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Cinema's Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood (2009)

Directed by Karen Thomas

Overview

Eight hundred German filmmakers (cast and crew) fled the Nazis in the 1930s. The film uses voice-overs, archival footage, and film clips to examine Berlin’s vital filmmaking in the 1920s; then it follows a producer, directors, composers, editors, writers, and actors to Hollywood: some succeeded and many found no work. Among those profiled are Erich Pommer, Joseph May, Ernst Lubitsch, Fritz Lang, Billy Wilder, and Peter Lorre. Once in Hollywood, these exiles helped each other, housed new arrivals, and raised money so others could escape. Some worked on anti-Nazi films, like Casablanca. The themes and lighting of German Expressionism gave rise in Hollywood to film noir.

Length 117 minutes

Actors

Viewing History (seen 1 time)


Date Viewed	Device	Format	Source	Rating
09/18/2018	TV	DVD	Library	6 stars
				(Average) 6 stars

Viewing Notes

Have to get this back to the library before my trip. Eh mostly a clinical approach to the material like reading a list of names and what they did (ex. from Berlin to Hollywood). Maybe more appropriate for a film history class but even then so much is touched on but without any real depth. Like the Exiles essentially started the film noir movement bring German film sensibilities & impressionism into Hollywood but that’s about all it gives you along with a few clips then onto the next topic (westerns).

Billy Wilder is highlighted a lot. Way more than any other Exile but even then it feels like only scratching the surface. tbh there are many topics here that could be their own documentary. And of course some are like Hedy Lamarr as one example.

I suppose this would be fine for a doc on PBS but nothing where you’re expecting to get more info that you already know about the Exiles that left Germany in the 30s. At least this was well made.

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