INTERVIEW WITH RAINER ROTHER

As I reach Potsdamer Platz on a windy morning, I notice how much this deserted place, with its glass facades and tall buildings, resembles a film set. The perfect place, then, for my conversation with Rainer Rother, the head of the Deutsche Kinemathek. Upon entering the building of the Deutsche Kinemathek, I am overcome by a mixture of nostalgia and melancholy. Memories of film nights at Kino Arsenal and visits to the film museum in my childhood come to life. But soon, an era will come to an end here: On October 31st, after 24 years, the Deutsche Kinemathek, along with the film museum, will permanently close its doors at Potsdamer Platz – a loss that deeply affects many film enthusiasts.

Rainer Rother warmly welcomes me to his office, which is lined with long shelves filled with countless books on film history. Rother, who has been the head of the Berlinale Retrospective and the Berlinale Classics series since 2006, is one of the central figures in German film history. After completing his doctorate in 1988 and teaching as a lecturer, he led the Kinemathek of the German Historical Museum from 1991, where he curated groundbreaking exhibitions. Since 2006, he has been the Artistic Director of the Deutsche Kinemathek and regularly publishes books, essays, and newspaper articles on current and historical issues related to film.

The central topic of our conversation is his new book German Film, which traces the history of German cinema through 3,000 images and numerous well-researched texts. It is a significant work that brings to life the rich film history from 1895 to today.

Hatje Cantz: I’d like to start with a personal question: Do you remember your first trip to the cinema?

Rainer Rother: My first vivid memory of a cinema visit is Ben Hur (1959). Back then, films often played in theaters for a long time after their release. I saw the film at the Metropol Cinema in Vechta, near Oldenburg.

HC: That must be a strong memory, especially the chariot races.

RR: Yes, the chariot race made a huge impression on me. It’s clear that this sequence is the highlight of the film and is rightly famous for it.

HC: When did you first come into contact with German cinema?

RR: Of course, I watched the Karl May adaptations. Winnetouhad a profound impact on me as a young adult. There was also an initiative at our cinema in Vechta, a sort of film club. The son of the cinema owner was involved, and we watched a wide variety of films, including German films like Die Mörder sind unter uns (1946) and Der Rat der Götter (1950), even DEFA films and documentaries. There was also a social-critical and political context to this. As a critically-minded teenager, I engaged with German cinema from both East and West at an early age.

HC: You’ve written a comprehensive book, German Film, which traces the history of German cinema from 1895 to the present. How did German film begin in 1895?

RR: There’s a wonderful film by Wim Wenders about the Skladanowsky brothers from 1995, which tells their story. The Skladanowskys made the first public screening of moving images at the Berliner Wintergarten Varieté on November 1, 1895. Their technique was inferior to that of the Lumière brothers, and they quickly realized that, adjusting their focus accordingly. But this first screening before a large audience in Berlin remains a milestone. In our archive, we have some of their footage and parts of the Bioskop 2, which they used to film. Thus, the history of German film also begins in our collections in 1895.

HC: German cinema then developed rapidly, especially during the Weimar Republic. Das Kabinett des Dr. Caligari (1920) is a significant example. Would you say this period was a turning point when German films gained international acclaim?

RR: That actually started earlier but was interrupted by World War I. From 1912 onwards, the film production system changed. Previously, films were sold by production companies, but from 1912, particularly due to Asta Nielsen’s success, films were rented out instead. Asta Nielsen was a dazzling figure in film at the time, and her productions like Engelein (1913) or Der fremde Vogel (1911) were successful worldwide. This period between 1912 and 1914 shows that German film already had international appeal before the Weimar Republic. However, the Weimar Republic certainly brought the aesthetically groundbreaking phase that had a lasting impact on German cinema.

HC: When sound films emerged, did that affect the international appeal of German cinema due to language barriers?

RR: Yes, that was a problem for all major film industries. The domestic market became more important, and export became more difficult, especially due to synchronization, which was perceived as very disruptive at the time. Subtitles didn’t catch on. The solution was multilingual versions: the same film was shot in multiple languages with different actors. An example of this is the sound film operetta Der Kongress tanzt (1931), which was internationally successful. But that was a short-lived episode.

HC: Your book follows the chronology of German film history and contains nearly 3,000 images of film posters, stills, and objects from the film museum. What was the particular challenge of this project?

RR: Our goal was to provide a broad insight into our archives and collections. It was important for us that the staff responsible for the collections also presented their areas themselves. This worked very well. Many contributed to this book. We wanted to tell film history as an object history to show that film is an art form that can only be realized collectively. Not only directors and actors are important, but also costume designers, editors, architects, musicians, screenwriters, and makeup artists. Furthermore, almost all images come from our archives.

HC: Is there an object that you think particularly represents the history of German cinema?

RR: Selecting just one object is difficult. However, the architectural plans by Guido Seeber for the glass house in Babelsberg from 1912 are a significant document. It was the first studio outside of Berlin and became the center of the German film industry. Babelsberg developed into the most important film city in Europe.

HC: How do you see the future of German cinema today, especially in light of digitalization and the possibilities of artificial intelligence?

RR: The German film industry is very fragmented. Many companies produce only one film per year. This has its advantages and disadvantages. The downside is the small capital base, which complicates long-term planning. The advantage is the variety of perspectives. However, this can also overwhelm the audience, as hardly anyone can watch 200 German films a year. The real question is how relevant cinema will remain. I’m a big fan of cinema and believe it will continue to be important, especially for large productions. But streaming platforms offer new distribution channels. However, we see a certain reluctance from the platforms, and the series format is showing signs of fatigue. Many series are structured in the same way, which will eventually bore the audience. I think we will see a concentration among streaming services, making it more difficult to find work there.

HC: How will this affect film funding? Should we expect cuts?

RR: The funds politically allocated are still available. However, the revenues generated by the industry itself are decreasing due to falling cinema numbers. This complicates the situation, as production costs are rising while revenues are falling.

HC: Finally, back to the book. The film museum and the Kinemathek will be closed until the end of the year. Can your book be seen as a kind of summary of the permanent exhibition?

RR: Yes, the book is a showcase of the Deutsche Kinemathek. With its nearly 3,000 images, it provides a richer insight into our collections than the permanent exhibition ever could. It’s our response to the current situation, where we don’t have an exhibition, but still want to show that we exist – and that it’s enjoyable to browse through our collections by flipping through the book.

The book is also available in German and as an EBook. 

The interview was conducted by László Rupp in September 2024. 

 published on October 15th, 2024 – László Rupp