Cassie McCullagh

The subject of this new book is G. W. Pabst, whom I guess, you know, unless you are a student of German cinema, he may have passed you by.

But

At his height, he was one of the three greatest filmmakers in the early era of film in the 20th century in Germany, along with perhaps Fritz Lang and... Lenny Riefenstahl?

Well, F.W.

Murnau, I think, is the other one.

The other one, who made Nosferatu.

And, of course, Fritz Lang, the creator of Metropolis, which features in this book.

I didn't know much about him, but I feel like I really understand him now.

Did you know much about him?

Yes, that's really what the heart of this story is about how complicity creeps and creeps until before you know it, you've sold yourself down the river.

Yes, and a brilliant one.

But perhaps the real person who, I mean, this is a novel and it's important we say that because there have been additions and subtractions in the way Daniel Kaelman has decided to write it.

But he was in France in World War I as a very young man when it broke out and he was detained and held there until the end.

So he had first-hand experience of the privation of being a prisoner of war and

In that camp, he created drama and theatre, apparently.

And then when he came out, he was very committed to communicating through the new medium of film as an artist.

And you mentioned Brecht there.

He actually worked with Brecht and Kurt Weill on Threepenny Opera.

Tried to translate opera to the theatre, which probably wasn't successful, but would have been interested, but also very much engaged with the avant-garde and involved with the big names of the day.

He made Greta Garbo, who she was.