The Wien-Film: A Comprehensive Analysis of the Film Studio 1938-1945. Module I.

As a third main pillar of the Third Reichs film industry, Wien-Film was of particular importance: with its movies, which were primarily sentimental and melodramatic in nature, the studio could establish a trademark and secure a special position in the media world of National-Socialism. The Filmarchiv Austria possess an extraordinary stock of the Wien-Film. This includes personnel and business documents, program books and posters, advertising material and about 50 photo albums (with numerous production photos). Above all, they are the films themselves, their original screenplays and film manuscripts, and the catalogue of film music notes, which make this collection presumably the most extensive stock of a film production in National-Socialism. Despite this research premise, which can be designated as ideal, the material stock has only been processed and analyzed rudimentarily. The project therefore aims for a systematic review of the data. In the light of the abundance of sources this must be done in several modules and in an institutional collaboration, namely between the Filmarchiv Austria and the Institute for the History of Art and Music History of Austrian Academy of Sciences. The first module is based on the creation of a digital database, in which all collectable information will be converted into a filmography. On this basis, it will be possible to present the company and its production history, to trace its casting policies and to understand its interaction with Berlin. At the same time, the almost completely preserved film music legacy of the studio (in form of sheet music, orchestral parts and scores) is at the center of musicological-analytical interest. This opens up the chance to demonstrate concrete manipulative strategies, examples of which will be published as historically critical editions with extensive explanations. Publication and dissemination of the research regarding the Wien-Film music and company history from 1938 to 1945 provide insight to educational, academic and public context. The screening of so called Vorbehaltsfilme, and many other examples, lead to a responsible handling and consumption of historical and contemporary media.