G. Hauptmann’s novel «Phantom» and its cinematic embodiment

The article deals with the theme of the interaction of literature and emerging cinema on the example of the work of the prominent German writer Gerhart Hauptmann (1862–1946). He was one of the first to see in the new art new opportunities for self-expression. Hauptmann’s attitude to cinema was ambig...

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Main Author: Alexander Voronovsky
Format: Article
Language:Russian
Published: St. Tikhon's Orthodox University 2024-12-01
Series:Вестник Православного Свято-Тихоновского гуманитарного университета: Сериа III. Филология
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Online Access:https://periodical.pstgu.ru/ru/pdf/article/8504
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author Alexander Voronovsky
author_facet Alexander Voronovsky
author_sort Alexander Voronovsky
collection DOAJ
description The article deals with the theme of the interaction of literature and emerging cinema on the example of the work of the prominent German writer Gerhart Hauptmann (1862–1946). He was one of the first to see in the new art new opportunities for self-expression. Hauptmann’s attitude to cinema was ambiguous and changed over the years, but finally his direct involvement in the film adaptations of his works determined the nature of his artistic pursuits. Inspired by the new ideas the German writer returned to his unfinished novel «Phantom» (Phantom, 1922). Despite the exact reproduction of the storyline, the film director Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau and screenwriter Thea von Harbow adapted seriously Hauptmann’s work to their needs. In particular, the accents in the interpretation of the problem of individual freedom are changed, the central character is viewed differently. The director, using brilliantly the visual possibilities of cinematic art, emphasizes the themes and motifs crucial for Hauptmann. Murnau stresses the role of the unconscious discussing the origins of the spiritual enslavement of individual. The director shows how the person loses his self-control due to irrational forces. In the film he demonstrates the private world of the «nervous» person, moving away from the external reality into the world of hallucinations. He shows the central character frustrated and confused in front of the subconscious. In addition, Murnau, unlike Hauptmann, associates the human loss of self-control with the late 19th and early 20th century popular problem of the war of the sexes with its irrational and even demonic elements. Hauptmann’s novel, initially coldly received by critics who reproached the writer for its predominantly entertaining nature, was later reevaluated largely because of Murnau’s interpretation
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series Вестник Православного Свято-Тихоновского гуманитарного университета: Сериа III. Филология
spelling doaj-art-efec6afc893e44b8bd2477fa49795d002025-08-20T03:06:27ZrusSt. Tikhon's Orthodox UniversityВестник Православного Свято-Тихоновского гуманитарного университета: Сериа III. Филология1991-64852409-48972024-12-0180803442http://dx.doi.org/10.15382/sturIII202480.34-426G. Hauptmann’s novel «Phantom» and its cinematic embodimentAlexander VoronovskyThe article deals with the theme of the interaction of literature and emerging cinema on the example of the work of the prominent German writer Gerhart Hauptmann (1862–1946). He was one of the first to see in the new art new opportunities for self-expression. Hauptmann’s attitude to cinema was ambiguous and changed over the years, but finally his direct involvement in the film adaptations of his works determined the nature of his artistic pursuits. Inspired by the new ideas the German writer returned to his unfinished novel «Phantom» (Phantom, 1922). Despite the exact reproduction of the storyline, the film director Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau and screenwriter Thea von Harbow adapted seriously Hauptmann’s work to their needs. In particular, the accents in the interpretation of the problem of individual freedom are changed, the central character is viewed differently. The director, using brilliantly the visual possibilities of cinematic art, emphasizes the themes and motifs crucial for Hauptmann. Murnau stresses the role of the unconscious discussing the origins of the spiritual enslavement of individual. The director shows how the person loses his self-control due to irrational forces. In the film he demonstrates the private world of the «nervous» person, moving away from the external reality into the world of hallucinations. He shows the central character frustrated and confused in front of the subconscious. In addition, Murnau, unlike Hauptmann, associates the human loss of self-control with the late 19th and early 20th century popular problem of the war of the sexes with its irrational and even demonic elements. Hauptmann’s novel, initially coldly received by critics who reproached the writer for its predominantly entertaining nature, was later reevaluated largely because of Murnau’s interpretationhttps://periodical.pstgu.ru/ru/pdf/article/8504g. hauptmann f.w. murnau t. von harbou the novel “phantom” film adaptation german expressionist cinema the theme of freedom conscious and unconsciousг. хауптманн ф.в. мурнау т. фон харбоу роман «фантом» экранизация экспрессионизм в немецком кинематографе тема свободы сознательное и бессознательное
spellingShingle Alexander Voronovsky
G. Hauptmann’s novel «Phantom» and its cinematic embodiment
Вестник Православного Свято-Тихоновского гуманитарного университета: Сериа III. Филология
g. hauptmann
f.w. murnau
t. von harbou
the novel “phantom”
film adaptation
german expressionist cinema
the theme of freedom
conscious and unconscious
г. хауптманн
ф.в. мурнау
т. фон харбоу
роман «фантом»
экранизация
экспрессионизм в немецком кинематографе
тема свободы
сознательное и бессознательное
title G. Hauptmann’s novel «Phantom» and its cinematic embodiment
title_full G. Hauptmann’s novel «Phantom» and its cinematic embodiment
title_fullStr G. Hauptmann’s novel «Phantom» and its cinematic embodiment
title_full_unstemmed G. Hauptmann’s novel «Phantom» and its cinematic embodiment
title_short G. Hauptmann’s novel «Phantom» and its cinematic embodiment
title_sort g hauptmann s novel phantom and its cinematic embodiment
topic g. hauptmann
f.w. murnau
t. von harbou
the novel “phantom”
film adaptation
german expressionist cinema
the theme of freedom
conscious and unconscious
г. хауптманн
ф.в. мурнау
т. фон харбоу
роман «фантом»
экранизация
экспрессионизм в немецком кинематографе
тема свободы
сознательное и бессознательное
url https://periodical.pstgu.ru/ru/pdf/article/8504
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