Career Margarethe von Trotta

1 career

1.1 sister films
1.2 sheer madness
1.3 rosa luxemburg
1.4 television
1.5 rosenstrasse
1.6 vision
1.7 hannah arendt

career

margarethe von trotta (january 2013)

her first input on film, before making solo-career out of it, on volker schlöndorff’s sudden wealth of poor people of kombach (de)(1971), acted in. in 1975, proceeded co-write , co-direct lost honor of katharina blum, based on adaptation of heinrich bölls novel dealt political repression in federal republic. within first film of von trotta’s, 1 can see conflict between personal , public resonates throughout film career. female characters within story must occupy suffocating spaces von trotta uses represent confinement women subjected in world run men. von trotta in charge of supervising performance aspect while schlöndorff dealt film’s mechanics. director, not considered audacious, while von trotta’s strong suit in how directed film’s actors through whom creates story. therefore, 2 able complement each other. film considered successful german film of mid-1970s. couple collaborated on 1 more film, coup de grâce (1976), von trotta helped write not direct work, before von trotta branched off own career.

trotta’s first solo film das zweite erwachen der christa klages, or second awakening of christa klages (1978), focused on young woman’s political radicalization. film presented multiple subjects trotta’s films known in future: female bonding, sisterhood, , uses , effects of violence. film’s script used real-life information seizure of school teacher margit czenki munich.

throughout years of filmmaking, von trotta has addressed many points of special concern women: abortion, contraception, situation of women @ work, spousal abuse, , [the] traditional female role.

in 2001 president of jury @ 23rd moscow international film festival.

she professor of film @ european graduate school in saas-fee , remains important personality of german cinema.

the sister films

margarethe von trotta’s second feature film sisters, or balance of happiness (schwestern oder die balance des glücks, 1979). unintentionally, created trilogy of sister films succeeding works: marianne , juliane (die bleierne zeit, 1981) , 3 sisters (paura e amore, 1988). barbara quart, author of book women directors, commented on 3 works: quest wholeness preoccupation of von trotta’s entire sister series. women in these films born traditional time (late 1940s , 50s), reject positions society has established women. well, topic of suicide plays important role in first 2 films , how live sister connects dead one. these 3 films investigate sisterhood , bonds within world falling apart around them; matter places von trotta’s work new german cinema.

sisters, or balance of happiness (1979) delves bonds, both physically , mentally, between sisters maria , anna, along third party. siblings close before anna commits suicide, hidden behind facial expressions desire escape feeling of frustration between following wants , maria asks of her. maria faces post suicide trauma, coping devastation transplanting memory of sister onto co-worker, miriam. leads maria deal inner issues can try move on life in peaceful manner. film garnered grand prix award @ créteil international women s film festival in 1981.

marianne , juliane (1981) deals losing sister , learning how handle grief. marianne , juliane grow closer after marianne put behind bars radical, terrorist activities. after unexpected news of marianne’s death, juliane becomes obsessed finding out truth behind supposed suicide, doesn’t believe true. characters based on real-life christiane , gudrun ensslin, made feminist critics give notice work in comparison other films von trotta has done. critics question way von trotta structured plot , why positioned of christiane’s character, juliane, instead of gudrun (marianne). film characterized use of multiple flashback sequences, jumping between present day childhood , everywhere in between, breaking chance of linear structure. in film, predominantly nazi era influences marianne , juliane, albeit in different ways.

a theme within marianne , juliane von trotta uses throughout works of personal political. in marianne’s jail cell, sisters come terms personal , political differences. 1 take on theme marianne’s personal past has fostered political, terrorist present. in story’s present day, political actions effect personal life: sentenced prison , passes away in cell, husband takes own life, , son put in danger. not surprisingly, film subject of debate conservatives believed marianne’s character terrorist given understanding. film won agis award, fipresci prize, golden lion award, new cinema award, , ocic award @ venice film festival in 1981, along few more listed in awards section. von trotta winning golden lion true achievement women in film, honor of stature had not been awarded female director since leni reifenstahl received mussonlini cup in 1938 olympia.

paura e amore (1988), von trotta’s sixth feature-length film, focuses on set of 3 sisters—olga, masha, , irina. through these females von trotta able present opinions concerning stature of females in society , traditional politics of time play role in shaping lives. once again, film deals sisters yearn significance in aspects of lives (rueschmann, 168). constant quest love way cope unfavorable aspects of life. compared other 2 preceding films in sister series, paura e amore contains key melodramatic elements focus on one’s feelings , anguish. not address politics heavily other films, more on von trotta’s take of distinction between men , women in society. film nominated palme d or award @ cannes film festival in 1988.

sheer madness

sheer madness (heller wahn, 1983), 1 of von trotta’s popular feature films, uses suicide important part of storyline. analysis on film given authors susan linville , kent casper reads: suicidal states of mind may stem not negative distortions of external reality, accurate assessment of way things are. within story, once again, women’s feelings investigated through friendship between 2 females, ruth , olga. film gave impression that, supposedly, von trotta man-hater. von trotta won ocic award-honorable mention @ berlin international film festival in forum of new cinema sheer madness in 1983. film nominated golden berlin bear @ berlin international film festival in same year.

rosa luxemburg

von trotta’s 1986 eponymous film philosopher , socialist rosa luxemburg examines both life public revolutionary , private experience woman. barbara sukowa, stars in several of von trotta’s films, won best actress honors @ cannes in 1986 delivery of main role. through cinematic vision, von trotta returns theme of political , personal, giving fair attention both rosa luxemburg’s personal life female in society , political life public revolutionary. rosa luxemburg nominated palme d or @ cannes film festival in 1986. film won guild film award-gold @ guild of german art house cinemas in german film in 1987.

television

the common problem filmmakers run budget issues , funds; during mid-eighties, many films went under due money cuts german subvention system. several of von trotta’s fellow women filmmakers took safe route , went education field in media. not margarethe von trotta—to stay in game, accepted proposals tv pieces, if meant losing bit of artistic allowances. first piece television winterkind (1997), first time did not compose screenplay work directing. followed 3 more tv films: mit fünfzig küssen männer anders (1997), dunkle tage (1997), , jahrestage (2000). through experience of working in television, von trotta learned how try hold on stamp independent filmmaker in terms of keeping artistic approach.

rosenstrasse

looking forward of von trotta’s more contemporary films, same idea of female bonds , emotions still center stage, such in piece 2003, rosenstrasse. film uses melodramatic elements, in paura e amore (1988), express emotions of characters. difference here rosenstrasse maternal melodrama. there 3 overlapping familial connections involving mother-daughter relationships within story: bond between hannah, first-generation jewish american, , mother ruth ; the…mother-daughter bond between ruth , jewish mother miriam ; and…the central relationship between surrogate mother lena von eschenbach/fisher , ruth. in this, definition of mother stretched biological standpoint symbolic.

vision

the film vision (2009) chronicles true tale of hildegard von bingen, nun stands of von trotta’s independent women protagonists—one fights patriarchal society of church foregoing established rules of conduct and, upon learning 1 of fellow sisters child, asks different area nuns call own. in interview between von trotta , damon smith filmmaker magazine, von trotta explains choice subject of film: when i’m searching woman in distant past, woman in way near own vision…i attracted woman has fight own life , own reality, has out of situation of imprisonment, free [herself]. perhaps main theme in films.

again, deep bond witnessed in story, in rest of von trotta’s films, between hildegard , young nun, richardis. continuing interview, von trotta says, it’s not lesbian love! @ 1 point [hildegard] says, ‘she mother , i’m mother, i’m daughter , she’s daughter.’ hildegard couldn’t have children, in way richardis daughter , friend , mother [all @ once]; it’s deep love.

von trotta wanted make film female protagonist viewers relate instead of looking @ below, clarifies in interview zeitgeist films: figures appeal me strong women have moments of weakness; therefore, never try make heroines out of them. instead show how fought find own way, how put out there, , how had swallow in order find themselves. fascinated how overcome obstacles in order achieve goals. hildegard von bingen had dream of founding own abbey, , suffered lot of setbacks in process. moments of greatest weakness when nun richardis taken away her. in situation, behaves either small, abandoned child, or fury. conduct recorded in letters. , precisely these moments of extreme self-abandonment find beautiful, surprising, , contradictory. hildegard von bingen demands herself gives others. absolutely did not want portray saint.

hannah arendt

hannah arendt (2012) portrays important segment in life of german-jewish academic hannah arendt. in interview thilo wydra, von trotta asked if arendt similar women has portrayed in past films. von trotta replies explanation how real-life characters past films, rosa luxemburg , die bleierne zeit (marianne , juliane), fought , died causes found right: rosa wanted more equality in community, , gudrun ensslin (marianne) wanted revolutionize humanity. von trotta says, hannah arendt woman fits personal mold of historically important women have portrayed in films. ‘i want understand,’ 1 of guiding principles. feel applies myself , films well.