Analyzing the Familiar: Approaches to Home Movies from East Germany

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Bibliographic Details
Authors and Corporations: Thalheim, Sebastian (Author)
published: Universität Bremen 2021-01-28
Media Type: Article, E-Article

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Language: English
Subjects:
Geschichte
DDR
Amateurfilm
Erinnerung
home movie
GDR
memory
Collection: media/rep/ - Repositorium für die Medienwissenschaft
Table of Contents

Analyzing East German home movies presents a challenge for researchers, since 8 mm and Super 8 reels reveal a harmonious image of life under dictatorship. This article proposes a combination of film analysis, the analysis of written sources, and film interviews as a methodological approach to studying films in the absence of contextual information. This approach is especially effective as a way of distancing oneself from preconceptions about vernacular filmmaking under socialism.