Citation

Wallach K. Ger Stud Rev 2015; 38(1): 17-34.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015)

DOI

10.1353/gsr.2015.0046

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The late Weimar film Der tröumende Mund culminates in the apparent but unconfirmed suicide of its female protagonist, played by Elisabeth Bergner. Bergner, whose background contributed to the film's Jewish reception, and who later claimed to have written the film's screenplay, left Germany and went into exile with director Paul Czinner in 1932. This film and the circumstances of its production and premiere link tragic modes of self-erasure, including the suicides of both many women and many German Jews, to notions of escape, emigration,and reemergence. Its success among Jewish spectators points to its enduring and international appeal. © 2015 by The German Studies Association.

Language: en

Keywords

suicide; Germany; womens status; biography; emigration