“The injustice has not stopped,” says film expert Reiner Rother in the DW-Interview. But it has developed something. The Berlinale – a retrospective in 2019, look at female film-making in the East and the West.
A Director May Spils (center) during the filming of the movie “go For it, baby” (1968)
Deutsche Welle: For nearly two years, the gender justice in the Film is a big topic. That was the reason to look in retrospective, 2019, the Director of the interior?
Reiner Rother: no, the starting point of our retrospective of 2016: “Germany 1966 – cinematic perspectives of the East and West”. At the time, broke Yes two-way: The Defa-production (in the GDR) is prohibited in these years, in great part, of the “New German Film” in the Federal Republic of Germany is internationally successful. Then, in 2016, we have shown the first films of women who have studied at film schools: Ulla Stöckl, Helke Sander, Janine the sea Apple. That was the starting point. Now, we wanted to determine if “Self. Perspectives of filmmakers”, the arc spans up to the year 1999, the first two generations of filmmakers – and even back in the GDR and the Federal Republic of Germany – with their work to think of.
Men of violence – a woman suffering: “Malou” by Jeanine meerapfel
But now, such a retrospective naturally fits perfectly into the time. The Directors were unable to build on the traditions…
Yes, clearly. The 1950s were do not a good time for female filmmakers. There were quite a few, at the Defa, the especially the children’s film were used. There were also two, three Documentary filmmakers. But that’s actually really began only in 1966.
In the Federal Republic of in addition, there was a conveyor system, the independent productions supported. That was for movies of women very important. Which would not have occurred without the support of the conveyor system, without the television,. Even without the rental-work, and in particular of the “Basis of the Film”.
It is interesting to note also, that was very quickly absorbed and internationally. In other countries, there was the mid-1960s, been models, Věra Chytilová Czechoslovakia, Márta Mészáros, Hungary. Have started earlier, to make full-length feature films.
Rainer Rother
There were aesthetic and thematic innovations that were with the films of women?
You can not say so sweeping. At the beginning, was often spoken of the “woman’s film”. The was a label with which you want to the sensitivity of these films to be a bit also get rid of. As it is said: “women make films about women’s issues”. You have not made, but they have made films about the social reality.
You have made the with the view of a woman in the Situation they were in. Examples are: Helke Sanders’ “The all-round reduced personality – Redupers” (1980), Jeanine sea Apple “Malou” (1981, both the Federal Republic of Germany), or Iris Gusners “The dove on the roof” (1973, GDR). It was a look that told very much from the society, of injustices, not only of gender injustices. It also went often to class relations and the injustices that brought them. It has been a kind of realistic cinema. This is often underestimated.
“The all-round reduced personality – Redupers” by Helke Sander
After this first Phase, another wave began. It began in a Form of film-making, which was not at all set on this label. The developed in quite different directions: a documentary, one that was heavily inspired by the visual arts, in the case of Ulrike Ottinger, for example. There were also genre cinema. This began in the 1980s and ’90s, we only think of the Director Nina Grosse Katja von Garnier.
What was it about the same time in the GDR?
If women have studied at the film school, the path was largely. (They did children’s films, A. d. R.) was also that the GDR was indeed a Patriarchal society. There were exceptions, Gitta Nickel was one that was able to establish itself early as a Documentalist. And there were a few Directors that were also game movies, we have examples in the retrospective: the films of Evelyn Schmidt, and Iris Gusner.
Gitta Nickel, staged in the GDR in 1970, the Film “they”
In the Federal Republic of Germany at the time, the Director May Spils was able to celebrate a huge success with “honey” (our picture above). To what extent was this due to a female gaze?
I think that May Spils had a very feminine look to (your main actor), Werner Enke, this lucky son of a gun. You also had a look who has observed very carefully. If you think your Film “maneuver” with Enke has made, where Enke practice had to get Up, so he’s coming in the future also time to work on time – then this is also a look that could only throw a woman to a man. The Comedy that was in it, this wonderful sense of Humor, was one that resulted from the Interaction between Spils and Enke. Both films, incidentally, remained totally fresh.
What are the specific “re-discoveries”, offers a retrospective of 2019?
All the movies are a re-discovery of value. Perhaps one can speak but of two Extremes. Helga reidemei ester Film “because Of fate” Yes, even then, during the 1970s, has been very controversial. This is a ruthless movie (a mother, after the divorce, a self-determined life and raising children alone, A. d. R.), which is made of the cooperation of the protagonists and the Director formed. He showed how women have been prevented from unfolding, and how they fought back against it. It is impressive to see, even painful.
“Bandits” ended up being furious in a big action scene
The other Extreme is the safe Katja von Garnier’s Film “Bandits”, a genre story, which also had awareness of this strong self: “We can also add Hollywood elements and tell.” There were moments in the Film that are just great. The final scene needs to fear no comparison with any Hollywood movie. So The Director worked in very different forms. This was a major concern for us, because we wanted to exhibit at the program selection, the retrospective of this diversity.
The films cover the years 1966 to 1999. What has changed compared to today?
I think, it’s become easier to understand. This is the pleasing. Although price will not be nominated today at the “German Film” more and more women in the category “Best Film”. But It has developed something!
Poster for the retrospective exhibition: “self-determined. Perspectives of filmmakers”
We do not have the impression that the injustice has stopped. But the question of the audience, whether this is a Film made by a man or a woman, much less in the center than in the past. At the time, has always said: “Aha, this is a woman who has made the Film.” No one came on the idea to say: “Oh, now this is a Film made by a man.”
This has changed a bit: There are a lot more female Directors, the really great movies do and are also perceived by the audience as great movies. This increased, increased a matter of course – which I find very pleasing.
The interview was conducted by Jochen Kürten.
Rainer Rother is artistic Director of the Deutsche Kinemathek, and thus head of the Berlinale retrospective. A Retrospective “Self-Determined. Perspectives of filmmakers” are published two books in the Bertz + Fischer Verlag:
- Karin Herbst-Meßlinger, Rainer Rother (Hg.): A self-determined way. Perspectives of filmmakers, Verlag Bertz + Fischer, 216 pages, ISBN: 978-3-86505-262-9
- Cornelia Source Of KPIs, Ralf Schenk (Hg.): – Director of the DEFA and its films, Verlag Bertz + Fischer, 416 pages, ISBN 978-3-86505-415-9