The Consequences of Growing up in an Authoritarian Community: Michael Haneke’s “The White Ribbon”
Abstract
The author interprets Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon as a film dealing with growing up in an authoritarian community based on various means of domination. By placing the film in the context of director’s intellectual tradition (Reich, Foucault, Fromm), the author examines the means, areas and contexts of power within the community, in which the child protagonists of the story grow up. The community of Eichwald turns out to be a community based on suppression of sexuality and on theatricality of everyday life. Children create in this world a sphere of rebellion, punishing adults for their crimes. In effect Eichwald families fall apart. The study of the causes of child abuse is the starting point for Haneke’s reflections on German history, and this theme is already signalled in the opening scene. In the final part of the article the author deconstructs the status of the tale, suggesting that this story of growing up is told in retrospect by one of the child protagonist.
Keywords:
Michael Haneke, authoritarianism, Wilhelm ReichReferences
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Authors
Antoni Michnikkwartalnik.filmowy@ispan.pl
University of Warsaw Poland
Absolwent Instytutu Historii Sztuki UW, student Kolegium MISH UW. Członek-założyciel Grupy ETC, współpracownik Stowarzyszenia im. Stanisława Brzozowskiego. Publikował m.in. w „Zeszytach Literackich”, „Kontekstach”, „Glissandzie”. Zajmuje się kręgiem kultury niemieckiej oraz związkami muzyki z wizualnością.
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Copyright (c) 2013 Antoni Michnik
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