简介：DiegoldeneStadtopenedinlateNovember1942.Ananti—Czechmelodramaaboutacountrygirlwhogoestothebigor‘golden’city(Prague),itlooselybelongedtotheHeimatgenre,inthatthecityconstitutesthe‘other'.GoodGermansresideintheHeimat(bydefinitionacityisneveraHeimat)and,inthiscase,workthefarm,whileinthecity,liveinferioranddegenerateCzechs.Thecountrygirl(withaGermanfatherandCziechmother),indefianceofherfather,goestothecitytoheraunt.Hermalecousin,adissoluteCzech,getsherpregnant. Returninghome,shecommitssuicide,asherunhappymotherhadearlier,andinthesamemanner,bydrowninginaswamp.DrowninginaswampwasafatemetedouttowaywardGermansorhalf-Germans,asinthe1935filmFriesennot(FriesiansinPeril),re-releasedayearbeforethisfilmunderthenewtitleDorfimrotenSturm(VillageintheRedStorm)aftertheinvasionoftheSovietUnion. DiegoldeneStadtwasbasedonaplay,DerGigant(TheGiant),byRichardBillingerinwhichtherehadbeennoethnicdifference,allmembersofthefamilybeingGerman.Therehadalsobeennounhappyendingsincethegirlreturnedtoliveonthefarmwithherillegitimateoffspring.(Billinger,whocamefromthesamepartofAustriaasHitler,hadbeensympathetictotheNazicause,thoughhishomosexualitycomplicatedmatters). Inthisfilmthecity—countryconflictwasracialized,theheroineisprovidedwithaCzechmother.AsbefitsNazimisogyny,itisalwaysthemother`sorigins,notthefather’s,whicharetainted.Noteveryonefromthecity,however,isbad:theengineerwhocomestodraintheswampsisasympatheticcharacterwhounderstandsruralproblems.TheengineeroccupiedaspecialplaceinNazithinking.ThoughemphasizingtraditionandrejectingWeimar‘jewish`modernity,Naziscouldnotopposemoderntechnologytoutcourt,sinceitwasneededtostrengthenGermany’seconomicandmilitaryposition.ThisaccountsforsomeoftheambiguitiesinherentintheNaziembraceofmodernity.Nevertheless,thisfilmcoincidedwithaseriesoffilmsconcernedwiththeexodusfromfarmingcommunities.Agriculturehadbecomeevenmoreimportantinwartime,andwomenwerenotexpectedtodesert,especiallywhenmenwereatthefront. Thefather,playedbyEugenKlöpfer,Söderbaum’sfatherinJudSüss,isaharshcharacter;histreatmentofhisdaughtervergingonthesadistic,notuntypicalofhowyoungfemalesaretreatedinHarlanfilms.Thescriptunderwentmanychanges:Goebbelsinterferedtoensurethatthegirldiedattheend.Atonepointthefatherjustifieshismistreatmentofhisdaughteronthegroundsthatsheboreacloseresemblancetoherunfortunate(andwayward)mother.Thepoorgirlisavictim:thehousekeeperwhoencouragedhertogotothecitybecomesengagedtoherfatherandjoinsinpersecutingher.Afterhisdaughterdies,herfatherdecidestobequeathhispropertytotheneighbouringfarmertowhomshehadbeenengaged.‘BloodandSoil'orBlutundBoden,belongedtothevölkischideologyespousedbytheNazis;filmspromotingitwereoftenreferredtoas‘Blubo’films.Insuchfilmsthepatriarchusuallywins.Inthiscase,however,thefather’sfinaldecisionsuggeststhatBoden(soil)hastriumphedoverBlut(blood),additionalevidence,werethatnecessary,ofthedispensabilityoffemales,sincethefarmwillgotosomeonenotblood-related.ThereareechoeshereoftheNazioppositiontothehereditarianprinciple,whichinthiscasehasnottargetedthearistocracyorthemonarch,butabloodrelative(female)whohascommittedRassenschande.Thefarmerbequeathedhisfarmtothemostsuitedperson.justastheNazisweremostsuitedtorunningthestate. SöderbaumdrownedinsomanyHarlanfilmsthatsheearnedherselfthesoubriquettheReichswasserleiche(theReich’sdrownedcorpse).Towomenthefilm’smessage,atatimewhenmanywerenotcontenttoremainonthefarm,wasunmistakable:stayathomeanddoasfathersays.Giventheheroine`staintedorigins,audiencesshouldnothaveexpectedahappyend.ButsinceSöderbaumwasverypopular,somemayhavefeltshedeservedbetter.DiegoldeneStadtwonaprizeattheVeniceFilmFestivalforitscolourcinematography;Söderbaumalsowonanawardforheracting.ThefilmprizemayhavebeenforthenoveltyofaEuropeancolourfilm;theactingprizemayhavebeenanactofkindnesstowardsthewifeoftheleadingfilmdirectorofItaly’swartimeally. from:SusanTegel:NazisandtheCinema(2007),pp184-86…