously unexplored films,
solidly rooted with a diverse set of critical responses . . . the
book does great service to contemporary German film studies and
offers some very suggestive socio-political insights. FILM
CRITICISM Examining how Germany's divided past shaped its present,
this study focuses on contemporary films that look back to the
legacy of the postwar period. O'Brien argues that utopianism and
dissent, as practiced in both German states, have emerged as a
model for imagining German identity in the present. . . . [H]er
close readings of 12 significant films are well written and
accessible, providing a convincing overview of how contemporary
cinema engages with Germany's contested past. Recommended.
*CHOICE*
16 powerfully expressive screenshots awake interest, a detailed
index . . . makes locating things easy, the copious notes free up
the discourse, which offers a convincing analysis of the corpus of
the 'history film' genre. Looking back at the Wende, the trauma of
the Wall, and the Red Army Faction, the films appear as
seismographs of the time. The recalling of then-topical conflicts
opens broad perspectives.
*GERMANISTIK*
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