‘Ghosts Before Breakfast’: the German dadaist film burned by the Nazis
World War II was undoubtedly one of the defining events of the 20th century, marking a permanent fracture in the collective psyche of our civilisation. The atrocities perpetrated under the Nazi regime horrify us to this day, especially when we consider the scope of the destruction and deaths. In addition to the countless lives lost during the Holocaust, almost all aspects of contemporary society were affected by the brutality of fascism – including art.
One of the many brilliant pioneers who were affected by the Nazi regime’s oppressive policies was Hans Richter, a German artist whose contributions to Dadaism are simply fascinating. During the beginning of the 20th century, Richter established himself as a major figure in the avant-garde sphere through his innovative experiments with various mediums – including film. According to Richter, all artists had a moral imperative to protest against fascist war-mongering and to support revolutionary activities.
Those were the beliefs that landed him in trouble with the Nazis, who raided his studio in 1933, confiscating and destroying a significant portion of his work. One of the films that became an unfortunate victim of the raid was Richter’s 1928 short Ghosts Before Breakfast. Quite different from some of his other abstract films, Ghosts Before Breakfast imagines an inspirational rebellion by mundane objects which have had enough of the monotony of their daily routines.
Due to his background as a painter, Richter understood the power of cinema’s fundamental visual elements. He once wrote: “I conceive of the film as a modern art form particularly interesting to the sense of sight. Painting has its own peculiar problems and specific sensations, and so has the film. But there are also problems in which the dividing line is obliterated or where the two infringe upon each other. More especially, the cinema can fulfil certain promises made by the ancient arts, in the realisation of which painting and film become close neighbours and work together.”
In Ghosts Before Breakfast, Richter’s impeccable sense of visual composition is on full display. Featuring unimaginably brilliant special effects achieved through the use of stop-motion animation as well as live-action tricks, the film chronicles the delightful protests of objects ranging from hats to water hoses. The entire short is structured like a relentless magic trick, inviting the audience to witness a bewildering spectacle where the laws of physics completely break down.
The biggest tragedy about the legacy of Ghosts Before Breakfast is that the Nazis destroyed the original version, which had a score composed by Paul Hindemith. Since then, the other scores haven’t really achieved perfect synchronisation, but that was fine with Richter. He explained (via Open Culture): “We should find a way to let the sound and the picture move on its own in the same direction, but nevertheless, separately. This refers to the spoken word as well as to the musical and other sounds.“
Richter’s incredibly transgressive gem was denounced by the Nazis as “degenerate art”, but that wasn’t the case at all. In fact, it is an early example of the power that was unique to the cinematic medium – the ability to unite the strengths of multiple art forms. Due to its suppression, Ghosts Before Breakfast will always be seen as a warning against fascism which “shows that even objects revolt against regimentation.”
Watch the film below.
