ABSTRACT

In its retrieval and (re)construction, the past has become interwoven with the images and structure of cinema. Not only have mass media—especially film and television—shaped the content of memories and histories, but they have also shaped their very form. Combining historicization with close readings of German director Ernst Lubitsch's historical films, this book focuses on an early turning point in this development, exploring how the medium of film shaped modern historical experience and understanding—how it moved embodied audiences through moving images.

chapter |9 pages

Introduction: Cinematic Historicity

chapter 1|26 pages

Screening Pasts through Carnal Presence

chapter 2|25 pages

Entangling Histories

chapter 3|26 pages

History Class at 16 fps

chapter 4|25 pages

Clio in Crisis