Dismantling the Dream Factory

The book offers a fresh perspective on postwar German cinema, challenging the narrative of failure by examining ten key films from the late 1940s and 1950s. It highlights the emergence of a 'women's cinema' that catered to a predominantly female audience, focusing on genres, stars, and storytelling techniques that resonated with women. Hester Baer enriches her analysis with diverse sources, including promotional materials and reviews, to reconstruct the films' reception context. This work sheds light on a transformative era in German cinema following the Nazi regime's impact.