Overview

Historical Turns reassesses Weimar cinema in light of the ""crisis of historicism"" widely diagnosed by German philosophers in the early twentieth century. Through bold new analyses of five legendary works of German silent cinema—The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Destiny, Rhythm 21, The Holy Mountain, and Metropolis—Nicholas Baer argues that films of the Weimar Republic lent vivid expression to the crisis of historical thinking. With their experiments in cinematic form and style, these modernist films revealed the capacity of the medium to engage with fundamental questions about the philosophy of history. Reconstructing the debates over historicism that unfolded during the initial decades of moving-image culture, Historical Turns proposes a more reflexive mode of historiography and expands the field of film and media philosophy. The book excavates a rich archive of ideas that illuminate our own moment of rapid media transformation and political, economic, and environmental crises around the globe.

Full Product Details

9780520398825

Table of Contents

Reviews

""Primarily for academic specialists with diverse interests in film and modern intellectual history. . . . [Readers] will profit from grappling with the novel interpretations of Historical Turns."" * Cineaste * ""Historical Turns is an ambitious book, drawing on Baer’s deep familiarity with and understanding of the philosophical discourses around historicism in order to uncover how the films of the Weimar era might not simply reflect, but rather actively intervene in and contribute to those same debates. Intellectually challenging and rigorously argued, Historical Turns not only offers important insight into the films on which it focuses, but also suggests a framework for ways in which scholars might approach film historiography as a whole."" * The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory * “Baer makes a compelling case for approaching films with and as philosophical critique, an approach that can be extended and adapted to a wide range of contexts and concerns. Baer’s book is essential reading for philosophers, historians, and film and media scholars.” * Monatshefte *

""Primarily for academic specialists with diverse interests in film and modern intellectual history. . . . [Readers] will profit from grappling with the novel interpretations of Historical Turns."" * Cineaste * ""Historical Turns is an ambitious book, drawing on Baer’s deep familiarity with and understanding of the philosophical discourses around historicism in order to uncover how the films of the Weimar era might not simply reflect, but rather actively intervene in and contribute to those same debates. Intellectually challenging and rigorously argued, Historical Turns not only offers important insight into the films on which it focuses, but also suggests a framework for ways in which scholars might approach film historiography as a whole."" * The Germanic Review: Literature, Culture, Theory *

Author Information

Nicholas Baer is Assistant Professor of German at the University of California, Berkeley, with affiliations in Film & Media, Critical Theory, and Jewish Studies. He is coeditor of The Promise of Cinema: German Film Theory, 1907–1933; Unwatchable; and Technics: Media in the Digital Age.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available