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Why was the tremendous success of Brecht as playwright and poet so difficult for him to translate to his work in the cinema? He greatly influenced theatrical aesthetics, dramatic and poetic production and analysis of the ideologies underpinning theatrical creation in the period between the two wars. But Brecht’s desire to translate some of the central tenets of his work to the screen nonetheless clashed with the prevailing trends in the evolution of cinema during his lifetime. This course will examine some of Brecht’s major works particularly in the context of his project for a non-Aristotelian theater. We will examine Brecht’s successes and failures in his application of his theories and plays to his work in German and Hollywood cinema. Central to our concerns will be his collaborative work with Fritz Lang, Charles Laughton, G.W. Pabst, Lotte Eisner and others. We will begin with Brecht’s film Kuhle Wampe and his work with Fritz Lang on The Hangman Also Dies. We will also consider his influence on later filmmakers such as Jean Luc Godard, Hans Jûrgen Syberberg and R.W. Fassbinder, as well as on the audiences of films produced in the latter half of the 20th century.
