The Theme of Greed Immortalized in Films of the Era:
"Woman in the Moon" (1929) is a German film considered one of the first serious science fiction films. It was written and directed by Fritz Lang. The scientific advisor for the film was Hermann Oberth, who was also Wernher von Braun's teacher. Oberth even planned to build a small, real rocket to be launched and used for authentic footage, but this did not materialize. The film was groundbreaking, and its echoes reach our times, as it features an early depiction of important technologies related to spaceflight. Its plot revolves around a young engineer who wants to launch a rocket to the moon to find gold there. A smooth-talking swindler takes over the plan and joins the flight. The human drama intertwines with technology and astronomy, which serve as a new backdrop for ancient emotions. The female protagonist is torn between two men in outer space, amidst a setting of clear sexual symbols: the rocket as a masculine symbol and the moon as a feminine one.
"L'Argent" (1928) is a film with impressive French-German production, showcasing the cosmopolitan atmosphere and financial adventurism in the Weimar Republic, against the backdrop of aviation's golden age. The plot centers on a pilot who embarks on a stock market-funded quest to search for raw materials in new territories.
"Cabaret" (1972) is a musical film about the life of an American girl in Berlin before the Nazis' rise to power. The film is based on the story "Goodbye to Berlin" (1939) by Christopher Isherwood and portrays Berlin during that transitional period through its cafes and picturesque streets, the absurdly extreme nightlife, and the power of both the masses and the millionaires. "Money makes the world go round" is a key line in the musical.
"Schindler's List" (1993) is a film by Steven Spielberg that touches upon the upper echelon of Nazi greed, which involved forced labor in privately-owned factories.
"The Zone of Interest" (2024) is a film depicting the comfortable life of the Auschwitz commandant and his family, who resided in an idyllic villa, disconnected from the horrific reality within the adjacent camp.
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