The modern film era: technology, mobility and mass appeal

New energy sources and technologies brought about changes in both work and leisure. Mobilization and mechanization increased, and the cinema recorded these technical innovations for the film-going public. The spinning cogs and steaming machines were shown in detail, speed was celebrated as the unfamiliar rapid movements of electrical railways, and automobiles were authentically captured. The public was also fascinated by pictures of intrepid aviators, and leisure sport had popular appeal and was gradually documented on film. This ‘mass movement’, however, was also to be found for the first time at the political level. The Social Democrats, Christian Socialists and German Nationalists established themselves as the dominant political parties and found their way little by little into the newsreels of the day.

Translation: Nick Somers