The article I read talks about the consequences of war on the post-war Germany. As the people lived in harsh conditions and with the thought they had lost their most beloved ones, they sought for a living, the foreign armies that had come into Germany were seen as an opportunity to make a living from. Many German ladies turned to paths of prostitution and forms of selling themselves to earn their food and shelter. The article talks about what was left after this era in Germany, and it specifically talks about children of brown color born in Germany to German mothers and foreign fathers, in this case, African American men. It relates to our movie,particularly to the first half of the movie where the main character Maria Braun meets a black colored guy with whom she goes to bed to. She ends up getting pregnant by him, and decides she will bare the child. Her plans change when her husband comes, and she gives off pregnancy so that she can go on with her plans for her future life.
This is so interesting! Reading the article helped explain for me Maria's comment that Bill was "better black than brown." This is an interesting topic all in itself, and would make a good theme for a film.
ReplyDeleteI so much agree on the separate film idea you have. This whole concept of how things changed from a country where only one race was favored to a place where the mixes happen between the two opposites struck me so much when I read the article. Its a great topic as well in the sens of shedding light on the past of these African German children who are in such an identity mess.
ReplyDeleteExcellent topic! There's a book called "Showing Our Colors: Afro-German Women Speak Out" (German title: "Farbe bekennen")that deals with some of these questions. The Clark library owns it.
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