FORL 3160 Minutes

July 26, 2001

Dr. Reimer started the class of off by introducing the first film:

Blue Angel (1930)  Von Sternberg

            Blue Angel and M closed up this period of German film.

The scene was shot three times once in German, English and French, this was to eliminate the need for subtitles.

In the scene Dietrich plays Lola Lola and sings a seductive song to the professor about love.

The song tells us about the plot and its probable outcome. That being she has loved before and the professor won’t be the last. A moth to a flame.

Coming Home (1941) Ucicky, Gustav

Nazi propaganda movie about persuading Germans living abroad to come back to the homeland, instead Germany invades Poland thus bringing Germany to the natives.

The film scene is a folk song about Germany and how good it will be living back in the homeland again.

Stalingrad (1992) Vilsmaier, Joseph

German film about the invasion into Russia; 450,000 go in and only 10,000 come home.

Movie scene takes place on truck where the soldiers are singing “Oh Christmas Tree” a very traditional German Christmas song. The song and shots foreshadows that most of the guys in the truck are not coming back.

Same Old Song (1992) Stockl, Ula

German National Anthem is the theme, even though the Berlin Wall is down, pre-war Germany and post-war Germany are still the same.

The film clip shows a river scene while the German National Anthem plays in the background

The film uses three verses of the national anthem in three different places throughout the movie.

The song was used to comment on Germany’s history.

The Song “I will Survive” Donna Summers

1) Six Feet Under TV series

Woman’s pride song, the scene shows three independent women in a limousine partying with the song playing in the background.

Ironic that the lady dies while the song is playing in the background.

             2)  Replacements (2000)

                        Football movie

“I Will Survive” is sung by the football team in a low point in the movie when the team first comes together.

Funny because men don’t sing this song, but it fits.

Came at a time when 80’s music was in a revival.

            3)  Enlightenment Guaranteed  Doerrie, Doris

Movie about two German brothers who go to Japan, who get lost and run out of money and end up seeking out a monastery

For these reasons they drunkenly sing “I Will Survive” in a Japanese bar as they look into the camera.

Goodbye Francisca (1941) Helmut, Kautner

The clip shows a scene where a man and woman meet in a restaurant as they leave together we hear music in the background.

As we watch the two walk towards the fountain they move with the music giving us a sense of subtle dance. It is possible to see the choreography in their movements.

            In another scene:

The clip takes place in Africa and shows one of the characters’ frustrations of being in the faraway land. He desires to go back to Germany.

A bar plays jazz music (forbidden in Germany at the time) and shows us a chaotic scene as the people dance to the jazz (viewed as a lower class of music).

The jazz changes to traditional music as the character reads a letter and then the scene changes.

Here the music was used to portray the chaotic moment as well as a transition to the next scene.

The Big Chill  (1983) Kasdan, Lawrence

            Funeral scene

The Rolling Stones song, “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” is played on an organ, as the crowd leaves and gets into the cars the song changes to vocals and continues through the drive to the cemetery.

Here the music puts together a disjunction of scene changes, it bridges us to the cemetery.

 Dr. Reimer dismisses class