(re)construction of masculinities in post-war austrian cinema 1945-1955

This thesis attempts to examine the relation between film and society in Austria 1945-1955. Cinema as a popular mass medium provided a forum in which issues of major concern, such as masculinity and national identity, could be debated and worked through. The thesis argues that through its representations of masculinities, the films helped to debate notions of Austrian identity, absolve Austrian men from responsibility for their actions in the war and readjust the position of men within the gender order by promoting specific ideals of masculinity. Neither the issue of masculinity nor post-war Austrian film production has received much scholarly attention in Austria, so this thesis provides an important evaluation of post-war cinema and sheds light on a period that was formative for modem Austria. Genre provides the lens through which the representations of masculinity are analysed in this thesis. The first three chapters establish the structures of Austrian post-war society and its film industry and discuss theories of masculinity that underpin the analysis. The ensuing chapters focus on the films themselves and analyse the specific tasks each genre fulfils.