Post-War German Cinema and the Legacy of Trauma
Wolfgang Staudte’s The Murderers Are Among Us was the first German movie produced in the aftermath of World War II. This movie, written and directed by Wolfgang Staudte, holds a significant place in German cinema history, given that it was the country’s first film production after World War II. Two of the main characters, Dr. Hans Mertens and Susanne Wallner, try to negotiate the repercussions of the war.
Hans Mertens is a shattered man after battling in Poland during the war. According to the film, he is a unique type of physician since he cannot endure seeing his patients bleeding or hearing them cry. Through its innovative use of cinematography and mise en scène, The Murderers Are Among Us depicts Dr. Hans Mertens’s transition from a devastated and shattered soldier to an empathetic person. The movie conveys an essential message of how crucial it is for Germans to face their common guilt and strive toward friendship with the war victims through the figure of Hans. The movie emphasizes how admitting and taking ownership of one’s actions is essential to overcoming the trauma of warfare and moving on.
In the film, two people return to Berlin in 1945 after Germany has been defeated. Former military specialist Hans Mertens (Ernst Wilhelm Borchert), who served in Poland, returned to his homeland as a shattered individual. He presents himself as a specialist who cannot stand watching a patient in agony or seeing blood. He has turned to alcohol to combat his wicked past and erase his memories.
The movie depicts the moral turmoil and psychological damage that Mertens and countless other Germans who came back home after the end of World War II went through. After the Second World War, Germany’s morality was lost, and the film depicts the traumatic events of loss, defeat, death, and destruction (Fryd 3). It additionally emphasizes the challenge of coming to terms with past events and the hurdles of reestablishing a society destroyed by war.
Hans Mertens as a Symbol of Collective Guilt
At the beginning of the movie, Hans is presented as a broken person struggling with the pain and guilt of surviving the war. Even his partner, who has gone on with her life, finds it challenging to connect with him because he is emotionally distant and struggles to build deep relationships. However, as the film advances, Hans experiences a significant transformation reflecting the change in post-war German consciousness. Through Hans, the movie emphasizes the difficulties people and society have when accepting the consequences of their previous deeds and the need to face the uncomfortable facts of the past to go on.
In the years after World War II, many Germans were in a psychological and emotional condition similar to Hans’. Hans is depicted as physically weary and malnourished, representing the difficult living circumstances many Germans endured after the war. This is seen when he struggles with carrying large bags and consumes little food (Staudte 40). The war had destroyed their entire existence, and the country’s psyche had been profoundly scarred by the horrors inflicted by the Nazi dictatorship. Hans is a perfect example of the grief, remorse, and humiliation many Germans experienced after World War II.
Hans, nevertheless, starts to change as the movie goes on. He learns the truth about the crimes carried out by the Nazi dictatorship via his interaction with Susanne (Hildegard Knef), a concentration camp survivor (Fryd 3). Through her, he is forced to confront the misery caused by the war and the part he took in it. This interaction marks a turning point in Hans’ life as he faces his past and accepts ownership of his deeds. It symbolizes how German society changed after the war, when he went from being a broken man to someone ready to fight injustice and violence.
Visual Storytelling
The chessboard’s symbolic meaning in the film alludes to the war’s strategic choices and ensuing effects. Hans can be seen enjoying a cigarette in the club’s cellar while seated at a chessboard. He asserts, “A harmless game involving tin soldiers leads down a short, perilous path…to mass graves”(Staudte 31). His words reveal his disillusionment with warfare and acts of violence.
Following this picture, Staudte switches to a riveting close-up of the front of the home, followed by a photograph of a performer swinging in the air. This sequence of events intends to contrast the gloom of the basement scenario with the jubilation of life and the pleasure of the performance. This scene exemplifies the film’s overarching themes of remorse and the effort to reconstruct after the conflict. Staudte employs this approach to exploit conventional cinematic trends for a greater purpose, linking viewers years afterward with the natural recovery of the original audience.
The scenario in which Hans Mertens is rendered paralyzed by memories of his misdeeds from the past serves as an example of the adverse effects of evading accountability and failing to face one’s past. When Hans Mertens returns to the hospital where he previously worked, he screams after the woman reminds him of his past evils and triggers recollections, paralyzing and immobilizing him. This scene emphasizes the importance of accepting responsibility for one’s previous deeds. Hans’s shouts and immobility symbolize the inner conflict that many Germans went through after the war. Hans starts the healing process and gets over his past by facing his regrets and pain.
The movie shows that accepting responsibility for their acts is the only means for Germans to move beyond their shared guilt and make peace with the victims of war. Hence, this is necessary for society to heal and advance. By including this incident, the author can show how difficult it is for each person to accept their previous behavior. It emphasizes the significance of facing one’s history and accepting responsibility for it to build peace and advance society.
Cinematography and mise en scène are important in communicating the film’s motifs. For example, lighting influences the audience’s affection for particular characters. Susan Wallner is continually illuminated, strikingly contrasting with how Hans Mertens is typically viewed. Mertens is ordinarily perceived as an extremely faint and indistinct character. These elements demonstrate that Susan is a romantic person and Hans is cynical. The illumination’s use of contrast and shadow reflects the gloom and unpredictability of the post-war era. In the final sequence of the film, shadows are remarkably prevalent.
Mertens has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which he confronts with excessive alcohol. His temper is particularly offensive when he discovers a room in Berlin’s ruins, and the previous owner, Susanne, confronts him (Detour, para 2). In contrast, Mertens has an epiphany after the film and, like Susan, is prepared for the future. While the characters’ exteriors are deteriorating, their plight can reveal their inner suffering.
The faces of Susanne and Mertens are used by Staudte to portray the psychological toll that the war had on people and to examine the possibilities of retribution and healing in a society that has been broken (Staudte 26-30). Susanne is shown as a saintly person despite her suffering; her composure and peace of mind are in stark contrast to Mertens’ inner agony. Her pain is written all over her face when she re-enters the town for the first time (Morton). This scenario serves as a symbol of the lasting mental damage caused by exposure to violence and trauma.
The Role of Responsibility, Justice, and Reconciliation
The invasive aspect of these compositions is most apparent when seeing a film in which foreground objects of varying degrees of clarity conceal the action and actors behind them. Staudte is a master at expanding the visual world around his plot stand-ins by employing foreground and background components as shadows. In one scenario, Mondschein (Robert Forsch), whose son died in combat, visits his neighbor, the deceptive astrologer Timm (Albert Johannes), and asks him to send him any news from the grave regarding the soldier who has yet to be found (Fryd 5). This scene sends a message about acknowledging shared guilt and attempting to form relationships with war victims. Timm stands up for those who strive to conceal their guilt and maintain an attitude of denial.
In contrast, Mondschein symbolizes the German individuals who must face the crimes perpetrated during the conflict. Timm’s shadow symbolizes the darkness that envelops those who deny their wrongdoing. Mondschein, on the other hand, sends a strong message of optimism and healing through his determination to face his loss directly and find closure through integrity and openness. Despite his enormous remorse and despair as a German citizen, Hans’ readiness to heed the fortune teller’s forecasts shows his wish to have hope for a better future. Hans agrees to hear Timm, the fortune teller’s, predictions in exchange for ten marks in the hopes of learning something optimistic about his future following the devastating events of World War II.
However, the fortune teller’s depressing remark that “Sometimes it is easy to give people modest delights” suggests that such actions are necessary for the upkeep of civilization (Staudte 47). The fortune teller’s advice to provide individuals with “modest delights” is consistent with the belief that people require occasional relief from hardship by experiencing brief periods of bliss. In instances of crisis, when hope seems impossible, this is especially true. The film’s depiction of post-war Germany reflects the premise that humans are social beings who require one another to survive and prosper.
The movie’s depiction of Herr Brückner highlights the need for people to accept responsibility for their acts and recognize the pain they have inflicted. Justice was still a problem in 1946, though, and Staudte does not hold back when talking about the dreadful aspects of forgetting the past. He introduces the audience to Herr Brückner (Arno Paulsen), a successful businessman who previously served as the Mertens’ commanding officer.
This represents one of the most captivating scenes in the film, as he believes Brückner is culpable for the wartime slaughter of innocent people. This scenario is effective because it illustrates the moral intricacies and discrepancies that arise after the war. Brückner now employs between one hundred and twenty people at his kitchenware production facility. Staudte initially planned for Dr. Mertens to murder Brückner, but his Soviet supporters opposed this plan out of concern that it might incite vigilantes.
Staudte understood that acknowledging his country’s wrongdoing would help both victims and enablers. Still, he genuinely depicts Brückner as a loving father, spouse, and leader in addition to his role as a ruthless murderer of female and young victims. Hans casts doubt on the importance of Brückner’s life and sees it as a means to his prolonged existence (Fryd 5). Hans views Brückner’s presence as a means of extending his misery since he cannot recover from the war’s trauma while Brückner is still free.
It also symbolizes the movie’s primary topic, dealing with past events and the challenges of reconstructing a society after an awful war. The scene supports the movie’s concept that Germans must acknowledge their shared guilt and seek to mend fences with the war’s victims. Hans moves closer to admitting his trauma and working toward reconciliation and recovery by saving Brückner’s life and making him face his guilt.
Transformation, Healing, and Hope for a New Society
Mertens and Susanne’s transformation exemplifies how societal shifts influence individual decisions. Mertens acts as a Mitläufer (yes man) and follows orders to slaughter innocent people during the war. Still, after the war, he complies with the law and brings the infamous murderer Brückner to court and prison (Scatena-Hubbard 61).
This scenario potently illustrates how social changes may affect people’s choices. Mertens was inspired by the time’s dominant ideology and society, which promoted unquestioning devotion and conformity throughout the conflict. Mertens was obliged to face the effects of his conduct since German society’s norms and beliefs had changed due to the war. In the final scene, instead of murdering Brückner, he allows him to be tried for his crimes, thereby setting an example for the residents when foreign armies and distinct legal systems invaded Germany and were established within the occupied regions. Considering the events under Nazi rule around Christmas 1942, including the murders of other innocent individuals, the selection was not arbitrary (Scatena-Hubbard 61).
It is also fascinating to observe how the scene unfolds; it generates the illusion that Brückner first appears behind factory bars, which are then substituted by prison bars, and later shows the casualties of the order he issued during the war. Hans exhibits his readiness to accept responsibility for his acts and get over the trauma of the war by choosing not to pursue vengeance and instead letting justice take its natural course. The choice of Brückner centered on the horrors that occurred under Nazi control around Christmas 1942, further emphasizing this message.
The Murderers Are Among Us illustrates the transformation of Dr. Hans Mertens from a wounded and broken soldier to an empathic person through its inventive use of photography and mise-en-scène. Through the character of Hans, the movie makes a significant point about how important it is for Germans to acknowledge their shared guilt and work toward forming friendships with the war victims. By acknowledging their shame and accepting accountability for their deeds, Germans can start to mend the war’s scars and strive toward forging relations with those who suffered because of them.
The movie emphasizes how crucial this process of recovery and peacemaking is to overcoming the pain of war and forging a better future. Thus, it examines how Germany and the country as a whole were affected by World War II. Intense lighting, shadow, and contrast are used to highlight both Hans Mertens’ inward suffering and the desolate conditions of Berlin in the years following World War II. Given the unusual camera angles and close-up views employed throughout the film, the sentiments and psychological needs of the characters may be more clearly comprehended.
Works Cited
Detour, Noir. “Nazi Noir: The Murderers Are among Us.” B Noir Detour, 2017. Web.
Fryd, Vivien Green. “Walking with The Murderers Are Among Us: Henry Ries’s Post-WWII Berlin Rubble Photographs.” Arts. Vol. 9. No. 3. MDPI, 2020. pp. 1-25. Web.
Morton, Jim. “The Murderers Are among Us.” East German Cinema Blog, East German Cinema Blog, 2010. Web.
Scatena-Hubbard, Debora. “Crossing Over: The Past and the Future Identity in the Murderers Are among Us and the Bridge.” Film Matters, vol. 3, no. 4, Intellect. 2012, pp. 59–64, Web.
Staudte, Wolfgang. “The Murderers Are Among Us.” DEFA Studio. 1946. Web.