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The Eye-Witness
Original title: Der Augenzeuge
documentary - GDR, 1946 - 1980, color + b/w
reportage, news reel, magazine

Director Der Augenzeuge
Producer DEFA Studios for Documentary Films

Synopsis
The first issue aired on February, 19th, 1946, the last on December 19th, 1980. During this time period, 2003 “eye-witnesses“ have been recorded, each report lasting about ten minutes - a total of 333 hours of film.
“The WOCHENSCHAU is a specific form of the short subject which ranges from illustrated journalism to poignantly short documentary, from dense information to Gothic novel. The WOCHENSCHAU has always doubled as an instrument of political influence and as a game with the public’s need to be thrilled and entertained. The different demands posed on the WOCHENSCHAU-format led to different topics from official politics, sensationalism, erotica, moving themes and cheerful issues.
In a much media sized world, we often tend to forget that the WOCHENSCHAU in the local cinema, was the only way to see moving images of public personalities, of sports events or even of catastrophes you heard or read about before. It was the only medium, until TV came up, to give a visual impression of events. These black-and-white images still form our perception of those times (…) The WOCHENSCHAUEN are first-range witnesses to history and they transmit the feeling of an era.”
From: Angela Haardt: Deutsche Wochenschauen nach dem zweiten Weltkrieg. Ein Blick auf eine filmische Form, ein Blick auch auf deutsch-deutsche Geschichte.

Further Information (partially only in german)
This Film was presented in the follwing series:

• Info PDF Die ersten “Augenzeugen“
Eine Übersicht über die DEFA Wochenschau im Jahr 1946