Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Between the First and Second World Wars, Germany under the Weimar Republic was the scene of one of the most creative periods in film history. Through the silent era to the early years of sound, the visual flair and technical innovation of its filmmakers set an international standard for the powerful possibilities of cinema as an art form, with movies such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Nosferatu, Metropolis, and M building a legacy that shaped the world of film.

Here is a showcase of more than seventy films, selected to give a wide-ranging overview of Weimar cinema at its finest. Every genre is represented, from escapist comedies and musicals to gritty depictions of contemporary city life, from period dramas to fantastical visions of the future, with themes such as sexuality and social issues tackled by iconic stars like Marlene Dietrich and Louise Brooks. A wealth of film stills captures the bold vision of great directors like Fritz Lang and Ernst Lubitsch, while the text sets the historical scene and gives intriguing insights into what the films meant to the society that created them.

This chapter in movie history was brought to a close by Hitler's rise to power in 1933. Directors, screenwriters and actors found themselves obliged to leave Germany, and brought their talents to Hollywood.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Silence packs a punch in this stunning visual tribute to both photography and the stars of German cinema between the two world wars. Written by German film historian and filmmaker Prinzler (Licht und Schatten: Der GroBen Stumm und Tonfilme der Weimarer Republik; Auge in Auge: Eine Deutsche Filmgeschichte), this title combines insightful commentary with hundreds of lush photo stills to tell the individual and collected stories of 70-plus silent films produced between 1918 and 1933. As a guide to the era's culture and cinematic history, Prinzler walks a careful but capable line between praise for the creative experimentation that occurred in the context of German art and sober recognition of the tragedies that likewise took place in the context of Weimar politics. The author's 36-page essay is, however, dwarfed by the book's subsequent series of film profiles, which he organizes chronologically to emphasize shifts in German history. Duotone illustrations within the profiles make for rich viewing, although some readers may wish for more than the bare annotations that appear alongside. VERDICT This book smolders as it captures the visual influence of Weimar film and its stars. Highly recommended for fans of early cinema or photography.-Robin Chin Roemer, Univ. of Washington Lib. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

This is an English translation of Licht und Schatten (2012), which is primarily a collection of film stills--some 400 in all--from one of the most important periods of German film history, the Weimar Republic. The book is divided into three parts, the first of which is introductory. Here Prinzler (film scholar and former director of the Deutsche Kinemathek) provides a general overview of film, politics, and society in 1920s Germany. The second and lengthiest section comprises individual entries on more than 70 major German films from the period, accompanied by numerous stills from the films. These images, most the work of anonymous photographers, were widely distributed in the press and on promotional materials such as postcards. Today the images are a pleasure to behold and present the reader with a representative cross-section of the period's major films and aesthetic styles. The third section is a photo gallery of Weimar-era film stars. Ultimately, the work's value lies in its having made this beautiful collection of images available to those interested in Germany, the 1920s, or early film history. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers. J. O. Wipplinger North Carolina State University