Abstract

This dissertation was written with the aim to reveal that the cultural and intellectual heritage of German and Austrian emigres filmmakers in the U.S. found significant expression in the ethical themes of their Hollywood films, which because of their timelessness present filmmakers even today with an invaluable source of inspiration. The study focuses mainly on a small representative group of these directors, Erich von Stroheim, Ernst Lubitsch, and Billy Wilder, who apart from biographical similarities regarding their early years obviously shared a preference for German and Austrian literature which focuses on social criticism, ethics, and the problem of identity, aspects which recur in the themes of their films. Authors whose works were of foremost influence are Schnitzler, Wedekind, Kleist, Schiller, and Lessing. Most of their films also suggest a certain knowledge of Freud's psychological teachings. While the importance of the mentioned authors varied for each of these directors, their films present similar grievances and express the necessity of the same ethical values, whose guidelines can be found in Christian Ethics and the Ten Commandments, as well as in Kant's categorical and practical imperative. ;The study, structured chronologically, includes biographical notes as well as an analysis of each director's technical style and this style's function. It also examines the reasons for some of their innovations, as for example the 'Lubitsch Touch' as one way to deal with censorship, and their emphasis on authenticity and an overall viewer-oriented narrative style to improve the intellectual standard of American cinema. In this context it also shows where their affinities lie and to what extent they influenced each other. Further, the study contains subchapters on the most significant literary influences, such as Arthur Schnitzler and Heinrich von Kleist, while the other authors are discussed in the style chapters. The latter are followed by detailed readings of a representative choice of the selected directors' American films. ;Finally, the study looks at their legacy and shows that it has not lost its significance and greatly influenced several of today's important Hollywood filmmakers