Der Bebuquin. Rendezvous mit Carl Einstein

Summary

Carl Einstein (1885-1940) was one of the most colourful great minds between the World Wars. The first to understand Cubism as a movement, he was a well-known and influential art critic and theorist in his own day.

Among many other groundbreaking efforts, his ′Negro Sculpture′ (1915) was a pioneering work of art theory. It was the first in Europe to recognize the validity of African art. His true aspirations, however, were focused on literature, and he laboured to create something on the level of Bebuquin all his life, calling his work in progress, ′Beb II.′ "I have to create a lawful but different art," he said, "or I′ll fail my purpose in life . I′d only be a journalist, which is tantamount to suicide."Politically engaged and Jewish, both he and his literary reputation fell victim to the Holocaust. Scenes from Carl Einstein′s anti-novel ′Bebuquin or the Dilettantes of Wonder′ (1909) are interwoven with thoughts and situations from the author′s life. Played by Hanns Zischler, Bebuquin is Carl Einstein - Carl Einstein is Bebuquin. Wandering in an empty and lethargic world, Bebuquin is one seeking the wonder. The film is a fragmentary montage of art and life, depicting the ironic and grotesque, as well as tragic situations.

Source: German films Service Marketing GmbH