Social Stratification
By the end of World War I, German society experienced the beginning of a new phase in the country's associational life as Germany underwent a period of democratization. While unrepresented groups began to form their own organizations, German society witnessed a number of local voluntary groups that sprouted throughout 1920s. The Weimar years witnessed feverish associational activity by both historical and comparative standards.[1] Long standing social hierarchy became destabilized. After World War I, the aristocracy was dislodged from their dominant position while middle class families continued to fear a loss of status and the threat of revolution.[2] The already existing gap between the rich and lower classes widened, and the middle class began to disintegrate. Unemployment soared while living improvements slowly arose for the working classes after 1924 and the SPD government invested in public works such as affordable housing, increased benefits, and education.2 In addition to these changes, education was transforming. An overall hope was created that education would provide a sense of civic responsibility, foster a commitment to democracy and provide greater social mobility [2] Many of these social changes were conveyed through various themes in films created by some of the most amazing directors alive in the Weimar Republic.
The portrayal of social mobility within Weimar cinema is a topic filled with deeper understanding for German society and culture. It is detailed motion, creatively captured through a lens to provide education and entertainment. Controversial, passionate narratives strive to captivate the audience. Films during this time take viewers to another level of leisure while stressing cultural values and dark themes. Acting as pioneers in cinema, famous Weimar directors established successful technological advances in the evolution of film! Their innovations, high production values, and a strong aesthetic sense put Weimar cinema at the forefront of the European avant-garde.3 A reoccurring theme I observed in films such as The Metropolis, Nosferatu, The Last Laugh, and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, is that of instability and future of Germany. For example, the ending of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari cautions the audience of how easily a society can transform back into totalitarianism. A character named Francis truly believes that master Caligari has been overthrown. He later finds out he is trapped in an insane asylum with Caligari as the owner. “Freedom and revolution had proven illusory life; so, too, they would prove illusory in Wiene’s film,” quoted by Ian Roberts.[4] Ultimately, these films encapsulate the anxieties felt throughout the German community through ideas and themes.
The Metropolis, a science fiction film directed by Fritz Lang, also reveals this message in underlying ideas. Lang described Germany between the two World Wars as “a period of unrest and confusion, a period of hysteria, despair and unbridled vice, full of the excesses of an inflation-ridden country”.[5] The film first discovers a futuristic environment composed of heavy machinery, dramatic relationship of classes, masters, slaves, and rebellion. Full of advanced technology, the city appears to be modern and luxurious above ground. Below ground, where sunlight is non-existent, viewers are shown the dark side of this controlling power and technology. In brief, the plot focuses on the slaves’ rebellion against the metropolis. In fear of losing control over the workers, Master Joh Frederson and crazy scientist, Rotwang, launch a twisted plan to brainwash them, but the plan fails. Beforehand, Freder, the ruler’s son, becomes a mediator between the poor workers and the ruling class after falling in love with a worker named Maria. He witnesses the awful conditions surrounding the workers and tries to enlighten his father who obviously does not care. After a series of peculiar events including cyborgs, riots, and floods, the film ends with Maria’s hopes for a more equal world turning into a real possibility. This film clearly portrays the dramatic alienation of the working class from the bourgeoisie of the city. In most scenes the workers almost seem as if life is being sucked out of them, that they have no meaning, but to make things with their hands. Fritz Lang’s had a brilliant imagination. His depiction of two completely separate worlds, a beautiful city and a decrepit underworld, provide a clear separation for future social classes.
Out of the films listed, the narrative of The Last Laugh stands out the most by representing associations that come with praised careers as well as contrasting the old working society of Germany vs. the new society. The film contrasts the doorman’s gloomy tenement house crowded with lower middle-class people with his place of work, a palace home for the rich, who keep the revolving door and elevators in permanent motion.[6] The dramatic scenes and facial expressions of the doorman lead me to understand that in this new society, younger people, in better shape, can possibly take away a man's career. In the old working society a man was expected to have the ability to hold his same job for a lifetime. The rise of consumerism allows the fancy hotel to replace the doorman, and move him to a janitor like position. Even though the doorman achieves wealth, the line of hotel employees waiting for tips in the last sequence stresses one last time the role of money in a corrupt and unstable system.[7]
- Kelly Carpenter
[1] Romaniuk, Scott Nicholas. "American Journal of Scientific Research." Destroying Democracy: Power and Pluralism in a Divided Society. no. 8 (2010): 49-56. http://www.eurojournals.com/ajsr_8_06.pdf (accessed October 22, 2012).
[2] Lee, Stephen J. The Weimar Republic. London: Routledge, 1998.
[3] Silberman, Marc. German Cinema: Texts in Context. Detroit: Wayne State University, 1995.
[4] Roberts, Ian. "Caligari Revisited: Circles, Cycles and Counter-Revolution in Robert Wiene's Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari." German Life and Letters. 57. no. 2 (2004): 175-187.
[5] Eisner, Lottie. Fritz Lang. Da Capo, 1976.
[6] Kracauer, Siegfried. From Caligari to Hitler: A Psychological History of the German Film. Princeton University, 2004.
[7] Silberman, Marc. German Cinema: Texts in Context. Detroit: Wayne State University,
The portrayal of social mobility within Weimar cinema is a topic filled with deeper understanding for German society and culture. It is detailed motion, creatively captured through a lens to provide education and entertainment. Controversial, passionate narratives strive to captivate the audience. Films during this time take viewers to another level of leisure while stressing cultural values and dark themes. Acting as pioneers in cinema, famous Weimar directors established successful technological advances in the evolution of film! Their innovations, high production values, and a strong aesthetic sense put Weimar cinema at the forefront of the European avant-garde.3 A reoccurring theme I observed in films such as The Metropolis, Nosferatu, The Last Laugh, and The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, is that of instability and future of Germany. For example, the ending of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari cautions the audience of how easily a society can transform back into totalitarianism. A character named Francis truly believes that master Caligari has been overthrown. He later finds out he is trapped in an insane asylum with Caligari as the owner. “Freedom and revolution had proven illusory life; so, too, they would prove illusory in Wiene’s film,” quoted by Ian Roberts.[4] Ultimately, these films encapsulate the anxieties felt throughout the German community through ideas and themes.
The Metropolis, a science fiction film directed by Fritz Lang, also reveals this message in underlying ideas. Lang described Germany between the two World Wars as “a period of unrest and confusion, a period of hysteria, despair and unbridled vice, full of the excesses of an inflation-ridden country”.[5] The film first discovers a futuristic environment composed of heavy machinery, dramatic relationship of classes, masters, slaves, and rebellion. Full of advanced technology, the city appears to be modern and luxurious above ground. Below ground, where sunlight is non-existent, viewers are shown the dark side of this controlling power and technology. In brief, the plot focuses on the slaves’ rebellion against the metropolis. In fear of losing control over the workers, Master Joh Frederson and crazy scientist, Rotwang, launch a twisted plan to brainwash them, but the plan fails. Beforehand, Freder, the ruler’s son, becomes a mediator between the poor workers and the ruling class after falling in love with a worker named Maria. He witnesses the awful conditions surrounding the workers and tries to enlighten his father who obviously does not care. After a series of peculiar events including cyborgs, riots, and floods, the film ends with Maria’s hopes for a more equal world turning into a real possibility. This film clearly portrays the dramatic alienation of the working class from the bourgeoisie of the city. In most scenes the workers almost seem as if life is being sucked out of them, that they have no meaning, but to make things with their hands. Fritz Lang’s had a brilliant imagination. His depiction of two completely separate worlds, a beautiful city and a decrepit underworld, provide a clear separation for future social classes.
Out of the films listed, the narrative of The Last Laugh stands out the most by representing associations that come with praised careers as well as contrasting the old working society of Germany vs. the new society. The film contrasts the doorman’s gloomy tenement house crowded with lower middle-class people with his place of work, a palace home for the rich, who keep the revolving door and elevators in permanent motion.[6] The dramatic scenes and facial expressions of the doorman lead me to understand that in this new society, younger people, in better shape, can possibly take away a man's career. In the old working society a man was expected to have the ability to hold his same job for a lifetime. The rise of consumerism allows the fancy hotel to replace the doorman, and move him to a janitor like position. Even though the doorman achieves wealth, the line of hotel employees waiting for tips in the last sequence stresses one last time the role of money in a corrupt and unstable system.[7]
- Kelly Carpenter
[1] Romaniuk, Scott Nicholas. "American Journal of Scientific Research." Destroying Democracy: Power and Pluralism in a Divided Society. no. 8 (2010): 49-56. http://www.eurojournals.com/ajsr_8_06.pdf (accessed October 22, 2012).
[2] Lee, Stephen J. The Weimar Republic. London: Routledge, 1998.
[3] Silberman, Marc. German Cinema: Texts in Context. Detroit: Wayne State University, 1995.
[4] Roberts, Ian. "Caligari Revisited: Circles, Cycles and Counter-Revolution in Robert Wiene's Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari." German Life and Letters. 57. no. 2 (2004): 175-187.
[5] Eisner, Lottie. Fritz Lang. Da Capo, 1976.
[6] Kracauer, Siegfried. From Caligari to Hitler: A Psychological History of the German Film. Princeton University, 2004.
[7] Silberman, Marc. German Cinema: Texts in Context. Detroit: Wayne State University,