Grant R. Jackson and Dr. Hans-Wilhelm Kelling, Germanic and Slavic Languages

After World War II and the end of the Nazi regime in 1945, the countries involved not only had to rebuild cities and homes, but also their lives and outlook on life. Germany’s rebuilding process has naturally received the most attention from historians, leaving smaller countries like Austria relatively overlooked. Dr. Hans-Wilhelm Kelling decided to research the cultural reconstruction that took place in postwar Austria. He wanted to focus on how a variety of societal aspects influenced the rebuilding process between 1945 and 1955, not only to better understand how Austria recovered after World War II, but also how nations recover after such events in general. I was asked to research how Austrian postwar films aided Austria’s recovery.

My goal regarding this research was very simple. During our stay in Vienna, Austria I was first going to find every library, institution, museum, or archive that had any sources on Austrian films produced between 1945 and 1955. I assumed that Vienna would have sources that would be in no way available in the United States, so it was very important to find those and bring those back with us to America. I was able to collect all of the most relevant secondary sources on this topic from the Austrian Film Museum, the Austrian National Library, and the Austrian Film Institute archives. Along the way I was able to establish good professional relationships with a variety of experts in this field. For example, The Austrian Film Institute archives and the Film Museum were both closed for the summer. However, I was fortunate enough to be able to talk with the appropriate people about what I wanted to research in the limited amount of time I had in Vienna. The researchers at The Austrian Film Institute gave me private showings of whatever films I wanted to view. The Austrian Film Museum librarians allowed to me use the library anyway and had all the books on postwar Austrian film on a table waiting for me as I first walked in. Learning how to relate and work with people to accomplish research goals was one of the most significant and enjoyable things I learned about research in completing this research project.

After gathering all the significant sources I could find, I then began to review the literature. What films were the most important and by what standards? What films were designed to help Austrians cope during the aftermath? What films portrayed the events of the war and how were they received? I found that many Austrian films produced during this rebuilding period provide great insight into how Austria rebuilt their social, cultural, and national identity, but have not received much attention from historians and researchers. One author on Austrian film provides a thorough account on how Austrian films have often been neglected or mislabeled in various books about European film. At this point, we were excited that we were not only researching a nation that been relatively neglected by historians and researchers, but also a neglected cultural aspect of a neglected nation. This conclusion was further substantiated when we returned. While researching this topic at the university library, as well in a variety of journals and online databases, we found next to nothing.
During the research process up to this point, a variety of things took place that required us to take a different approach. I was no longer going to write one section of an article that Professor Kelling was going to publish. I was simply to write and publish my own paper on the role that film played in the cultural reconstruction of Austria after World War II and Professor Kelling would be my mentor. It was in the early stages of the write-up that we had some difficulties.

We were able to collect the majority, if not all, of the significant secondary sources in Vienna pertaining to our topic, but we realized that it would be difficult to write a paper based only on what we had. Also, there are only a few films from that time period that are actually able to be bought. We were able to bring home two of the three that were available for purchase. Professor Kelling had one already, giving us a total of three (“Der Hofrat Geiger,” “Abenteuer in Wien,” and “Asphalt”). We decided that it was necessary to narrow our focus from how Austrian film (in general) influenced the cultural reconstruction of postwar Austria to how these three films in particular did so.

“Der Hofrat Geiger” tells the story of a man (Geiger) who sets out to meet his daughter for the first time. This film is referred to as a “Heimat” (homeland) film and was the most popular and successful film of the years following World War II. Such “Heimat” films were designed to promote all the wonderful cultural and geographical elements Austria has to offer. This film, like other “Heimat” films, was influential in helping the Austrian people focus on the goodness and beauty of Austria and Austrian culture and not focus on the postwar status of their beloved land. It reminded them of how Austria once was and to what it will one day return.

“Abenteuer in Wien” is a film that, symbolically, deals with the concept of having to find identity after war. As the main character goes about trying to become a legal citizen and gain all the corresponding rights and privileges, many questions regarding “identity” begin to arise. What makes someone who they are? By what means do people measure the worth of others? He eventually finds a solution, but it is a dishonest one. Right before he is about to get away with it, he confesses his dishonesty and goes to jail. Regarding identity, a once dishonest man became an honest man. Official citizenship had nothing to do with it. Although Austria and its soldiers were once in a war they never wished happened, they had the ability to become something else. History could only limit or tarnish their identity as much as they would let it.

“Asphalt” tells the individual stories of five youth and their struggles in postwar Vienna. These teenagers have various problems, but are unable to deal with them on their own. They get little to no support from their family or their homeland. Throughout these stories, the filmmaker takes a very direct approach in illustrating how Austria is not free of problems just because the war has ended and there have been seven years of peace. It is suggested in the film that many problems still exist and need to be addressed. One of the most important ones is the status of the family and how parents raise their children. The filmmaker works hard to fight against postwar complacency and invites viewers to fight as well.

This project has been a tremendous learning experience for me. Not only did I learn about this topic, I learned a lot about research and its intricacies as well as how to work well with research professionals. We are not done yet, however. We are planning on writing and publishing a paper specifically on “Asphalt.” I am sure that this will bring about many good things as well.