Guide to East German poster collection film series
George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center
Fenwick Library, MS2FL 4400 University Dr. Fairfax, Virginia 22030 Business Number: 703-993-2220 Fax Number: 703-993-8911 speccoll@gmu.edu URL: https://scrc.gmu.edu
Funded in part by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources
Jordan Patty
Repository
George Mason University. Libraries. Special Collections Research Center
Identification
C0208
Title
East German poster collection film series 1947-1995
Quantity
3060 posters
source
Wongel, Gisela
source
Wittkugel, Klaus, 1910-
source
Westphal, Fred
source
Wendt, Horst
source
Wendlandt, Lars
source
Rosié, Paul, 1910-1984
source
Müller, Rudolf Felix
source
Lenk, Eberhard
Creator
Hill, Thomas
source
Lauenroth, Ernst
source
Baltzer, Hans, 1900-1972
source
Bofinger, Manfred
source
Brandt, Gernot
source
Claus, Matthias
source
Ebel, Heinz
source
Ehbets, Christoph
source
Geffers, Kurt
source
Grüttner, Erhard
source
Grüttner, Roswitha
source
Handschick, Heinz
source
Heller, Bert
source
Klemke, Werner
source
Kummert, Otto, 1936-
source
DEFA
source
Progress Film-Verleih
source
Progress Film-Vertrieb (Berlin, Germany)
source
Sovėksportfilʹm (Firm)
Location
MC 5.1 - 5.5; 6.1 - 6.5; 7.1, 7.2
Language
German
.
Abstract
These posters document the cinematic heritage of the DDR and represent the films through both abstract works and interpretations
of scenes from the films. The posters range in size from 21 x 57.5 cm to 84 x 59.5 cm. Although the posters date from 1947-1995,
the majority fall between 1950 and 1990.
There may be restrictions on reproduction - SCRC staff will evaluate on a case by case basis.
Access Restrictions
Collection is open to research.
Preferred Citation
East German poster collection film series, C0208, Special Collections Research Center, George Mason University Libraries.
Acquisition Information
Purchased from Thomas Hill in 2009.
Processing Information
Processed by Sean Tennant and Alexa Potter in 2010-2011. EAD markup completed by Jordan Patty in 2011. Finding aid updated
by Amanda Menjivar in July 2022 and October 2023.
Processing supported by a grant from the Council on Library and Information Resources.
The cinema of East Germany is strongly identified with the studio Deutsche Film-Aktiengesellschaft (DEFA) and the distributor
Progress Film Vertrieb, which later became VEB Progress Film Vertrieb, and then Progress Film Verleih. The Soviet Military
Administration created DEFA following the end of World War II and the establishment of the military districts that divided
Germany. In 1949 the newly formed Deutsche Demokratische Republik (DDR) developed DEFA into a film studio with strict guidelines
for creating works that favored socialist prospectives. Even though the strict rules on content limited the number of films
created by DEFA, the number of films distributed by Progress Film Vertrieb increased as more and more cinemas opened. By the
1970s, Progress Film Vertrieb distributed films from 30 countries. In addition to distributing films to cinemas, Progress
Film Vertrieb also sponsored film festivals.
These posters document the cinematic heritage of the DDR and represent the films through both abstract works and interpretations
of scenes from the films. The posters range in size from 21 x 57.5 cm to 84 x 59.5 cm. Although the posters date from 1947-1995,
the majority fall between 1950 and 1990. The collection includes a poster for the 1965 DEFA production of "The Rabbit is Me,"
which was banned by the DDR as anti-socialist. Another poster for "Your Unknown Brother," a film that was nominated for the
Cannes Film Festival, was withdrawn by DDR officials. A poster for "Jacob the Liar," the first and only DDR film to be nominated
for an Academy Award in 1975, was not released to the public until 1989. A significant portion of the posters are for films
produced outside the former Eastern Bloc, but they often promote socialist concepts or have socialist undertones. For example,
one of the posters advertises for "Trading Places," an American film about two wealthy capitalists manipulating the marketplace
and their downfall arranged by a homeless black man and a white former employee of the capitalists. Most of the films from
other countries are from the former Soviet Union and other Communist countries.
In 2021, GMU Professor Samuel Huneke led the completion of the East German Poster Database
, a project funded by a Fenwick Fellowship. The posters from each of the East German poster collection series can be searched
in this database.