Oh boy oh boy more social critical films on their way to Berlin again
The 56th annual Berlinale Film Festival is beginning on the 9th of February so don’t even think about telling me later that you hadn’t been warned.
Whereas Hollywood openly and shamelessly insists upon entertaining us at all costs whatever the cost and therefore must cater to our niedrige Instinkte (lower instincts) and is always right on the money with this formula and always manages to find that very broad lowest common denominator (i.e. us), the Europeans, being Europeans, sind was Besseres (are something better) and have long ago engaged in this dubious intellectual complicity to produce highly-political, Euro-centric and therefore politically correct and crappy films that nobody wants to see.
As the head honcho film boss culture vulture at the Berlinale Dieter Kosslick said recently about this year’s program in an interview with Die Welt : “They are almost all near-reality and political films. Drugs, sickness, globalization etc. are among the themes. But that is a world-wide trend at the moment, as you know, and ER doctor George Clooney is currently out on the road to clear up these matters in the United States.”
Huh? What does that mean? But thank goodness it’s Dr. Ross, is all I can say. I wouldn’t want that goofy Dr. Green trying to clear up important (not) cultural questions like this with American society. And yes, they still watch ER here.
And to make matters even worse, they are going to be showing tons of German films at the Berlinale this year (55 of them in all). Why that should be surprising at a German state-subsdized film festival held in Germany is itself surprising, I suppose, but they generally don’t like to show German films here. Apparently not even Germans can watch German films anymore.
But, then again, this being a political festival and all, it appears that this is now the proper time for the natives to address this very important cultural issue.
55 Deutsche Filme? Hintereinander? Ohne mich.
Comments in German more than welcome, wenn ihr wollt.
I am disappointed that film festivals mainly show those typically critical movies ordinary folks don't watch.
Why is it that German movies that are set during the Nazi era have a much larger chance of being nominated for an Oscar?
Last year it was "Downfall". This year it is "Sophie Scholl." The only two German movies who won an Oscar are "Tin Drum" and "Nowhere in Africa" as far as I know.
Why do Barfuss, Der Schuh des Manitu, Run Lola Run not get nominated. There are many other good adn funny and original German movies that don't get a chance in the US.
Why do you prefer to show Nazis? (Comment this)
"I think, in the end, it's because the "Nazi" is all most Americans "know" anything about (when it comes to Germany)."
Really? The British teach A LOT about WWII, I was told. WWII is not such a huge topic in US highschools, I thought...
How can we improve knowledge?
Perhaps we should behave more like kids and oppose US policies more often in order to get noticed. Germany's opposition to the Iraq war got us some attention from big daddy in the US... There should be a better way... (Comment this)
German universities used to be admired in the 19th century (the Humboldt concept), but now we got PISA...
German movies don't have a chance...
What positive association shall we create? (Comment this)