In 1933, the dream life of many Germans changed – almost overnight. Like seismographs of unfolding terror, their dreams became vivid, grotesque and darkly humorous. Secretly recorded in a dangerous mission that would take years to see the light of day, these dreams of ordinary-Berliners, Jews and non-Jews, bear witness to the Nazi invasion of the collective unconscious, and they only survive because one woman risked her life to record and preserve them.
Synopsis
Drawn from hours of rare audio-interview, alongside a newly discovered archive of letters and photographs, ‘The Third Reich of Dreams’ tells the captivating life-story of Jewish- journalist Charlotte Beradt, prominently featuring her unique and almost-forgotten dream-collection. Written in code, disguised and hidden in the spines of books scattered through her home, Charlotte sent them as letters to friends abroad, finally publishing them in exile in the 1960’s. There is nothing like it in Holocaust literature.
Exploiting the poetic and surreal language of dreams, the film seamlessly interweaves Charlotte’s biography with impressionistic dream-reconstruction. Exploring how ordinary citizens, crushed by political power, struggle for a form of expression in their dreams, it uncovers the hidden history of a country sleepwalking its way into evil.
About the Director
Amanda Rubin is an experienced documentary and specialist factual Director. She has worked across arts and culture, history, current affairs and science on 60-minute scripted and observational documentaries, topical magazine and short form. Her film credits include: 21st CENTURY MYTHOLOGIES (about the life of French philosopher Roland Barthes), DANCEWORKS for BBC 4, two high-rating CUTTING EDGE documentaries (NURSES and A-is-for-ACCIDENT) for Channel 4, A LATE SHOW Special: RUNAWAY WIVES AND HOME-ALONE KIDS for BBC 2, BROS: The DOCUMENTARY for SKY, THE NEW RUSSIA (5-part-series) for Channel 4 and THE UNEXPLAINED for The History Channel.
Artistic Statement
I believe this is an inspiring moment to recount and amplify the legacies of the brave and creative women who have come before us.
Charlotte’s story reveals a mostly untold landscape of women’s lives from 1920’s Berlin to 1960’s New York, and the dark clouds which were drawn across their creative liberation by the rise of fascism. I’m drawn both to the dreams Charlotte bravely collected, but also to her resilience and survival instinct, and despite all the obstacles, to becoming a writer again in later years.
Bringing Charlotte’s world to life offers exciting creative possibilities for our technical team: experimenting with immersive, original picture and sound-design to create a contemporary, immersive ‘dreamscape’ which feels rooted in the real events of history yet also like fiction. Achieving this will play to the propagandist themes of the film: about what is real or imagined, the nature of the unconscious, and the value of dreams.
Year
In Production
Director
Amanda Rubin
Funding
With Assistance from Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany
Supported by the Foundation Remembrance, Responsibility and Future and by the German Federal Ministry of Finance
