Julian Preece, The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum, Bloomsbury Academic, BFI Publishing, 2022.

Thank you, NetGalley, for providing me with this uncorrected proof in exchange for an honest review.

Margarethe von Trotta and Volker Schondorff’s film, The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum, recalls the anguish and despair experienced by my friend when she saw it early in its run after its 1975 release. She returned home shattered and pulsating with the determination to act on behalf of women.

Julian Preece has set out the practicalities of making the film. He describes the background, including drafts of the screenplay; reference to the book by Heinrich Boll on which it was based; copious detail of direction, actors, lighting, script, landscape, and interior settings; and uses interviews and reviews to complete the story. In the same way that the film was devised to appeal to a mainstream audience, this book captures the essence of imparting information to appeal to different audiences. At the same time as this is an ideal reference for the student of film it provides insight for the reader as audience. The anguish the film depicts is unmuted through the exposure of expertise and practicalities behind bringing the film to fruition; the thoughtful description of the film and its workings peels away some of the magic of the technique, but never the feeling.

This is a book that is a solid and demanding read. It benefits from the way in which the book is organised so that a reader can return to clearly defined subject areas. The chapter headings suit that purpose admirably as they are appropriately informative: A Pivotal Film for New German Cinema; Political context in Post -68 West Germany; Henrich Boll’s novel, or How Violence Develops and Where It Can Lead; Words or Guns? Katharina Blum’s Struggle for Articulacy; and Influence and Afterlives. There are detailed notes and credits, as well as an extensive bibliography.

The first chapter clearly sets out the story line, the political context of the film and the period in which it was first shown, and the context of cinema, films and audiences. The role of music and settings in the film which will be established in detail in succeeding chapters is anticipated with apt references to scenes which establish some of the techniques used throughout the film.

Detail of the days over which the story takes place are divulged in clear informative commentary. This information is accompanied by photos which graphically add to the commentary. The first suggests the use of lighting and placement of figures and faces in the film, detailed in later chapters. Here, Katharina observes a couple. Her face is nakedly clear, and she faces the camera; the couple she observes are barely lit and have eyes only for each other as they are observed by Blum and the camera which catches them from the side. The next shot hides Blum’s face as she is confronted with a derogatory phrase, the paper in which the reporter who is instrumental in her suffering writes providing the background in the photo, and of course, to the note Blum has received.

While the succeeding chapters become more detailed and technical, the first makes an excellent introduction. Its deceptive simplicity carries the reader forward into wanting to know more, however complex the technical detail and political argument.

Preece is an enlightened writer, with a feeling not only for the film and his enthusiasm in bringing its value to a wide audience, but for the woman at the heart of the film. His perceptive commentary on why she behaves as she does, and the way in which she is perceived and treated is one of the enduring feelings I take away from the book. Preece has been able to provide a circle back to my first exposure to reaction to the film, that of a feminist and passionate supporter of women and their demands. This is a commendation of the book in itself.

Die verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum is a book that played a role during my teen years and it helped me to develop a critical outlook towards some type of popular and lurid papers.
I read in German and, even if I think some parts are a bit dated, it's the portrait of an era and how everyone can be involved in a nightmare that will destroy you.
This book is very interesting because it talks about the movie and how it was affected and affected other movie and the book.
I think it's an interesting read if you want to read about life id West Germany during the 70s or how hate-mongers could make this story happen again.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine