Klassenverhältnisse
Encyclopedia
Klassenverhältnisse, known in English as Class Relations, in French as Amerika, rapports de classe, is a 1984
film by the French filmmaking duo of Jean-Marie Straub
and Danièle Huillet. It is based on Franz Kafka
's unfinished first novel, Amerika.
The German filmmaker Harun Farocki
appears as one of the leads, and the film also features a cameo from American experimental filmmaker Thom Andersen
.
A documentary was made about the filming process, Jean-Marie Straub und Danièle Huillet bei der Arbeit an einem Film.
in Paris is used as a stand-in for the real Statue of Liberty
, and the film features prominently architecture, flora and costuming (including a policeman in a bobby helmet) that is unlikely to be found in the United States. Though Huillet and Straub are both French, the film was shot in German, the language the original book was written in.
where it won an Honourable Mention.
1984 in film
-Events:* The Walt Disney Company founds Touchstone Pictures to release movies with subject matter deemed inappropriate for the Disney name.* Tri-Star Pictures, a joint venture of Columbia Pictures, HBO, and CBS, releases its first film....
film by the French filmmaking duo of Jean-Marie Straub
Jean-Marie Straub
Jean-Marie Straub and Danièle Huillet were a duo of filmmakers who made two dozen films between 1963 and 2006...
and Danièle Huillet. It is based on Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka
Franz Kafka was a culturally influential German-language author of short stories and novels. Contemporary critics and academics, including Vladimir Nabokov, regard Kafka as one of the best writers of the 20th century...
's unfinished first novel, Amerika.
The German filmmaker Harun Farocki
Harun Farocki
Harun Farocki is a German filmmaker.He has made over 90 films, the vast majority of them short experimental documentaries...
appears as one of the leads, and the film also features a cameo from American experimental filmmaker Thom Andersen
Thom Andersen
Thom Andersen is a filmmaker, film critic, and teacher. He attended Berkeley in the early 1960s and then returned to his hometown of Los Angeles to attend USC School of Cinematic Arts, where he studied with Arthur Knight and eventually assisted on Knight's project THE HISTORY OF SEX IN CINEMA...
.
A documentary was made about the filming process, Jean-Marie Straub und Danièle Huillet bei der Arbeit an einem Film.
Cast
- Christian Heinisch as Karl Roßmann
- Nazzareno Bianconi as Giacomo
- Mario AdorfMario AdorfMario Adorf is a German film and stage actor, best known for his lead role in the 1978 film The Tin Drum.-Biography:...
as Der Onkel - Laura BettiLaura BettiLaura Betti was an Italian actress.Born Laura Trombetti in Bologna, this blonde and flamboyant actress started her career as jazz singer. Betti made her film debut in Federico Fellini's La dolce vita. In 1963 she became a close friend of the poet and movie director Pier Paolo Pasolini, for whom...
as Brunelda - Harun FarockiHarun FarockiHarun Farocki is a German filmmaker.He has made over 90 films, the vast majority of them short experimental documentaries...
as Delamarche - Manfred Blank as Robinson
- Reinald Schnell as Der Heizer
- Anna Schnell as Line
- Klaus TraubeKlaus TraubeKlaus Traube is a German engineer and former manager in the German nuclear power industry and presently one of its leading opponents...
as Der kapitän - Hermann HartmannHermann HartmannHermann Hartmann was a German chemist and professor and researcher in physical and theoretical chemistry at the University of Frankfurt am Main...
as Der Oberkassier - Gérard Semaan as Schubal
- Jean-François Quinque as Der Stewart
- Villi Vöbel as Pollunder
Style
As Franz Kafka never visited the United States, the film was intentionally shot in Europe, with the bulk of shooting occurring in Germany. During the opening scene, the replica of the Statue of Liberty located on the SeineSeine
The Seine is a -long river and an important commercial waterway within the Paris Basin in the north of France. It rises at Saint-Seine near Dijon in northeastern France in the Langres plateau, flowing through Paris and into the English Channel at Le Havre . It is navigable by ocean-going vessels...
in Paris is used as a stand-in for the real Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886...
, and the film features prominently architecture, flora and costuming (including a policeman in a bobby helmet) that is unlikely to be found in the United States. Though Huillet and Straub are both French, the film was shot in German, the language the original book was written in.
Awards
The film was entered into the 34th Berlin International Film Festival34th Berlin International Film Festival
The 34th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from February 17 to February 28, 1984.-Jury:* Liv Ullmann * Jules Dassin* Edward Bennett* Manuela Cernat-Gheorghiu* Lana Gogoberidze* Tullio Kezich* Steffen Kuchenreuther...
where it won an Honourable Mention.