Die langen Ferien der Lotte H. Eisner

Summary

Film historian Lotte Eisner talks about her life and work in this film by Sohrab Shahib Saless. At the time of production she was 80 years old. While she had previously worked as a film critic in Berlin, Lotte Eisner was forced to leave Germany because of her Jewish roots following Hitler's seizure of power. She went to Paris, where she worked as film conservator at the Cinémathèque. Being a leading expert on the history of early German cinema, Eisner speaks about legendary directors such as Fritz Lang and F. W. Murnau, but also about contemporary directors such as Werner Herzog and Volker Schlöndorff. She mentions her connection to François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard: When Malraux, then secretary of cultural affairs, did announce the closing of the Cinémathèque, Eisner, Truffaut and Godard organized a protest march to Palais Chaillot. The audience also learns about her friendship with Henri Langlois and George Franju, her relation to New German Cinema and her understanding of film criticism.