'Murderer's House' - University of Victoria
'Murderer's House' - University of Victoria
'Murderer's House' - University of Victoria
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Deutschland, bleiche Mutter. Moreover, I investigate a motif <strong>of</strong> “Der Räuberbräutigam”<br />
that involves the importance <strong>of</strong> providing physical evidence to prove the truth <strong>of</strong> one‟s<br />
story. I also consider how this theme can be applied to various aspects <strong>of</strong> the film and to<br />
the creation <strong>of</strong> the film itself. The conclusion is followed by an appendix containing a<br />
transcript <strong>of</strong> my personal interview with Helma Sanders-Brahms.<br />
Steven Taubeneck has characterized Sanders-Brahms‟ unique film language as a<br />
“distinctive kind <strong>of</strong> fantastic realism that combines Brecht and Pasolini with a more<br />
feminist yet personal, highly cultured yet critical, aesthetic” (Buitenhuis, Plessis, and<br />
Taubeneck 67). He goes on to state that it is not only Sanders-Brahms‟ selection <strong>of</strong><br />
themes, but also the way that she presents her material that adds what he defines as “a<br />
personal and feminist edge” to her work (67). My study is, I believe, <strong>of</strong> particular<br />
importance because it merges an analysis <strong>of</strong> the formal cinematic and narrative<br />
techniques Sanders-Brahms employs in her film with an exploration <strong>of</strong> the highly<br />
individual story told in Deutschland, bleiche Mutter as seen through the theoretical lenses<br />
<strong>of</strong> oral history, Neue Subjektivität, and fairy tale studies. Finally, my thesis is significant<br />
because it is through such studies <strong>of</strong> Geschichten or personal stories that the concept <strong>of</strong><br />
Geschichte or <strong>of</strong> a master narrative <strong>of</strong> history and <strong>of</strong> a single authoritative record <strong>of</strong> the<br />
past is deconstructed.<br />
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