The Home Army in German TV Series. An Exercise in Theory and Interpretation

Abstract

The article deals with the representation of World War II in the German Generation War and focuses on one particular plot, connected with the character of a German Jew who joins a Home Army unit. The way these events had been depicted, led to a lawsuit filed by a Home Army veteran and the Home Army World Alliance against the producers of the series. The main subject of the analysis are two main, extensive court letters (the lawsuit and the answer to it). They refer to both general issues (concerning the classification of historical films) and specific ones, namely five particular scenes from the film. On this basis, the author builds an argument, in the first part broadening the spectrum of theoretical reflection, and in the latter part concentrating on the interpretation of controversial scenes from the series. The analysis leads to the conclusion that the stylistic pattern applied by the creators and the multitude of textual elements used in the series is particularly important for the consideration of the objections raised by the complainant and during the trial.