Arts
Filme über drei starke Frauen und ein Podcast über einen Kriegsverbrecher.
Films and a podcast
FILM PREVIEW | DRAMA
The famous 19th-century writer Mary Shelley, author of Frankenstein: or, The Modern Prometheus, was born into tragedy and privilege. Her mother was Mary Wollstonecraft. Considered to be the first feminist, Wollstonecraft died when her daughter was only a few weeks old. Mary’s father, a political philosopher, provided a rounded and liberal education. While still a teenager, Mary met and began an affair with the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, then travelled abroad with him and another young genius, Lord Byron. It was a life at the crossroads of enlightenment and romanticism, and society looked with fascination on its joys and rages.
The film Mary Shelley, directed by Haifaa Al-mansour, never loses sight of this powerful combination. Played by Elle Fanning, Shelley was a woman with a rich imagination, whose famous novel was written in competition with Byron and Shelley to see who could create the most frightening story. Hers stood the test of time, but only after she had fought hard to publish it under her own name. Like the hero of her story, Mary Shelley found that love and creativity come at a price — above all for women. This film packs a punch, telling a story not only of poetry and passion, but also of early feminist politics. Starts 27 December.
crossroads [(krqsreudz] Kreuzung, Schnittpunkt enlightenment [In(lait&nment] Aufklärung punch: pack a ~ [pvnts] es in sich haben rage [reidz] Rausch, Wahnsinn
FILM PREVIEW | DOCUMENTARIES
The year 2018 has come to a close with a rush of female-inspired films, including two documentaries on brilliant women of our times: Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist (starts 20 December) and RBG (starts 13 December). Born in 1941, British fashion icon Vivienne Westwood has lived a life based only on her own interests: early anarchist politics, a fascination with punk in the 1970s and now a dedication to environmentalist issues — plus some incredible fashion. Ruth Bader Ginsburg, on the other hand, had lived a disciplined life dedicated to the creation of equal opportunities for women well before she took her place on the US Supreme Court in 1993. Here are two different women and films, but shining through both is a great commonality: a determination to get things done.
commonality [)kqme(näleti] Gemeinsamkeit dedication [)dedi(keis&n] Engagement determination [di)t§:mi(neis&n] Entschlossenheit rush [RVS] hier: Flut Supreme Court US [su)pri:m (ko:t] Verfassungsgericht
PODCAST | HISTORY
Philippe Sands, professor of international public law at London University, is an authority on crimes against humanity. A BBC podcast with the title Intrigue: The Ratline shows Sands at work, investigating the life of Otto von Wächter. The “Ratline” was a network of escape routes used by Nazi war criminals after the Second World War: Wächter was a high-ranking SS officer who avoided trial by escaping to Italy. Sands follows Wächter’s route and talks to others involved, including his friend Horst — Wächter’s son. These strange asso ciations, formed against a background of terrible crimes, make The Ratline riveting. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04sj2pt
riveting [(RIVITIN] fesselnd trial [(traiel] Gerichtsverhandlung, Prozess