[LEN-E] Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood

[Thomas Köhler]

Hi all,

yes, this seems like a very interesting documentary indeed! As Luc 
points out, there were many many directors who had to leave Germany in 
1933 or Austria after 1938. Reading the announcement however, it seems 
that perhaps the film might lump together a lot of people who not always 
left for Hollywood or not always because of the Nazis. Hedy Lamarr, for 
instance, was Austrian, but as far as I know, embarked for Hollywood for 
personal reasons (she wanted to leave her husband, and her film 
"Ekstase" had caused such a scandal in 1933 that she'd probably have 
encountered difficulties to find work regardless of politics). Same for 
Marlene Dietrich, who followed Sternberg's invitation after the success 
of "Der blaue Engel" and became a major star in Hollywood already in 1930.

A lot of the great German directors of the 10s and 20s also went to 
Hollywood of their own accord, simply because they were offered better 
working conditions or because they considered Hollywood the place where 
they could better realise what they actually wanted to do (which seems 
surprising). Sternberg has already been mentioned, but also think of 
Murnau (who left in 1926), Lubitsch (who left in 1923) or even Stroheim 
,who already was in Hollywood in the 1910 as an assistant to 
D.W.Griffith, but then encountered ever-increasing difficulties with the 
Hollywood system which almost systematically cut his films and destroyed 
his artistic ambitions and visions. Murnau had similar problems, which 
is why he left Fox after just three films and set up his own production 
company.

Then of course there are those who indeed left because of the Nazi 
regime, and whose absence brought to an end what was probably the 
greatest period in German cinema history (Weimar cinema). Not all of 
them went to Hollywood, though. Fritz Lang first went to France, 
directing one film ("Liliom"), before finally embarking for Hollywood, 
where he totally changed his style; G.W. Pabst also made films in France 
(but then returned to Germany in 1939, for unfathomable reasons), Max 
Ophuls worked in all sorts of countries, including Italy and Japan, 
before finally going to Hollywood (and later returning to work in 
France, where he made his greatest films in the 50s).

I completely agree about Sagan and Reininger, of course. Sagan's 
"Mädchen in Uniform" is a totally surprising and 'new' film, with an 
almost Ingmar-Bergman-style photography and great emotional intensity. 
It's very good to see that this film is finally re-appraised now in 
Germany (after it had already been remade in the 50s with Romy Schneider 
in a pretty forgettable version).

Best
Thomas




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