Austria´s Hollywood - Hollywood´s Austria

My research project will be a comprehensive study on Austrian-American film connections, tracing this relationship from the beginning to the present. The first part of the book, to be entitled "Austria`s Hollywood", deals with the ways in which film makers with an Austrian or German background were able to influence Hollywood style. In the case of each individual film maker I will analyze the reasons for success or failure. Those discussed include not only the very prominent and well- known film makers and actors like Erich von Stroheim, Josef von Stemberg, Billy Wilder, Otto Preminger, Oskar Werner and Arnold Schwarzenegger, but also numerous others who never gained stardom but could nevertheless earn a good living in Hollywood, like the writers Gina Kaus, Salka Viertel and Vicki Baum. I will also analyze and discuss the conditions under which present-day Austrian/German film makers such as Robert Dornhelm and Clement von Franckenstein work in the film Industry. The underlying question to be answered is whether and to what extent the "cultural transfer" that is so often taken for granted has really taken place. The second part, "Hollywood`s Austria", will analyze the Hollywood motion pictures that deal with Austria. Here I will discuss not only the cinematic images and the language that American as well as German/Austrian film makers use, but also the economic and political factors that play a role in influencing the contents of a film. I will especially examine the manner in which the German/Austrian film makers contributed to shaping the "Hollywood image" of Austria, as in "The Great Waltz", a Strauß film full of the worst clichés, written by the Austrian screenwriter Walter Reisch. To develop this topic fully, I plan to analyze approximately ten selected films. Finally, the image of Austria as perceived by Hollywood will be compared to the portrayal of Austria in the films from other countries, including Austria. The comprehensive film list included in the bibliography will serve not only other scholars interested in Austrian- Hollywood relationships but will also prove useful to anyone planning a film festival or any activity involving Austrian topics in film.