Friday, February 1, 2008

who owns the world?


What is Brecht's "small seminar on realism"? In other words, how does Brecht conceive of/understand/define realism?

film still from Kuhle Wampe (or Who Owns the World?)

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22 comments:

Anonymous said...

Brecht believes realism is the ability to show humanistic qualities in his film. Since the topic at hand discusses the reality of the suicide and how Young Bonike is seen as a real boy, Brecht believes realism ties in with the human emotions present in daily life. Therefore, he shows this realism in the young boy's removal of his watch. This shows that he cares about not getting it damaged, a completely illogical action, but nevertheless shows that he has emotions and cares about something. Perhaps the watch had a sentimental value, or his family could sell it for money, so he shows his care for his family and sentiment for the past (if this is indeed a possible interpretation). Also, Brecht ties to show realism by representing the masses of people dealing with this situation. He defends himself by representing the rest of the people as alive and not trying to commit suicide, and in the world, not everyone is trying to commit suicide, but instead tries to deal with the situation at hand. The contrast of different ways people handle things is also a representation of how human beings react differently to emotions they experience, for example, fear and pity. Brecht does not agree with the officer's view on reality since he feels as though he has represented the human emotions and society with realism. He feels as though he's been true to society and has truly represented the humanistic aspects of life. However, does Brecht really think he is right, because he does say he relies on the falsehood. Perhaps then, Brecht could be agreeing with the film critics in how his depiction of the suicide is mechanical and lacks human emotions. So now I'm confused, but when Brecht says this is the policeman's p.o.v. I will assume that he believes his depiction of his film is accurate realistic.

February 2, 2008 at 11:07 PM
Anonymous said...

Brecht , Dudow, and Eisler produced a film called Kuhle Wampe “which depicted the desperate condtion of the unemployed in Berlin.” This itself is realism to Brecht. The film showed the suicide of a young man who was unemployed. People see the reality of Berlin’s life through this film. The censor is a policeman who described how he felt about the suicide scene. Well the censor objected to Brecht’s portrayal of realism, he claimed that “I fault your depiction in that it does not seem human enough…His actions are merely used to make a political statement.” I agree with the censor with the fact that Brecht is trying to make a political statement about the economy and reality of Berlin. However, even though the film seems like a political statement, there is still insightful realism shown through the censor’s suicide. Brecht stated that the characteristics they gave their jobless young man were pure realistic qualities. He took off his watch before he hurled himself out the window, this shows that he is still human, and this film becomes more realistic. Brecht called the censor’s speech a “small seminar on realism. From the policeman’s point of view.” This shows that every man’s perception of realism is different, and it is up to the viewers to make their own interpretation.

February 3, 2008 at 1:16 PM
Anonymous said...

In Kuhle Wampe,Brecht represents realism through the family, portraying their hardships and struggles to even pay the rent. I think Brecht defines realism as the everyday struggle that people go through in their daily lives and how they accept that hardship and put it to good use, maybe as something to push them to do better, or just keep it within and ultimately commit suicide, like Young Bonike. I think this is realistic of the time because many people suffered and decided they didn't want to go through that again.
Young Bonike, I think, wanted to get away from everything. It wasn't his fault he couldn't find a job, which was a real problem during this era in Berlin. Realism, in this film, is represented by the disgruntled family, the sister meeting for a rendezvous, the boy trying to help his family. Though it seems that Brecht is perhaps implying suicide is a common affair, I think he's showing the ideal family. Some people can't handle the stress, while others handle it with violence, or others take it in stride, which is what I think Brecht is trying to show in his film.
Having Young Bonike remove his watch, like Sacha said, probably had some sentimental value or would buy enough money to pay for his family's rent. I am also, like Sacha, a bit confused when he stands up for his film, relying "strictly upon falshehood." If he really wanted to portray real German society as a film, I'm not sure he should rely on his falsehood. As for the destiny of the individual, I think each person chooses his destiny, which is a realistic ideal in today's society and may as well have been in Berlin at the time. Just because Brecht portrayed Young Bonike's suicide as his destiny doesn't mean other individuals do. Overall, I think he portrayed Berlin society as realistic as he possibly can; it enables the viewers to feel for them and realize that this is what was going on in the world.

February 3, 2008 at 2:19 PM
Anonymous said...

After taking a look at Brecht's work and reading some of the comments I had some interesting insights. Sasha touched on something that I found very interesting, "young boy's removal of his watch. This shows that he cares about not getting it damaged". I agree with this anslysis but i also feel that there may be another side to this action. Although he may want to save it for his family i feel it may have been an act of depression. He is planning on commiting suicide and i think that his action of removing his watch suggests that he holds the watch in higher reguard than himself. I think that he feels that if he kills himself with the watch on, that maybe the watch itself will die as well... Over all his examiniation into the suicidal tendencies of people like him i feel is rather gripping, and rather depressing in its own right. Brecht is a realist, and he conveys his realistic feelings toward depression, suicide, unemplyment, Berlin, etc through this story.

February 3, 2008 at 4:30 PM
Anonymous said...

Is the only way to answer this blog question by viewing the film? Or is there an article/ film clip online? Judging by all the fun interesting comments here, I really want to see the film, but couldn't since all the viewing times were during my classes =(

February 3, 2008 at 4:57 PM
Anonymous said...

The censor reveals that society pushes a man to commit suicide because the man cannot earn money. On the other hand, Brecht reveals that art should reveal the reality that many Germans of different backgrounds were upset with the political, economic, and social instability of the time. He does so by using a man in the film that commits suicide who belongs to the middle class. I believe Brecht tells us with his srceenplay that men of all social classes were faced with emotional problems. There were many different people of different social classes who were upset with the government of Germany during the depression in the 30s and Brecht captures this.

February 3, 2008 at 5:31 PM
Anonymous said...

Brecht's view on realism was different than that of the censor's definition. Realism in Brecht's point of view, I believe, is that he wants to show the people how things really are and be real about it in any situation. The censor was complaining that Brecht showed the unemployed man committing suicide, which might in return make all the other unemployed people think that doing that is the answer, instead of it driving them to go find a job. Brecht, Dudow and Eisler strongly disagreed. Brecht mentioned how there were thousands of others out of work who didnt think about committing suicide. In return, he was told that he didn't show how to stop suicide or didn't even attempt to stop the man from committing suicide in the film. Brecht strongly opposed this. His job was not to create an anti-sucide film, where he's trying to send the message of people to not commit suicide if they are unemployed. His job was to get the point of realism across, and he showed that it is possible that something like this could happen. He is not a "policeman" where he is trying to deter it from happening. he is just merely showing how real the situation is.

February 3, 2008 at 5:59 PM
Anonymous said...

Brecht was a Marxist who explored his political views through theatre and cinema. Although many people at the time chose to use art as a means to destroy institution, Brecht hoped to recreate the meaning of art through theatrical production and brought his works into social use. Kuhle Wampe, which is the only movie which he was actually accredited for gave him the opportunity to express himself through social commentary . His Brechtian theatre discussed popular ideas and themes to create a modernist realism. Realism essentially is the practice of fidelity in art and literature to real life and to accurate representation without idealization. Brechtian theatre does just that, portrays society as it is, without over-exaggerating the minute details.

February 3, 2008 at 8:38 PM
Anonymous said...

In order to present his idea of realism to the general public, Brecht does so through his film, Kuhle Wempe. And in order to reach out to his audience in the strongest sense, he uses pathos, or appeal to his audience's emotion. Brecht depicts the daily life of an average family. This helps the audience be able to put themselves in the same situation and be more easily empathetic of the family they are watching. He shows how the family counter the obstacles of their lives. Every single human being at one point in their lives have gone through struggle, and so the viewers can understand the tribulation the characters in the story are going through. By arousing feelings of empathy among the audience, the audience would feel more drawn to each characters and almost see them as real people.

February 3, 2008 at 8:44 PM
Anonymous said...

Brecht’s realism is showing the reality of things and not hiding the truth of the current situation. He shows this through portraying the struggles of millions of German workers searching for employment. Brecht focuses particularly on one German family and how the social and economic discontent eventually drives the boy to commit suicide. This German family is a representation of hardships that were faced by many people during the depression. The fact that Brecht only shows the suicide of one individual among the many workers reveals that suicide were not very common occurrences though it still happened. It also gives a realistic insight on how different people were dealing with the problems of current society.

February 3, 2008 at 8:52 PM
Anonymous said...

I agree with Christina's interpretation about Brecht. Realism, as Brecht sees it, is the want to show people reality in all different situations. The censor's main complaint was that Brecht was to extreme in depicting the unemployed man committing suicide, which may have given people the wrong idea for what to do and how to react to unemployment. His intention was to spark people's 'want' for getting a job. Brecht replied to this by showing that many people saw the true message behind his attempt at change. Brecht shows that art can and should reveal the reality that many Germans of the time were facing. The reality of the unemployed man commiting suicide was a strong message and was perhaps needed to show the German people the drastic effect unemployment can have on their own kind.

February 3, 2008 at 8:54 PM
Dana said...

In Kuhle Wampe, Brecht depict realism through presenting a humanistic journey through suicide in the play. Brecht argued and stressed to the censor that the scene of the suicide was inspired by "this pure human trait," despite the censor's reasoning that no one denies Brecht the right to portray suicide. Brecht's main focus in representing realism is by emphasizing greatly on the emotions that are attached to human acts.

February 3, 2008 at 8:55 PM
Anonymous said...

The life of the watch was more valuable than his own life. Upon reading Bretch’s censor debate, the action of taking off his watch was the most human trait alone, which inspired the entire scene. The removal of the watch made an attempt to humanize the rather stereotype, mechanical, and superficial character of Young Bonike.

Brecht depicts "realism" through the human hardships and endeavors caused by the economic recession. Upon viewing the film clip, Brecht portrays, or tries to portrays realism of the hardships faced by Young Bonike by various, demoralizing scenes. Some of them include the scene of the bicyclers going around finding jobs, but end up being frustrated by the lack of jobs being offered to them. Next, even his own dad berates his own son, by agreeing that he is "good-for-nothing." Actions such as these adds layers of hatred, anger, resentment, and hopelessness for our Young Bonike. This is the type of "realism" that Brecht is portraying.

<3

February 3, 2008 at 10:18 PM
Anonymous said...

Brecht defines realism as the everyday struggles people go through, how they react to them and the choices they make in response to them. In Kuhle Wampe, the Young Bönike is an unemployed young man who commits suicide, and right before he does he removes his watch and sets it down. Brecht is showing how the young man responded to unemployment. The censor argues that he believes they were portraying unemployed men as committing suicide in response to unemployment and that they were sending the wrong message. I disagree. What Bretch could mean that the censor delivered a “small seminar on realism” from the policeman’s point of view is that the policeman would have seen the action not the meaning behind it. I believe Bretcht is portraying how people’s personal struggles invoke illogical responses. For example, the characters in the film where saying that the young man had the best years of his life ahead of him. They seem to find it illogical that he would commit suicide. Another example is Young Bönike setting his watch down so it doesn’t get broken. Why would he care if he was going to die? Maybe, as Sacha pointed out, it had sentimental value, or maybe his parents could sell it if it’s worth something. Maybe the watch represents how not even time is fixing personal struggles?

February 3, 2008 at 10:35 PM
Alex Roth said...

Brecht's depiction of realism in Kuhle Wampe reveals that there is truth in humanity, that our actions are overpowered by emotion and are inevitably guided by our values and beliefs. For example when Bonike takes his watch off, this reveals his vulnerabilities in being a boy, in caring for conditions of beauty and abhoring such things as destruction. The boy can see the desparity of his life, the hopeless unemployment he faces, the suicide he is about to commit, yet he can't help noticing simple things as his watch that can make a difference. This is because his humanity makes him appreciate the sentimental value of the watch,or realize how he could use it to help his family. Brecht uses this scene to make Young Bonike real, showing that it isn't weakness or fear that has driven to suicide, but rather his humanity after realizing the hoplessness of the situation in Berlin. This scene and others like the one in which the men are riding bicycles around Berlin seeking jobs are desperate situations that reveal Brecht's use of realism because it captures their humanity. These scenes evoke compassion, sadness, and understanding from the viewer because such feelings are relatable, as everyone has experienced them before. Brecht thus depicts realism through scenes expressing and evoking emotions that capture humanity at its most vulnerable status.

February 4, 2008 at 1:46 AM
Anonymous said...

I did not get to see the film, is there any way I can borrow it to watch it? It sounds interesting...

February 4, 2008 at 1:46 AM
Anonymous said...

Sorry! I didn't realize I could base it on the section from the HCC, it seemed as though everyone had seen the movie or something!

Brecht uses realism through this film to portray life and emotions are what is needed to make something realistic. The emotions provoked in this film from anger to sadness to consideration play off the realism. The anger and hopelessness of the young boy shows his humanity, his desire to just end his life proves that his life existed in a sense. Suicide is a touchy subject and by emphasizing his last thing before his death as the removal of his watch, Brecht shows his emotion and love for his family though he is giving up on life. It is ironic that he would put pain on them by dying but still be considerate enough to leave the watch so that it doesn't get damaged. The emotions he feels and the love he has for his family shows realism according to Brecht. Brecht's view on realism, I believe, is one's ablity to feel emotion and in which real things can happen so that the people in the story are viewed as real.

February 4, 2008 at 2:45 AM
Anonymous said...

REALISM IN GERMANY= UNSTABLE CONDITIONS, INFLATION, UNEMPLOYMENT, DEATHS, SHORTAGES, NO HOPE....this is what I believe is depicted by realism. What is depicted by the political figures who try to hide the truth by their pretty pictures=LIES.
In this film the realism of a young unemployed man is depicted. Young Bönike commits suicide because it goes to show the amount of destruction the absence of hope can have. Everyday, Young Bönike would ride his bicycle in hopes of finding work. Through these films, directors are able to depict reality-and thus the film serves its purpose. There was no hope left for Young Bönike, and his family continuously blamed him for their struggle, despite the plaque that hung on the wall of their family kitchen, “Lament not the morning that toil and labor brings. It is so nice to care for people that one loves.”

February 4, 2008 at 11:48 AM
Anonymous said...

Brecht uses realism to show that suicides during this period in time existed, although they were not very high in numbers. This piece shows that hardships were prevalent everywhere and that most everyone needed to find work, yet even in this horrible situation, suicides were not very prevalent probably because people would rather try to succeed than take the cowards way out by committing suicide. Also, this piece shows the realism of the time that people were so desperate that they would commit suicide because they see no better way out. By following only one family, the piece shows a realistic mirror to society at this time and of the hardships that were not uncommon during this time period. Thus the world at this time seemed to be ruled by unemployment and those trying to escape that world.

February 4, 2008 at 11:59 AM
Anonymous said...

Art should express the reality of thing, how people feel about their current life and what is going on in their country. IN this case with Germany, many people were disappointed with the economy of the time, how it is continually unstable, and people were always unsure of what was to come. People were angered because Brecht did not censer at all a man who was financially or in some form or another in other trouble, committing suicide. People were mad because they were thinking that he was telling them that, the best way to get out of you hardship is to commit suicide.

February 4, 2008 at 12:15 PM
Anonymous said...

I would say that to Brecht realism is a form of art that is taken at face value. There is less symbolism than might be expected in a piece of art, there is very little abstraction. Brecht's film saw a young boy who, suffering the same plight as many many German's feels the need to take his own life. He says when he says in his argument with the censor that he lied when he tried to put a different spin on the film, saying that first part of the film was basically constructed around the boy taking off his watch. I think that in truth the film is very much face value. It was meant to say possibly exactly what the censor read from it, being that the German working class is doomed. I think that to Brecht Realism is not so much the art of showing something pretty or telling a story, but showing something true, conveying a truth, and the truth his film was conveying is that the working class is in big trouble.

February 5, 2008 at 5:40 PM
Erin Trapp said...

There were a lot of things in these posts that i thought were really insightful, and that i agreed with: that realism is about representing everyday struggle, about showing a "fidelity to real life," about showing emotional hardship, or human hard times. I also agree with those that focused on Brecht's realism as something that exposed the real conditions of the world (who owns it, by the way?) or exposed social reality as a coercive force, ruled by rich liars. I also agree that Brecht's realism deals with unemployment and the hopelessness of the working class, which people towards the end of the posting started to identify (keith, ryan, kyle).

Initially, some of you referred to the phrase that Brecht responds to the censor with as a point of confusion: "I relied strictly upon falsehood." What Brecht describes in the rest of this paragraph is a lie--he did NOT want to show the humanity of the worker. He says he does here because the censor critques "the manner" in which Brecht had "depicted" the suicide. Why? According to the censor, it's not human enough. Brecht says he relied upon "falsehood" because he tries to convince the censor that he was only interested in showing the "humanity" of this single worker--hence his evidence that there were others shown in the film that had not "committed suicide." The censor, according to Brecht, seems to be afraid that the film sends the message that (as keith points out in his comment) workers should kill themselves, i.e. that it is so bad that no government plan will make it better, etc... The censor's criticism, that the suicide was presented as "a mechanical sort of thing," is to Brecht the greatest praise. Why? Why does BRECHT want the presentation to be mechanical and NOT want the viewer to relate to the character in a "human" sort of way? another way of putting this question is: why does Brecht choose "montage" as an aesthetic style rather than "expressionism"?

February 6, 2008 at 2:57 PM

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