Ulrike Ottinger

Ulrike Ottinger

Since 1974, German filmmaker Ulrike Ottinger has created a substantial body of films that explore a world of difference defined by the tension and transfer between settled and nomadic ways of life. In many of her films, including Exile Shanghai, an experimental documentary about the Jews of Shanghai, and Joan of Arc of Mongolia, in which passengers on the Trans-Siberian Express are abducted by Mongolian bandits, she also probes the encounter with the other, whether exotic or simply unpredictable. In Ulrike Ottinger Laurence A. Rickels offers a series of sensitive and original analyses of Ottinger’s films, as well as her more recent photographic artworks, situated within a dazzling thought experiment centered on the history of art cinema through the turn of the twenty-first century. In addition to commemorating the death of a once-vital art form, this book also affirms Ottinger’s defiantly optimistic turn toward the documentary film as a means of mediating present clashes between tradition and modernity, between the local and the global. Widely regarded as a singular and provocative talent, Ottinger’s conspicuous absence from critical discourse is, for Rickels, symptomatic of the art cinema’s demise. Incorporating interviews he conducted with Ottinger and illustrated with stunning examples from her photographic oeuvre, this book takes up the challenges posed by Ottinger’s filmography to interrogate, ultimately, the very practice-and possibility-of art cinema today. Laurence A. Rickels is professor of German and comparative literature at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the author of several books, including The Case of California, The Vampire Lectures, and the three-volume Nazi Psychoanalysis (all published by Minnesota). He is a recognized art writer whose reflections on contemporary visual art appear regularly in numerous exhibition catalogues as well as in Artforum, artUS, and Flash Art.

German Film

Comprehensive German film history German Film. From the Archives of the Deutsche Kinemathek offers a captivating journey through the history of German cinema, from the earliest moving images of 1895 to the present day. This richly illustrated volume opens the Deutsche Kinemathek's archives, illuminating the artistic, technical, political, and social developments that have shaped German film. In twelve chapters, over 420 essays tell the stories of both celebrated and lesser-known films, paying tribute to the creativity of the many personalities who continue to shape German cinema. Featuring more than 2,700 items—from unpublished photographs to historic film posters—the book provides a unique look into a vital cultural heritage. The Deutsche Kinemathek, one of the world's leading institutions for preserving audiovisual history, safeguards this piece of German film legacy for future generations. A must-have for film enthusiasts, history buffs, and fans of German cinema. From the archives of the Deutsche Kinemathek A thoughtfully edited and beautifully produced heavyweight The standard reference on German film history The DEUTSCHE KINEMATHEK is one of the world's leading institutions for the collection, preservation, and presentation of audio-visual heritage. Hundreds of thousands of objects are permanently preserved in its archives and are available for research into film and television history. In addition to scripts, photos, posters, costumes and designs, the collection also includes film equipment. The Kinemathek curates film series and exhibitions and restores and digitizes films. Its diverse activities, including installations, publications, educational formats, and conferences, encourage visitors to discover the world of moving images.

Ulrike Ottinger, a Retrospective