Austrian Cinema

Austria, the multicultural crossroad of the European continent, has been the genesis of many artistic concepts. Just as late 19th and early 20th century Austria gave influential modernism to the world in the fields of medicine, urban planning, architecture, design, literature, music, and theater, so its film industry created a significant national cinema that seeded talents and concepts internationally. Nevertheless, the value of Austrian cinema to international film has been long obscured. Austria’s important bond with American film is also underappreciated because of the lack of accessible English language scholarship on the early careers of Austro-Hollywood artists and on influential developments in Austrian film history.
This first comprehensive English survey of Austrian film introduces more than a century of cinema, following the development of the industry chronologically through the nation’s various transformations since 1895. Important industry movements, genres and films are highlighted with sociopolitical, cultural and aesthetic details. An analysis of the economic trends that have influenced Austrian film is also provided. The survey considers the directors, actors, producers, writers, cinematographers, editors, composers and other film artists who have been essential to the development and influence of Austrian cinema. The closing chapter anticipates new faces of the Austrian film industry in the 21st century.

Robert von Dassanowsky is professor of German and film studies at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs and visiting professor of German at UCLA. He is vice president of the Austrian American Film Association and an independent producer.

Robert von Dassanowsky
Format: softcover (7 x 10)
Pages: 328
Bibliographic Info: 47 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2008 [2005]
pISBN: 978-0-7864-3733-7
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2147-0
Imprint: McFarland

Preface      1

1. Schein und Sein: 1895–1928      7

2. Sound and Diverging Visions: 1929–1938      41

3. The Wien-Film Era: 1938-1945      77

4. Postwar and Second Republic Boom: 1946–1959      113

5. The Missed Wave: 1960–1979      178

6. New Austrian Film: 1980–2000      209

7. Austrian Film in the Twenty-first Century      268

Chapter Notes      287

Selected Bibliography      299

Index      309

“first full-scale history of Austrian cinema…clearly written and scrupulously researched…superbly thorough…essential”—Choice; “highly recommended”—Celluloid Magazine; “research is truly impressive”—Austrian Studies Newsletter; “comprehensive…this book is a must for anyone interested in world cinema and film history. It helps fill a gaping hole in the English-speaking world’s understanding of just how large a role tiny Austria has played in international cinema”—Hyde Flippo, The German-Hollywood Connection; “the first comprehensive study of Austrian cinema in English…wealth of information…thought-provoking…essential reference”—Austrian Studies; “comprehensive…based on relevant literature and intensive research by the author…the first publication on Austrian film history in the English language…valuable”—Rot-Weiss-Rot; “excellent”—La Prensa Libre, (San José, Costa Rica).