Ebook: The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum (Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum)

Upon its release, Margarethe von Trotta and Volker Schlöndorff's The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum (1975) was a pivotal film for the New German Cinema movement. Released in the same year that members of the Baader-Meinhof gang went on trial for their politically-motivated crimes against corporate Germany, the film portrayed a female lead who, facing unjust persecution by the police and the media, resorts to lethal violence.
Julian Preece's study considers what makes Katharina Blum new and radical, a turning point in numerous contexts, especially with respect to women's cinema and the portrayal of the female lead. Drawing on archival material including drafts of the screenplay, brochures and props, reviews and interviews, Preece traces the conception of the film and its development from the original short novel authored by Heinrich Böll, considering the differing contributions of the co-directors von Trotta and Schlöndorff. First-hand accounts by members of the cast and production team, including cinematographer Jost Vacano, producer Eberhard von Junkersdorf, and actors Angela Winkler and Mario Adorf, provide unique insight into the film's production.
Inspiring numerous spin-offs throughout the 2000s, the film's themes continue to resonate with our contemporary moment, particularly in its depiction of a young woman's ordeal in a world run by men. Through an analysis of these adaptations (the most recent from 2014) Preece depicts the film's lasting influence, while also highlighting what makes the original film distinctive.