Screening Art

Reviews / Votes

"...this book is about more than postwar socialist cinema. Allan places this moment of political filmmaking in the larger context of 21st-century cinematic history, and he does it effectively...and clearly." * Choice



"Allan's conceptualization, crucially, supports the established ideas of periodization while also challenging and differentiating the monopoly of these ideas through his selection of case studies and split chapters...The selection of films is a refreshing mix of the canonical and films that so far have received little or no academic attention, organized in well interwoven and thematically cross-referenced chapters." * Modern Language Review



"This book is recommended to whoever would like to add a new facet to their image of the DEFA: Sean Allan's monograph is the first that pays tribute to films devoted to art and aesthetics in the GDR." * Filmblatt



"Screening Art is deeply grounded in larger cultural questions that have had little discussion in English-language scholarship. Allan's efforts, both the archival work and the visual analysis, are impressive, and his comprehensive treatment of the most significant cultural-political debates and policies of the GDR is balanced and engaging." * Heather E. Mathews, Pacific Lutheran University



"This is an accessible and fascinating account of the ways in which East German filmmakers made use of art and artists over more than forty years of film production. Allan proves a knowledgeable and reliable guide to the genre, showing how developments in the Kuenstlerfilm were subject to paradigm shifts in art and aesthetics in the GDR." * Nick Hodgin, University of Cardiff