Poisoned or unemployed?
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| Original title | Poisoned or unemployed? |
| Country of production | Germany |
| original language | German |
| Publishing year | 1982 |
| length | 97 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 0 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Bernward Wember |
| script | Bernward Wember |
| production | Rainer Lohmann |
| camera | Bernward Wember |
| cut | Bernward Wember |
| occupation | |
| |
Poisoned or unemployed? is a German television film by Bernward Wember for ZDF 1982. Using the example of the conflict between ecology and economy, the director demonstrated the application of his theory for sustainable information and elucidation of complex relationships with staging means. Wembers film is partisan and provokes the balance that public television is striving for within a single program. Rather, the media scientist questions this claim and points to the obligation of the program providers to internal plurality as a whole.
action
Using the example of the use of chemicals in agriculture, the connection between industry and environmental degradation is discussed. In his standpoint film, the director Bernward Wember tries to bring complex relationships to a common denominator: The use of pesticides leads to the collapse of the ecological balance . This statement is made clear with the help of special stylistic devices and a controversial discussion between father and daughter, farmer and chemical manager. A critical, partisan (television) film, which in an unconventional way prepares the relationship between the chemical industry and agriculture in a media didactic way and thereby reveals grievances and uncontrollable interventions in the natural cycle. It became a political issue when only a heavily abridged version was broadcast on television. (Media Center Hessen)
background
The film title addresses the dilemma: it is about the conflict of interests between the chemical industry and organic agriculture . The way the film was made is revolutionary: Bernward Wember , professor at the University of the Arts in Berlin until 2000, consistently brought his theory of conveying information into the audio-visual medium into the implementation of the topic . The decisive factor for this was the knowledge he gained from previous analyzes in the 1970s, including a .: Objective documentary? (1972) and How does television inform? Circumstantial evidence (1975). Similarly, Wember did without image-text scissors or temporary effects such as audio-visual water heaters. In order to convey the complex topic originally proposed by ZDF: ecology-economy in a sustainable manner, Wember relied not only on real film scenes but also on graphics, trick technology and simplifying model buildings . In addition, he staged play and dialogue passages and had Gustl Bayrhammer take on the role of a critical environmentalist; on behalf of the author and with a clearly named position.
Film critics accused the film of being long-winded and didactics that reduce emotions . Nevertheless, Wember's film contained a high level of clarity: in the event of a TV broadcast or subsequent further exploitation of the original film version, the chemical industry, specifically BASF , Bayer AG , Hoechst AG , threatened both the ZDF and the director with legal Steps.
Finally got poisoned or unemployed? as a 60 min. short version on July 21, 1982, also interrupted in some places by an accompanying discussion round, broadcast on ZDF. After several years of negotiation, with obligations to delete the commentary, a special foreword, it was awarded as 97 min. Long version by Atlas-Film + AV, Duisburg.
Reviews
"Formally revolutionary, didactically brilliant, ruthlessly one-sided in work and tendency - a refreshing public nuisance behind the question 'Poisoned or unemployed?' the 'dispute between environmental protection and economic interests'. "
“The qualitative difference between this film and the usual television preparation of 'difficult topics' lies in Wember's approach to film policy. The viewer is not treated as a dull, staring creature, but rather ties in with his mental abilities and emotional interests. "
"In a dialogue with his film daughter Eva Mattes, Bayrhammer guides us through the film, which depicts the cycles of nature and chemistry in an initially unusual, gradually increasingly fascinating picture story, which drastically shows the dependence of agriculture on industry."
“A critical, partisan (television) film, which in an unconventional way prepares the relationship between the chemical industry and agriculture in a media didactic way and reveals abuses and uncontrollable interventions in the natural cycle. It became a political issue when only a heavily shortened version was broadcast on television and subsequent evaluation by other media (video, 16 mm) was questioned after protests by the chemical industry. Finally, a version came into the distribution, which is introduced by a 15-minute comment from the director and whose sound had to be deleted at certain points, while a correction from the industry was recorded at others. In this version the film clearly illustrates the conflict of interests. "
"Wembers picture treatise : what I think is a fascinating disputation on the border between economy and ecology. I say on purpose: disputation, because I think that this word describes the cinematic gender chosen by Wember most precisely. Through this secular bible of images, the viewer on the screen is invited to meditate on the treatise that always begins anew, fosters the problem and exacerbates the questions, is stimulated to contradict it by the revealed partiality. Finding sensual correlates for difficult facts (recognizable in the repetition process as ciphers with a simile character) seems to me to be one of the most difficult undertakings that one can begin. Wember succeeded, succeeded because, unlike others, he did not give up where it is commonly said: 'It can no longer be visualized. Scholastic operations cannot be photographed. ' They do it, as Wember has shown, they can be represented in a consistent visual implementation - and even beautiful! The aesthetic as a cognitive element. Harmonious color tables, structured in ever new interplay, as components of the primer, mathematical structures, sensual geometry as models that help a broad audience to understand the exemplary problem of 'economy versus ecology'. Finally, here the beautiful is not used to describe the atmosphere and thus blur it, but to illuminate the problem. Momos is looking forward to the show and says: Here, finally, new territory has been broken! Exciting problem elucidation à la Spinoza , through the geometric method. Congratulations!"
Awards
- German Critics' Prize 1982, television category
Publications (selection)
- Poisoned or unemployed? A picture book on the dispute between environmental protection and economic interests, The case: ZDF - Wember - Chemie. Eichborn Verlag, Frankfurt am Main 1983, ISBN 3-8218-1707-0 .
- Poisoned or unemployed? Media center Hessen
Web links
- Surf-Inn, Bernward Wembers Analysis
- Der Spiegel 32-1982, Chemical Club
- Poisoned or unemployed? in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Poisoned or unemployed? In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed June 25, 2017 .