Why German politics struggles to translate to screen
Jochen Kürten sb
September 19, 2017
As the German election approaches, how are film and TV portraying the political times? Unlike in the US, where the political series "House of Cards" is a household name, Germany is slow to dramatize political life.
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10 memorable on-screen portrayals of US politics
Cinema and TV have always accompanied US politics. While James Stewart and Henry Fonda once graced the screen as US politicians, today it's Kevin Spacey in "House of Cards."
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Fiction and reality: House of Cards
When the blockbuster US series "House of Cards" premiered in 2013, many still believed that reality could not get this bad. But the election of Donald Trump has changed that way of thinking. As "House of Cards" has relentlessly focused on the machinations of campaign politics, today the series appears to many observers to be too realistic.
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Political idealism I: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
Almost 80 years ago, politics were perceived differently in Hollywood. At the time, directors and producers portrayed politicians that were still marked by heroism and idealism. A classic example of such "hopeful" political films of the time was "Mr. Smith goes to Washington" (1939), starring James Stewart.
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Political idealism II: Young Mr. Lincoln
In addition to James Stewart, Henry Fonda in particular ensured that cinema-goers were given a rather positive picture of their politicians in the cinema. Playing the lead role in the film "Young Mr. Lincoln," also released in 1939, Fonda portrayed a future president full of kindness and humanity.
In the 1972 film "The Candidate," idealism was balanced with pessimism about the political process. Robert Redford played the role of the sympathetic Democratic Party candidate who wins in the end, but along the way reveals much about the depravity of politics.
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The harsh reality: Primary Colors
The 1998 film "Primary Colors" provided some of most realistic insights into political electioneering on the big screen. Based on an autobiographical novel by political journalist Joe Klein, who followed Bill Clinton's run for the White House, the film dealt candidly with a cynical election campaign and gave Hollywood food for political thought.
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Campaign satire: "Wag the Dog"
In 1997, director Barry Levinson sparked a fireworks at political gags and satirical side notes in "Wag the Dog." A filmmaker (Dustin Hoffman) and a campaign manager (played by Robert de Niro) have all the means to keep the US president in office in a film that blatantly exposes the corrupt underside of American politics.
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Small screen politics: Commander in Chief
America's television producers and series writers have also discovered politics in recent years. Before "House of Cards" became a much-celebrated TV series, cable network ABC presented a sensational political scenario in "Commander in Chief," a show in which Geena Davis portrayed the first female US president.
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Before House of Cards: The West Wing
The series "The West Wing," about the everyday intrigues of a US president, was a great success in the years 1999 to 2006, collecting numerous awards (including four Emmys for best drama series) and drawing in millions of viewers. Running for seven seasons, the series also received critical kudos for its realistic portrayal of backroom machinations in the Oval Office.
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Electorial intrigue: The Ides of March
In the tradition of the engaged political films of the 1970s came George Clooney's 2011 film, "The Ides of March." Clooney, who plays a Democratic presidential candidate, is assisted by the young election campaigner Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling). "The Ides of March" presented an intelligent and complex picture of the inside workings of American election campaigns.
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The political documentary: Michael Moore in Trumpland
Just a few weeks before Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th President of the United States, Michael Moore released his prescient documentary film, "Michael Moore in Trumpland." The popular and often contentious director gets to the heart of Trump and his election campaign in a documentary that lets the images and voices speak for themselves.
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German cinema and television has intensively engaged in processing the nation's historical and social past for half a century. From the Nazi era to leftist terrorism or GDR history, countless films and TV series (from "Downfall" in 2004 to "Generation War" in 2013) have turned to these themes, especially during the new millennium.
But why are German producers and directors shying away from the latest political developments? It might be understandable that the distant past is more certain, is less clouded by the heated election debates of today. Unlike in America, where the powerful and influential big studios are not afraid to explore the political present, German filmmakers tend to remain on relatively safe ground.
Political dramas and jokes
"Das schaffen wir schon" (which translates as "We can do it all right," a reference to Angela Merkel's famous saying in reaction to her 2015 refugee policy) is a political comedy by director Andreas Arnstedt, which was released in cinemas on September 7, almost three weeks before the German federal election.
The film sees Chancellor Angela Merkel and Green Party leader Cem Özdemir taken hostage during a live election debate by a sacked cleaning lady – who is determined to vent her frustration about her job loss on the politicians. However, while Arnstedt's satire is a political grotesque, it is achieved with often tired jokes.
The political satire "Das schaffen wir schon" sees the Chancellor face the wrath of a sacked cleanerImage: Filmverleih drei-freunde
Thirty-seven years ago, in 1980, this theme was approached more seriously by the four directors Volker Schlöndorff, Alexander Kluge, Stefan Aust and Alexander von Eschwege.
When the politician and then-minister-president of Bavaria, Franz-Josef Strauss, was nominated as the candidate for chancellor for the conservative CDU and CSU sister parties, the filmmakers decided to take part in the campaign with great commitment and strong opinions. Their film "The Candidate" had a successful theatrical run, contributing to broader political debate.
By contrast, imagine contemporary directors like Tom Tykwer, Fatih Akin and Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck getting together in 2017 to make a political film about Martin Schulz or Angela Merkel? It's unthinkable – and probably also a sign of the changing times.
In the late 1970s there was an explosive political atmosphere: Red Army Faction terrorism was reaching its bloody climax; a German Nobel Prize laureate, Heinrich Böll, was denounced as a terror sympathizer. Writers, artists, but also film directors and journalists, saw it as their duty to take a political position and to implement it artistically
In recent years, German political intrigues have been dramatized almost exclusively on television.
In 2014, Veronica Ferres played Angela Merkel in "Staatsaffäre" (State Affair), a TV series in which the chancellor falls in love with the French president.
In "Die Eisläuferin," Iris Berben plays a German chancellor who has lost her mindImage: picture-alliance/dpa/NDR/real film/S. Rabold
Actress Iris Berben also gave her face to the German chancellor in "Die Eisläuferin" (The Ice Skater), a satire in which the chancellor loses her memory after a wooden sign falls on her head and, upon waking up, urgently demands that "The wall needs to go!"
While German TV makers have been willing to poke fun at their politicians, there has been recent attempts to imitate more earnest international political series such as the Danish hit "Borgen," and of course "House of Cards."
The six-part miniseries "Die Stadt und die Macht" (The City and the Power) by Emmy-award winning director Friedemann Fromm, convinces with its verve, gripping dramaturgy and an original depiction of the theater behind the political scenes. More specifically, the series follows a lawyer who is a mayoral candidate for the German capital before becoming embroiled in the Berlin political swamp.
In the US, multi-Emmy winning "House of Cards" is a household nameImage: picture-alliance/dpa
Meanwhile, it might be a while before the reign of Chancellor Angela Merkel will be immortalized in a big film or TV project.
Three years ago, a major film based on Merkel was announced but did not materialize.
Nonetheless, the British director Stephen Frears, whose film on Queen Elizabeth, "The Queen," came to cinemas in 2006, once said in an interview that "Angela Merkel is also a good movie subject." Perhaps Frears is still thinking about it.
