Heimatfilme 1945-55: Austrian Identity Reconstructed through the Alpine Image

Authors

Shane D. Peterson, Brigham Young University
Dr. James K. Lyon, Brigham Young University

College

Humanities

Department

German and Russian

Abstract

Approximately one-third of Austrian cinema during the mid-1950s was composed of the genre of Heimatfilme (Homeland films) which depicted country landscapes, especially the alpine terrain, in a mythical and nostalgic light. Though often dismissed as trivial and therefore largely unexamined on their own visual terms, these films depict “an intact, guiltless, eternal Austria” through the prolific imagery of natural settings. Indeed, so significant is the role of the Austrian landscape that it is listed alongside the actors in the credits of the 1954 film Echo der Berge (Echo of the Mountains) , a film whose lead actor, Rudolf Lenz, said that a return to nature was perhaps the only way for his nation to once again find “inner peace and harmony” after World War II.

Recommended Citation

Peterson, Shane D. and Lyon, Dr. James K. (2013) "Heimatfilme 1945-55: Austrian Identity Reconstructed through the Alpine Image," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2013: Iss. 1, Article 803.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2013/iss1/803