DÜSSELDORF
FILM MUSEUM
German Film History on The Rhine
Düsseldorf,
the city on Germany’s Rhine River has not been
exactly known as one of the world’s film capitals. Today, the city
is the capital of the North Rhine-Westphalia region of western Germany
and a vibrant center of the German media. The Media Harbor on the river
is one of its attractive tourist areas. The headquarters of broadcaster
NRW medien is located near the river tv tower and occasionally it is
possible to
come across one of the local tv soap operas filming on the street. In
the formative years of German cinema, between 1919 and 1925 Dusseldorf
was partly within the 
occupation
zone following World War one, and provided a mix of cultures hungry to
see the moving medium. Dusseldorf was home
to the world’s largest silent movie theater seating over 6,000
patrons who didn’t need the same language to understand the moving
image story telling. Dusseldorf’s connection to cinema extended
into the real world as well. A real life killer known as the “Vampire
of Dusseldorf” was the inspiration for Fritz Lang’s famous “M”.
Near
the Rhine in the city’s old town, the Düsseldorf Film
Museum, first established in 1993 offers a look back into cinema history.
Four floors of exhibits range from old movie cameras and projectors from
the earliest peep-box and shadow-boxes to Asian shadow puppets, the optical
illusions of the lithophane, and dioramas of famous movie scenes as well
as cells and scenery illustrations from the German Expressionist cinema.
Costumes, memorabilia and photo and posters collections from Marlene
Dietrich and Greta Garbo and other German stars are displayed on the
first floor. 
A
model replica of the silent movie theater invites a look into the movie
palaces of the past and the Black Box theater on the premises
shows old and new films. Most recognizable at the Dusseldorf Film Museum
is its replica of a film studio on the third floor with cameras, lights
and effects machines watched over by the image of Marilyn Monroe, along
with demonstrations of animation techniques and blue screen effects.
The collection is not as extensive as Berlin's (see Film
Museum Berlin)
but worth a stop while in Dusseldorf.
Visiting the Dusseldorf Film Museum
Admission to the Dusseldorf Film Museum is a very thrifty 3 euro, located
on Schulstrasse, across the street from the Max Kirche at the end of
Hafenstrasse. The museum is closed on Mondays. Guided tours in English
are available. Next door is the Hetjens German Ceramics Museum also worth
a visit. © Bargain
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See Also:
SCHLOSS
BENRATH PALACE AND GARDENS
DUSSELDORF
VILLAGE ON THE RHINE
FEBRUARY
CARNIVAL IN DUSSELDORF
