Ulrich E. Bach, associate professor of German studies at Texas State University, gives a speech titled Flight into the East: The Cinematic Quest for a Post-Unified Identity at the University of Mississippi, Thursday, Nov. 6, 2014.
Twenty five years ago Sunday, the Berlin Wall was torn down after 30 years of serving as an emblem of the Cold War.
This week the university commemorates the fall of the Berlin Wall and the effect it had on those in Germany during that time.
The Croft Institute on Monday had Ulrich Bach, associate professor of German studies at Texas State University, speak on different forms of symbolism within German cinema. He aimed to describe to those in the audience how movies play a part in the reinvention of the events in Berlin during that time.
Bach compared directors Leander Haubmann and Louis Malle, describing their films’ relation to Germany’s former totalitarian government. Bach also described in depth particular aspects of German cinema, including heritage movies.
“Heritage movies appealed to international audiences, and they all deal with some aspect of Germany’s totalitarian legacy,” Bach said.
Bach also spoke of Berlin School films, which he expressed portray everyday life, pay attention to precise framing and also aim for reflection over representation. Within the audience were students and a variety of German professors.
“The events that occurred 25 years ago when the Berlin Wall fell and the Soviet Union dissolved seem very distant to those of us who weren’t even alive at that time,” said Alex Borst, sophomore international studies major. “Dr. Bach’s lecture helped to typify the themes of that period through film as well as show how German directors are attempting to shape future themes in film as time moves on and those events continuously fall further away from the public’s collective memory.”
Monday’s event was a continuation of an ongoing series hosted by the university.
“We received a grant from the German embassy to host a series of events, and we proposed to show three films and two lectures,” said Christopher Sapp, associate professor of German and linguistics at Ole Miss.
The Croft Institute previously screened “The Legend of Rita” Nov. 3 and “No Place to Go” Nov. 5.
The remaining film, “A Train to Freedom,” will be shown at 5:30 tonight and a lecture by Professor Konrad Jarausch of the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday.
