At the Front: common traitors in West German war films of the 1950s

Wölfel, U. (2015) At the Front: common traitors in West German war films of the 1950s. Modern Language Review, 110 (3). pp. 739-758. ISSN 0026-7937 doi: 10.5699/modelangrevi.110.3.0739

Abstract/Summary

The article looks at the figure of the traitor in 1950s’ West German films about World War II. It focuses on the representation of Wehrmacht soldiers who entertain relations with the Soviet enemy and are therefore seen to betray their nation. The discussion of three well-known films – 08/15, Der Arzt von Stalingrad, and Unruhige Nacht – shows these ‘traitors’ to have a highly ambivalent function: their narrative punishment is part of German post-war exculpation, yet they are also reminders of German guilt and ethical responsibility towards the ‘other’.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/40673
Identification Number/DOI	10.5699/modelangrevi.110.3.0739
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Arts, Humanities and Social Science > School of Literature and Languages > Languages and Cultures > German
Publisher	Modern Humanities Research Association
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