Katharina Blum elvesztett tisztessége

This is an unpleasant film. I wouldn't even hesitate to use the controversial epithet "repulsive" in some moments. It's an ideologically defined film, where I hesitate to use the label leftist, as it would be much more accurate to call it left-wing. Those who consider the conflict between the sensation-seeking tabloid and the falsely accused individual, who tries to protect their privacy, as the central theme of the film are mistaken. The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum is not a timeless film but rather is closely connected to specific events and processes taking place in West Germany in the first half of the 1970s. During the 1960s, the influence of the radical left grew significantly at German universities and the cultural environment, while the rest of the population enjoyed the fruits of the German economic miracle. The first wave of RAF attacks shocked and disgusted Germany. The bourgeois press (logically) criticized not only the terrorists but also scrutinized their ideological foundations and social background. The radical left found itself isolated and faced increasing pressure from the conservative majority. The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum is one of the products of the frustration experienced by leftists at that time. I think that if Ulrike Meinhof were alive, she would be thrilled with the film and would willingly agree with the assessment given by the creators to the German authorities and media. The film works with black and white, strongly polarized characters. Its zealous criticism of what it considers German reality makes it strongly tendentious, which significantly diminishes the film's strength today. Holders of state power are ruthless, employing any methods without hesitation, and the media are manipulative and willingly inform the police - just like "ordinary" citizens who remain ideologically anchored in their brown past. It is evident from every shot how much the filmmakers did not identify with the environment that surrounded them, and how much they wanted to depict the society of that time as hysterical, herd-like, and manipulative. Personally, I find the film techniques used by the directorial duo rather manipulative today. There are questions that can be asked, which obviously did not interest the creators. The protagonist of the film is at best naive and irresponsible, and in the worst case, Katharina Blum can be thought of as a member of a terrorist network because such an interpretation is also possible. However, the concept of honor according to Margarethe von Trotta and Volker Schlöndorff suspiciously resembles how it is perceived by Italian mafiosi or members of Caucasian clans. Overall impression: 40%. (2017.10.10)

I usually hardly notice it, but here on FilmBooster, there is sometimes a column called "Tags" for movies that somehow managed to characterize the message of the film: police, journalists, intrigue, false accusation, media, and injustice. Reality is always different from how it appears to us, but the police and the media are going in the opposite direction: their perception of things constitutes its reality. Therefore, we as viewers can indeed observe the colorful "reality" of the film narration (which, like any other reality, is open to various interpretations, from the authors' left-wing engagement to other opinions) but the reality created by the unified police/media machinery allows for only one perspective. It is that perspective of black-and-white shots from secret service cameras and (back then) black-and-white newspaper photographs and headlines that remind people in the 21st century that you can become a terrorist overnight not only through your own actions. (2014.09.11)