Social Science Research Council

"Intimate Co-Production: The Czech Component of German Cinema, 1918-1945"

My project deals with issues of nation, identity and cinema in Germany and Czechoslovakia during the 1920s and 30s. I focus specifically on Czech contributions to and reactions against German cinema. By specifically focusing on Czech-German relations, my project provides insight into aspects of German cinema that have been largely ignored thus far. My project also aims to challenge the very notion of national cinema, both German and Czech, during this time-period. I hope to demonstrate that "German cinema" during this period is comprised of much more than simply the films made by Germans for audiences in Germany. I also consider the ramifications of this conclusion for the understanding of the concept of German National Cinema and, more generally, for the understanding of cinema as a tool for constructing and promoting national identity.My research focuses on three main areas: the economical and political domination of Germany over Czech cinema, the Czech filmmakers who lived and worked in Germany making German films, and the curious role of German-language films produced in Czechoslovakia by Czechs. A major point of concern, especially with regards to this final area, is the position of German-speaking minority communities in Czechoslovakia during this time. In varying ways, both the Sudeten German and the Prague German-Jewish communities occupied a precarious position that straddled the Czech and German identities. Therefore, the specific analysis of the film culture within these groups gets directly at the heart of the issues addressed by my project. My SSRC-funded research will begin Jan. 2005 and will be conducted at film archives and libraries in Berlin and Prague. I will view the German-Czech film versions, as well as films made in Germany by Czechs and German films marketed to Czech markets. I will also examine materials related to the production, distribution and reception of these films with a special eye towards the role of German-speaking groups in Czechoslovakia.