PRODUCT INFORMATION
The first film studio to begin operating in post-war Germany, DEFA was officially authorised to begin making films in the Soviet occupation zone in 1946. Overseen by the Soviet Military Administration, one of its primary mandates was to aid in the denazification of Germany by focusing on anti-fascist themes in films that would ruminate on the literal and figurative wreckage left behind by the Third Reich. Often shot on location in the ruins of Berlin, these early DEFA productions have come to be called Trümmerfilme or “rubble films,” and remain some of the most important pictures the studio ever made.
The first film produced in post-war Germany, The Murderers Are Among Ussees a concentration camp survivor return home to Berlin only to find a stranger living in her apartment: an ex-soldier who harbours a terrible secret. Somewhere in Berlinfollows a group of children who spend their days playing in bombed-out buildings and a returning prisoner-of-war seeking a new sense of purpose. In Police Raid, a determined detective leads a crackdown on black marketeers who aim to exploit the chaos of the post-war period to their own advantage. Set during the Nazi era, Marriage in the Shadowscharts the tragic life of an actor and his Jewish wife as they attempt to survive the Third Reich. Finally, The Blum Affairrecounts the true case of a Jewish industrialist who was tried for murder in the 1920s.
Encompassing a range of genres – including the thriller, the police procedural and the courtroom drama – and ranging in visual style from expressionism to stark realism, DEFA’s rubble films are bound together by a concern with the physical and psychological damage wrought by Nazism, World War II and the Holocaust. The Masters of Cinema series is honoured to present all five films for the first time on Blu-ray in the UK, accompanied by a wealth of new and archival extras.
FEATURES:
Limited to 2,000 copies
Limited edition hardcase featuring new art by Carly A-F
Reversible inner sleeve artwork featuring new designs for each film by Scott Saslow
Limited edition collector’s book featuring new writing on the films in this set by German film historians Tim Bergfelder, Daniel Jonah Wolpert, Brad Prager and Mariana Ivanova
All five films presented in 1080p HD from 2K scans of the original 35mm camera negatives by the DEFA Foundation
Optional English subtitles, newly revised for this release
New commentary on The Murderers Are Among Us by crime cinema expert Sergio Angelini
New commentary on Somewhere in Berlin by East German cinema scholar Elizabeth Ward
New commentary on Police Raid by crime cinema expert Sergio Angelini
New commentary on Marriage in the Shadows by DEFA historian Seán Allan
New commentary on The Blum Affair written by Rolland Man and presented by David Melville Wingrove
From the Rubble – new interview with socialist cinema expert Claire Knight on the founding of DEFA and its early productions
Confronting the Past – new interview with Jewish studies scholar Sue Vice on Marriage in the Shadows and The Blum Affair
Crimewave – new video essay by DEFA historian Sebastian Heiduschke on DEFA’s crime cinema
Rebuilding Berlin (1946) – DEFA documentary on the post-war rebuilding of Berlin
Rebuilding Potsdam (1946) – DEFA documentary on the post-war rebuilding of Potsdam
Death Camp Sachsenhausen (1946) - DEFA documentary on the Holocaust and Sachsenhausen concentration camp
The Eyewitness 1946/01 – archival newsreel featuring DEFA’s first animation, Underground Scare
The Eyewitness 1946/08 – archival newsreel featuring a report on the premiere of The Murderers Are Among Us
The Eyewitness 1947/53 – archival newsreel featuring a report on the making of Marriage in the Shadows
Shipping
No, we only ship inside the US
Most orders for in-stock items take less than 24 hours to ship (may take longer if you place an order over the weekend). Pre-orders are shipped as soon as the product arrives. International pre-orders may not come in before the street date. This is especially true with Australian pre-orders.
We only use USPS for all shipments. If there is an issue after your order ships you will need to contact your local post office.
Product
All items that come with a slipcover will say so in the product page.
Pre-orders will not say WITH SLIPCOVER until the product comes in.
Slipcovers are not guaranteed to be in mint condition.
If you can order it, it's either in stock or a pre-order. If an item is out of stock you will not be able to add it to your cart. It's rare but our inventory may not be correct. So in some cases an item may have to be shipped separately.
Other
We do not sell bootlegs. All product arrives from the distributor or is directly from the filmmakers. All items are new and sealed. Some indie titles or signed editions may not have shrinkwrap.