2021/04/03 by Lilith Acadia · 1 citation
Social Sciences · Arts and Humanities · Economics, Econometrics and Finance · #Media, Gender, and Advertising #German Colonialism and Identity Studies #Cinema and Media Studies
paper · doi:10.1080/00787191.2021.1927377
openalex publication_date 2021/04/03 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/03/03
The opulent colours and ornamentation, exotic characters and landscapes, as well as astonishing journeys and magic may resemble other European adaptations of Arabian Nights fairy tales. Yet remarkable technical and political innovations distinguish Lotte Reiniger’s 1926 ‘Scherenschnitte’ shadow animation film Die Abenteuer des Prinzen Achmed. Engaging with various readings of Reiniger’s evolving technical and narrative approaches, this article complicates unproblematized celebrations of the film’s innovations as well as critiques of the film as Orientalist, arguing that both facets are in complex ways interdependent. The technical feats and orientalist tropes at once veil the progressive messaging and permit the audience to imagine a different world.