사운드기술 도입에 따른 독일 우파영화사(Ufa)의 영화전략 -<푸른 천사>와 <주유소의 세 친구>의 사운드미학을 중심으로-

Abstract

This paper is to explain the filmic strategy of Ufa(Universum Film AG.) through introducing of sound technology in the german film industry and to understand features of the film as a technology medium. For this, I would like to explore the filmic strategy of Ufa during the early talkies period in Germany. The transition from the silence film to the sound film in Germany had been completed, not with a long plan but speedily such like lightning. In fact, Ufa was not interested in the transition to the talkies. But Hollywood(Warner Bros.) produced the first sound film “Jazz Singer”(1927) successfully and Ufa was in a financial critical situation at that time. In 1928, the new General Director Ludwig Klitzsch and Erich Pommer, who was one of the most important producer in the German film history, led Ufa through the transition into talkies with the new sound technology in order to overcome the financial crisis. Ufa took an advantage over the other film companies in Germany in the era of the sound film production because it already had a benefited contract with Tobis-Klangfilm, which had the license for the sound technology in Germany. Ufa was the biggest film studio in whole Europe and the only competitor to Hollywood at that time. This german film studio would aim at the film market in Germany as well as in the world with the new film technology. In late 1929, Ufa released “Die Melodie des Herzens”, which was originally planed as a silent film but was eventually producted as the first sound film of Ufa that is regarded as the first synchronized dialogue and singing in a feature film. After that, Ufa produced the sound films with a big budget such like "Der Blaue Engel"(1930), "Die Drei von der Tankstelle"(1930) or "Der Kongreß tanzt"(1931). Ufa got worldwide success with these films and had a decisive effect on the film market both in Germany and in Europe. Ufa recognized film as a medium for the dream factory and tried to provide a fantastic film world for the audience who wanted to seek for an utopian paradise in the movie theater. Especially with introducing the new film technology, Ufa could strengthen this fantastic film world in the movie theater. I would like to focus on analysing two sound films, i.e. "Der Blaue Engel" and "Die Drei von der Tankstelle" and explain the innovative aesthetic and filmic strategy of Ufa through introducing the new sound technology.