New Books Network Jakub Gortat, "Remembering National Socialism in Austrian Post-war Film" (1945-1955) (Brill, 2025)
Oct 29, 2025
Jakub Gortat, an Assistant Professor specializing in Austrian and German cinema, delves into the complexities of memory politics in post-war Austria. He highlights how films from 1945-1955 often avoided confronting the Nazi past, reflecting a national myth of victimhood. Gortat contrasts Austrian and German cinema, noting how narrative techniques downplayed war realities. He evaluates the impact of filmmakers' former Nazi ties on storytelling and recommends key films to better understand this era's cinematic landscape.
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Cinema Shaped Postwar Memory
- Cinema was the dominant public medium in 1945–1955 and shaped collective memory widely across Austria.
- Jakub Gortat uses box-office and archival data to show film's power to normalize selective narratives.
Victim Myth Replaced Responsibility
- Austrian filmmakers emphasized prewar Habsburg nostalgia and avoided deep engagement with National Socialism.
- The Moscow Declaration's victim narrative was adopted while Austria's co-responsibility was largely suppressed.
Austrian Films Downplayed Ruin
- Unlike German rubble films, Austrian postwar cinema largely omitted ruins and trauma, favoring optimistic recovery stories.
- Films reduced WWII to a brief catastrophe quickly remedied by Austrian industriousness.
