BABELSBERG FROM EAST TO WEST
Director Bernard Louargant
Countries Germany, France
Duration 56 min
Synopsis
Temple of expressionist German cinema, mythical spot haunted by the ghosts of Fritz Lang and Marlène Dietrich, at the forefront of new filming techniques, the Babelsberg studios had a promising future. But the Nazi regime caused talented directors to flee the country and imposed soulless comedies and propaganda films onto the studio. After the war came 40 years of communist regime (where the directors of the DEFA company, who from 1946 to the fall of the wall, were the emblem of cinema for the GDR) created the first anti-fascist films and tried to give socialism a human face. Later, they tried to battle against censorship imposed by the communist powers. 20 years after the fall of the wall, this film town is now transformed into a media site in the service of big international productions, and other commercial TV initiatives. A century after their creation, the Babelsberg studios continue to thrive.
Temple of expressionist German cinema, mythical spot haunted by the ghosts of Fritz Lang and Marlène Dietrich, at the forefront of new filming techniques, the Babelsberg studios had a promising future. But the Nazi regime caused talented directors to flee the country and imposed soulless comedies and propaganda films onto the studio. After the war came 40 years of communist regime (where the directors of the DEFA company, who from 1946 to the fall of the wall, were the emblem of cinema for the GDR) created the first anti-fascist films and tried to give socialism a human face. Later, they tried to battle against censorship imposed by the communist powers. 20 years after the fall of the wall, this film town is now transformed into a media site in the service of big international productions, and other commercial TV initiatives. A century after their creation, the Babelsberg studios continue to thrive.