This volume offers a cultural, aesthetic, and critical reappraisal of German 'rubble films' produced in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War and constructs their meaning in a historical context.

"This book's topics include not only the despair that induced the 'rubble' sensibility but also the bombing that caused it, life in the ruins, East German 'rubble films' and American imports, and particular examples of the genre. Each of the dozen contributors provides useful documentation . . . recommended." - Choice

"An important and insightful volume." - Recent Trends in German Film Studies, Monatshefte

"In providing this new look, Wilms and Rasch have produced a very helpful complement to other recent work on the German 'Rubble Films'... The standard of contributions in this volume is consistently high." - Paul Cooke, University of Leeds

"Not only valuable for those students of film and those fascinated by the esoteric details of forgotten German cinema, but also for those interested in memory culture and the different ways in which the past, particularly traumatic events, can be addressed, reacted against, denied, nurtured, celebrated, and ultimately accepted." - Focus on German Studies