Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Kansteiner, Wulf

Titel

Entertaining Catastrophe: The Reinvention of the Holocaust in the Television of the Federal Republic of Germany

Ist Teil von

• New German critique, 2003-10 (90), p.135-162

Ort / Verlag

New York: Telos Press

Erscheinungsjahr

2003

Quelle

Alma/SFX Local Collection

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• 6. The ZDF had adopted the title Holokaust upon the suggestion of Eberhard Jackel who was also a consultant during the production of the series. Before making the decision the station had sought the advice of other academics, for instance Walter Jens who came to the surprising conclusion that "one should use the term 'Holokaust' for the fact that millions were turned to ashes because the term is precise and offers additional insight through aesthetic alienation," see Edo Reents, "Zur rechten Zeit," Suddeutsche Zeitung (13 Oct. 2000); see also Alexander Kissler. "Vom Zeugen zum Tater," Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (17 Oct. 2000); and especially Henryk Broder's entertaining comments about the choice of terminology "Kopyright auf Holokaust: Die ZDF-Schreibung fur 'Holocaust' steht fur den deutschen Sundenstolz," Tagesspiegel (18 Oct. 2000). 48. This strategy was employed very forcefully in Claude Lanzmann's Shoah. There are no examples for such aggressive interview strategies in the ZDF sample although [Guido Knopp] comes closest in his 1992 documentary [Kinder] des Feuers: Die Zwillinge von Auschwitz (15 Mar. 1992). Knopp's documentary focuses on Mengele's medical experiments with twins in Auschwitz and he purposefully represents the victims' physical and psychological trauma as they overcome their own resistances and express their painful memories in front of the camera. The program raises the ethical question if "one may today expose the 50 to 60 year old victims of the sadistic 'twin research' ... to the flood light and the camera for the purpose of documentation?" (Klaus Hamburger, "Ehe die Steine schreien," FUNK-Korrespondenz [19 Mar. 1992]); see also Marcus Hertneck, "Schreckensweg ohne Ende," Suddeutsche Zeitung (17 Mar. 1992). Also, Knopp made the by now familiar mistake of adding sound effects to original silent footage from Auschwitz, see Manfred Riepe, "Synchronisierte Bilder," Frankfurter Rundschau (17 Mar. 1992). 57. [Egon Monk] in an interview with Karl Prumm, "Was unsere Zeit noch in Bewegung halt," epd/Kirche und Rundfunk (5 Feb. 1983). Monk had already made statements to the same effect in 1966, see [Michael Geisler], "The Disposal of Memory" 260, note 65. The film received rave reviews; see Karl Prumm, "Weder abstrakt noch gefuhlsselig," epd/Kirche und Rundfunk (9 Feb. 1983); "Beklemmend," Frankfurter Rundschau (2 Feb. 1983); Peter Steinbach, "Das Lehrstuck von der grossen Illusion," Bild-Zeitung (2 Feb. 1983); and K.H. Kramberg, "Reprasentanten einer Zeit," Suddeutsche Zeitung (2 Feb. 1983); see also the internal ZDF review of Monk's script by Elke Gilliotte-Redlich dated 25 June 1980. Marta Feuchtwanger was also very pleased with the TV play, see her letter to the ZDF dated 23 Feb. 1983. Incidentally, Die Geschwister Oppermann was the first German production ever broadcast in Israel, see "Israel sah deutschen TV-film," Badische Neueste Nachrichten (16 Feb. 1983).