Doris Dörrie

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Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox person Doris Dörrie (Template:IPA; born May 26, 1955) is a German film director, producer, and author. She is known for her comedic and socially critical films,<ref name=":2">Template:Cite journal</ref> particularly Men… (1985), which achieved both national and international acclaim.<ref name=":12">Template:Cite book</ref> Dörrie has received critical recognition for both her cinematic and literary work, earning several awards, including the 2012 Bavarian Film Award<ref name=":7">Template:Cite web</ref> and the 2003 German Book Award.<ref name=":42">Template:Cite web</ref>

Early life and education

Born in Hanover, West Germany, Dörrie completed her secondary education there in 1973. That same year, she began a two-year attendance in film studies in the drama department of the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref> She then studied semantics, psychology, and philosophy at the New School for Social Research in New York.<ref name=":12" />

In 1975, back in West Germany, Dörrie began to study at the University of Television and Film Munich. In 1978, she completed her studies along with her final project film, The First Waltz, <ref name=":0" /> earning her diploma in directing.<ref name=":12" />

Career

Between 1976 and 1986, Dörrie wrote film reviews for the Süddeutsche Zeitung. From 1979 to 1986, she directed shorts and documentaries for German television<ref name=":12" /> and also directed children's films, including Paula from Portugal.<ref name=":42" /> In 1983, she made her feature film debut with Straight Through the Heart, which examines the relationship between a 20-year-old woman and the middle-aged male dentist with whom she moves in.<ref name=":12" /> This film was noted for both following and deviating from screwball comedy conventions, its exploration of gender role resistance, and the tension between male and female perspectives.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In 1985, Dörrie's third feature film Men… earned her both national and international success.<ref name=":42" /><ref name=":22">Template:Cite book</ref> This film is a feminist satire that follows a man who, upon discovering his wife's infidelity, attempts to make her lover in his own image so she gets tired of him.<ref name=":12" /> Within the first six months of this low-budget comedy's release, it accumulated six million viewers and brought Dörrie commercial success. This film earned Dörrie recognition and led Der Spiegel to write a story on her, praising her as "Germany’s most successful [woman] director.”<ref name=":22" />

Following Men… (1985), Dörrie directed Me and Him (1987), a film inspired by Alberto Moravia’s novel about an architect whose penis speaks to him. However, this film did not receive the same level of success, with film historian Rob Edelman noting this film as unamusing and disappointing compared to Men… (1985).<ref name=":12" />

In 1987, Dörrie began her writing career, and her short story collections soon garnered critical praise. Many of her films are loosely based on her short stories, including Forever and Always: A Kind of Round Dance (1991), which influenced the screenplay for both Nobody Loves Me (1994) and Am I Beautiful? (1998). The short stories center on the female character Fanny Finck, chronicling fifteen years of her life alongside her classmate Antonia. Critic Mathis Heybrock compared Forever and Always: A Kind of Round Dance (1991) to a kaleidoscope, due to its shifting perspective and non-linear structure.<ref name=":22" />

In 1989, Dörrie co-founded Cobra Filmproduktions GmbH with her friends to produce her later films.<ref name=":42" /> In 1995, Dörrie directed another of her notable films, the comedy Nobody Loves Me. In an interview, Dörrie explained that her goal was to depict the female protagonist as having everything yet being discontent, ultimately isolating herself, to reflect young adults in Germany at the time, as well as Germany more broadly. Scholars Kathryn Barnwell and Marni Stanley praised the film for its treatment of gender and class, but note that it inadequately examines the challenges associated with Germany's embrace of multiculturalism.<ref name=":52">Template:Citation</ref>

In later years, Dörrie became a film professor in Munich and also taught creative writing in the United States.<ref name=":32">Template:Cite journal</ref> In 1998, Dörrie published her first children’s book, Lotte will Prinzessin sein, illustrated by Julia Kaergel. In 2001, Dörrie led the production of Mozart’s Così fan tutte at the state opera house in Berlin. By 2003, she had produced a variety of works, including several documentaries, ten feature films, seven collections of short stories, a novel, a play, and three children’s books.<ref name=":52" />

Style and themes

Dörrie's work is noted for its social commentary, humour and satirical tone,<ref name=":2" /> with her films often exploring the differing perspectives of men and women.<ref name=":12" /> Her 1980 and 1990 comedy films established her as a contributor to the new wave of German comedies, with her films' lighthearted tone contrasting the more pensive tone of New German Cinema films. Her films have attracted both praise and criticism: film historian Eric Rentschler criticized her films for prioritizing entertainment over critical insight, while German studies academic Heather Merle Benbow described her films as socially insightful.<ref name=":62">Template:Cite journal</ref>

Dörrie has stated that her experience as a director aids her writing, with many of her unpublished short stories serving as inspiration for her screenplays. She has stated that she holds different goals for her literary and cinematic work, noting that her films aim to leave viewers happier than before watching them.<ref name=":32" />

Personal life

Dörrie is a member of the PEN Centre Germany and the German Film Academy. She was a member of the jury for the 2019 Prize of the National Gallery.<ref>Jury 2019 Prize of the National Gallery.</ref> Since 2019, she has been a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.<ref>Academy Invites 842 To Membership Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, press release of 1 August 2019.</ref>

In 2019, Dörrie served on the jury that chose Pauline Curnier Jardin as the winner of the Preis der Nationalgalerie.<ref>Alex Greenberger (3 March 2019), Preis der Nationalgalerie, Prestigious German Art Award, Names 2019 Nominees ARTnews.</ref>

Filmography

Fiction

Awards

References

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Bibliography

  • Breitenstein, Andreas. "Alptraum vom Traummann: Doris Dörries Erzählung Der Mann meiner Träume." Neue Zürcher Zeitung (22 July 1991).
  • Elss, Karin. "Doris Dörrie als Erzählerin." Saarbrücker Zeitung (24 August 1989).
  • Görtz, Franz Josef. "Beiläufige Tragödien: Geschichten von der Filmemacherin Doris Dörrie." Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (14 March 1989).
  • Joglekar, Yogini. "Ethnic Noir in Post-Wall Germany: Happy Birthday, Türke! (Dörrie 1991)." Clues: A Journal of Detection 24.2 (Winter 2006): 17–29.
  • Jurczyk, Günther. "Brav Geschmollt: Doris Dörrie erzählt." Stuttgarter Zeitung (11 October 1989).
  • Phillips, Klaus. "A Conversation with Doris Dörrie." In: Straight Through the Heart: Doris Dörrie, German Filmmaker and Author, ed. Franz Birgel, Klaus Phillips and Christian-Albrecht Gollub. Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 2004. pp. 1–16.
  • Steuhl, Wolfgang. "Antonia und der Dreckspatz: Wenn ein Mannequin den Mann ihrer Träume findet." Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (13 April 1991).
  • Utz, Richard. "Reflecting Love at Quite Its Natural Size: Doris Dörrie as a Writer." In: Straight Through the Heart: Doris Dörrie, German Filmmaker and Author, ed. Franz Birgel, Klaus Phillips and Christian-Albrecht Gollub. Lanham: Scarecrow Press, 2004. pp. 177–87.

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