Possibly true, except for the number of plays that were translated into Indian films and Japanese films. Not so much China.
Also, not sure I agree about Brecht - I don't think that's the reason. I think the reason we don't see many films of Brecht's and the lack of universal appeal is not so much the "political content" but the style or how the play is written to be performed - it makes it more difficult to adapt. Most of Brecht's plays fall within "avante-garde" cinema.
Similar examples can be found in books. James Joyce's Ulysses requires a lot of work to read it. Has zip to do with the content, which is actually about a middle class guy with the clap during the course of one day. And everything to do with narrative style. Brecht from what I remember and have read - seemed to distance the audience from his characters, disrupted the flow of the play with jarring musical interruptions and was obsessed with the structure. Often it is how you tell the story that is the most important. Shakespeare had similar hurdles in the "iambic" pentameter, but the narrative structure is more straight-forward, less jarring.
Another thing to point out? Germany doesn't make that many films. Or nowhere near as many as India, UK, and US. India actually makes the most - believe it or not. They just aren't very good at exporting them to the rest of the world. And they also have a very "middle class" or bourgeousie sensibility. I think you'll be hard pressed to find a country that doesn't. China does - I've seen Chinese films, very strong bourgeoisie mentality. And I know quite a few recent Chinese immigrants. It's different, but I'd say the bourgeousie sensibility is there. As it is elsewhere. The structure may be different, the content might, but the sensibility still exists.
Brecht's plays seem much like George Bernard Shaw's to critique it. But they be too political and too jarring narratively to appeal to a broad audience?
no subject
Also, not sure I agree about Brecht - I don't think that's the reason. I think the reason we don't see many films of Brecht's and the lack of universal appeal is not so much the "political content" but the style or how the play is written to be performed - it makes it more difficult to adapt. Most of Brecht's plays fall within "avante-garde" cinema.
Similar examples can be found in books. James Joyce's Ulysses requires a lot of work to read it. Has zip to do with the content, which is actually about a middle class guy with the clap during the course of one day. And everything to do with narrative style.
Brecht from what I remember and have read - seemed to distance the audience from his characters, disrupted the flow of the play with jarring musical interruptions and was obsessed with the structure.
Often it is how you tell the story that is the most important. Shakespeare had similar hurdles in the "iambic" pentameter, but the narrative structure is more straight-forward, less jarring.
Another thing to point out? Germany doesn't make that many films. Or nowhere near as many as India, UK, and US. India actually makes the most - believe it or not. They just aren't very good at exporting them to the rest of the world. And they also have a very "middle class" or bourgeousie sensibility. I think you'll be hard pressed to find a country that doesn't. China does - I've seen Chinese films, very strong bourgeoisie mentality. And I know quite a few recent Chinese immigrants. It's different, but I'd say the bourgeousie sensibility is there. As it is elsewhere. The structure may be different, the content might, but the sensibility still exists.
Brecht's plays seem much like George Bernard Shaw's to critique it.
But they be too political and too jarring narratively to appeal to a broad audience?