To address the films position as a Nazi film I would focus on how Adam represents what Nazi culture is against. I would focus on all of the dimensions of Adam's character, lack of morals and honesty, his less than perfect physical form, and his extreme disorganization. His corruptness as a judge is clearly something that should be viewed negatively, whether or not the film is looked at through the eyes of Nazis or being viewed as a simple comedy. In the Nazi view this defiance of the law, when put in a broader sense, is a defiance of the social order, which all good Germans should follow. Adam's physical appearance is very important in exemplifying him as something undesirable for the Nazis. He is overweight and clearly not in prime physical form. He also does not seem to be extremely clean, going against the Nazi ideals of excellent and rigorous hygiene. These physical attributes of Adam are the most obvious attributes that can be seen in the movie, even before the plot begins, which helps to very clearly illustrate that he is not what a German man should be. Adam also embodies the chaotic and disorderly pre-Nazi Germany with his clumsiness, messiness, and confusion. Nazis strove for a unified and orderly Germany and Adam is clearly anything but. The ultimate downfall of Adam in The Broken Jug shows the triumph of Nazi ideals over such immoral, unkempt and disorderly men.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Adam as the un-Nazi
Imagine you were writing a paper on the Broken Jug. How would you address its position as a Nazi film? Some helpful ways of thinking of this question (you do not need to use all of them or any of them!) What categories would you use to answer this question? How does the film associate with Nazi culture? How might you organize your argument?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment