In this scene from the East German film Divided Heaven (1964), Rita and Manfred have lunch and walk along the city, discussing politics, Waldred and their relationship. Director Konrad Wolf’s central motif is to separate the two characters from the world around them, allowing the pervasive and intrusive architecture of the city to dwarf them in order to make them feel closed in and separated from everyone else. Through the director’s creative use of cinematography, the city asserts itself as a character of its own. The first shot pans along the exterior of a restaurant – a low Continue reading...
