Thomas Mann: His Life and Work

(45 min; 1992; English)
Director: Volker Zielke

This rare documentary examines the life and work of German literary icon Thomas Mann, beginning with Mann’s nomination for the 1949 Goethe Prize. His symbolic representation of Germany in exile after the war, and his status as a representative of the liberal, humanist tradition, are juxtaposed against Mann’s private life. The program discusses how his works, such as Death in Venice, explore the disparity between the life of bourgeois convention and desire, a disparity present in Mann’s own life. From the suicide of his eldest son, to his own homosexuality, the film explores the dual identity of Mann as representative of post-war Germany and also as private citizen.