CHICAGO

- Roxie's song: pay attention to what she's saying: I always wanted to have my own show (just like Louise), but someone always said 'no'
click to watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVm3UbymZ18&feature=related
dancing begins around 2 min 30s

- Roxie & Velma: "Nowadays/Hot Honey Rag" - closing number of Chicago
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHiUwgdXIj8&feature=related

- "All That Jazz" sexy dance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wq_GWisRbr8
and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKcOBYcjG7k

Inga Inspiration

1. Catwalk

- tutorial
- Naomi Campbell medley

2. Beyoncé:

- "Single Ladies" moves explained by dance teacher
- Beyoncé dance-move medley

3. Kylie:

- slow-motion group dance in "Slow"
- Kylie in "Chocolate" - sensual slow-motion

The Un-Funny German

Germans try to be funny, but fail. This Volkswagen commercial pokes fun at exactly that.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cv157ZIInUk

The German Man (cont'd)

Character:

- methodical
- self-absorbed
- very serious
- rationalizes conversation (never speaks more or uses more words than it's needed)
- lacks humor, even when he tries to be funny
- loves cleanliness, appropriateness, normality, because any disturbance of that balance causes emotion, which is unnecessary in the eyes of Germans.


Appearance: (*think Schwarzenegger; he's Austrian, but Germans are very similar)

- well-bound, muscular
- usually blond, blue-eyed
- emanates an aura of massiveness - a German man simply is, is self-sufficient and assured, as Ellie said tonight
- think Terminator: the German ideal is perfection, precision. If you have a liquid steel body and super-intelligent micro-chipped computer, you deliver exactly that. Any German man would love to be this precise - it's what they all strive for.

The Sickly, Intelligent Jewish Boy

Check out this great stereotype sketch in the South Park episode "The Entity." The character's name is Kyle Schwartz, he has asthma and digestion problems, is being ripped on for being weak and Jewish, and is a stock-market prodigy.

http://www.xepisodes.com/southpark/episodes/511/The-Entity.html

Underpants. A History.

Ladies' panties only started being worn in mid-19^th century in Germany; before that, men had thought them inappropriate for women, because of:

1) Medical views such as this: In 1757, a German doctor wrote women should not wear pants or closed underwear, because "their genitals need air to allow moisture to evaporate, which could otherwise cause them to decay” and "stink." Women could only wear undies in cold weather and to protect themselves against insects
2) Pants were (and are) associated with freedom of movement and authority (see the phrase, “to wear the pants in one’s family”), so it was generally thought only men should wear them in any form
3) Underpants were considered lewd and masculine, so ladies only wore skirts and petticoats (a kind of underskirt)


However, in the 1840s they start being generally worn:

• they're made of two cylindrical legs with the inside seams open in the upper half, the two legs only linked by the waistband; legs end well below the knees
• 1870s: length is shortened to the knees
• 1880s: legs are seamed together and an opening at the sides is used to fasten together; they are also gathered into a band with a frill below, instead of being straight (see pic: original 1910 bloomers!)
• the term for them was “Bloomers” in America, and "Directoire Knickers” in Britain
• the American name came from Mrs. Amelia Jenks Bloomer (1818-1984), an advocate of "rational dress" for women, who is reputed to have first worn them.

Why Do Men Look Up Skirts?

Compiled from several blogs on the topic, here are some answers:

• they want "the excitement," arousal of seeing "something forbidden"
• gives them the illusion they can have sex with the woman in question; even if it may never come true, it's enough to "fuel their fantasies" - and they'll take it from there
• they claim it happened often in grade-school; reminds them of innocent, incipient sexuality
  
• gives them something they don’t get to see (often)
• simply think they can look because “it's part of the public domain;” “if you went to an art gallery, wouldn’t you look at the paintings?”
  
• their rule: “as long as you don’t touch, it’s ok”
• they're curious about the color of women's panties (the artists, I gather), as well as the type: “Most guys are taking a survey. There is a large thirst in the scientific community to know how many women wear GRANNIES, how many wear plain cotton whites, how many wear thongs. Of particular interest are determining the percentage of women who wear crotchless panties and the percentage who do not contribute to the industry at all by going COMMANDO. This last category is actually our second employer. The scientists want all the data up to the last. We sell that information to the panty manufacturer's industry.”)
• “A young lady's panties aren't the greatest thing in the world, but they are next to it.”

What women say:

• "generally ok" with an "innocent peek;" opposed to looking at schoolgirls/teens however
• “My great aunt used to tell me about how men would perv on her ankles as she stepped off the train and her ankles could be seen for a moment before once more being covered by her long skirt. Guys want to see the good stuff, and the good stuff is defined by anything you don't let everyone see.”

Up-Skirt Heaven

Probably the most famous up-skirt moment ever is the scene in "The Seven-Year Itch" in which a gusty New York air-vent blows up Marilyn Monroe's dress.

Her husband at the time, Joe Di Maggio, was shocked and reportedly struck Marilyn. He felt disgraced that his wife's knickers were seen in public (remind you of someone?).
Marilyn divorced him short after.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yX4IjBg-XM

The German Man Stereotype

• power-hungry
• nationalistic
• hardworking
• disciplined
• perfectionist
• love beer (which suggests slightly indecent, undisciplined behavior)
• are fat and muscular
• are proud of their masculinity (facial hair displays; beard clubs – really do exist!)
• wear leather trousers (only in Bavaria, not Westphalia, where Düsseldorf is)
• allegedly have no humor, but they do.

The Hard-Working German...

Yep - they're frighteningly industrious.

For a great sketch of German workplace culture, check out The Simpsons episode 11, season 3: "Burns Verkaufen der Kraftwerk" ("Burns' Selling the Power-Plant) at:

http://smotri.com/video/view/?id=v398189e58c

When your wife's too hot...

German Woman Stereotype

• dull, listless, lifeless females
• usually blue-eyed icy-blondes (proportionately not so many, in reality)

This image propagated at the time because women were confined to the three Ks: Kinder, Kirche, Küche: children, church, kitchen - Louise's very universe!

Women received the right to vote in 1919 in Germany, but their emancipation has been particularly difficult; even today, a woman must choose between career and children because of the faulty tax system that offers no child support. 60% of new mothers never return to their old job, and many prefer to work part-time. German men are not supportive, only 20% (in our time!!!) admitting they help with child-rearing.


pic: classical German beauty Marlene Dietrich; although later than the play's era, she represents the ideal German woman.

Italian Passion ;))

Italian Stereotype

• love their mother tongue => passionate speakers; use gestures a lot; speak louder than other people - what may seem to be a fight is actually a friendly chat!; and don't speak foreign languages well: "If the 'crucial' body-parts are busy with work, Italians move their shoulders or anything that would emphasize their active participation in the conversation."
• love sharing meals with others and discussing at the table (*see dinner scene!)
• fashion victims; attractive; tanned all year round
• really enjoy romance and the stereotype of the Italian lover is still alive and moving "in the direction of blonde ladies, mostly”

Contrast with Germany:

"Nothing in Italy is well-organised or easy to use. You have to use your gestures and mimicry or everything you have to get the smallest scrap of information. Don't be surprised if you notice Italians jumping the queue to be served first or fighting to get into the buses. Italians have nothing to boast to Germans with regarding their chaotic life, however, the pleasant bonus is that it made the passionate expressive Italians even more pushy and resourceful."

Jewish Stereotype

Jewish people were seen as:

• extremely careful with money
• constantly attempting to trick, steal, ask for lower fares/prices - think DeNiro's Shylock
  
• having a devious flicker in their eyes (hence Theo's "light" experiment)
• having specific physical traits (dark complexion, curly hair, crooked nose)

Cohen embodies the stereotype of the intellectual, sickly Jewish underdog who wishes to conquer a beautiful woman despite his less-than-desirable traits.

Sternheim: "a play by him..."

Sternheim wrote "The Bloomers" (Underpants) in 1911; thus, the quote must refer to them.

The German Flag between 1892 and 1918

"Lord High Chancellor!"

The head of German Government (currently Angela Merkel); famously, Otto von Bismarck. In Wilhelm II's time, the High Chancellor ran the country day-to-day, whilst the king was just a symbol. Wilhelm rebelled against this system and dismissed Bismarck, but was a poor monarch.

Rudolph Valentino (Kiss)

Dark. Italian. Sexy.
The Don Juan of silent movies.
Died at 31, devastating his numerous female fans.


Valentino Kisses: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbcD-aXXfyI and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PdSznRNCA7o&feature=related

"I the warp and you the weft..."

textile elements, as can be seen.

Hair Dyeing

Originated in mass-produced form at the beginning of the 20th century; however, most women found it degrading to dye their hair and refused to do it. Needless to say, it was also embarrassing for men, and so Cohen's remark is particularly stingy.

Wagner's Lohengrin

An 1850 opera by Richard Wagner with highly romantic/mythological content. Its most famous bit is the "Bridal Chorus" (commonly known as "Here Comes the Bride"), a tune widely played at weddings in our time.

Listen to it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J7Jhx93s9w&feature=PlayList&p=A60039830BAB6BCC&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=62

A more detailed synopsis at: http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?id=127

Catherine the Great and the Horse

Silly myth surrounding the influential, enlightened monarch Catherine the Great (1762-1796) who modernized and expanded Russia. It claims that she died while attempting to have sex with a horse; the animal's harness broke and it fatally crushed her. She actually died of a stroke.

The Zoo and the Loch Ness Monster

Zoo opened in 1876

• more of a botanical garden
• not much attendance => relied heavily on city subsidy
• completely wrecked by WWI, but rebuilt with French help.

The Monster:

• in Sternheim's play, Theo reads about a sea-serpent found in the Indian Ocean, which was a pretty common occurrence; there are hundreds of known sea-serpent species in that area.
• Martin's use of the Loch Ness monster may be an anachronism, as the story came to public attention later, in 1933 (pic: Nessie's first appearance - hoax).

Character Names Translated

Maske = “mask,” as in face mask (Germ.)

Deuter = “the one who interprets” (from “deuten,” to interpret, make sense of something)

Versati = “spilled,” as in spilled milk (It.); also brings ‘versatile’ to mind

Klinglehoff = composite of “klingeln” (to ring, as in bells ringing) and “Hof” (yard)

Kaiser Wilhelm II

The last German Emperor and King of Prussia (ruled 1888-1918). Known as “The Kaiser” or “Kaiser Bill” during WWI

• atrophied left arm due to difficult birth
• difficult, irritable to deal with
• megalomaniac
• emotionally unstable
• strong military education => a man’s man (hyper-masculine), but strangely also a fop (only wore military uniforms, but had 300 of them). He was a strange, mutable mix of sensitivity and exaggerated masculinity
• also displayed a strange mix of policy: took after Wilhelm I (his grandfather), who believed in absolutism & not cared about democracy or the people, but he also had colonial ambitions to rival England, which were very modern (I'd say, a very ‘versati’-le character)
• abdicated in 1918; in 1919 Germany became a democracy.

extra pic at http://martins-underpants-pics.blogspot.com/2010/03/kaiser-wilhelm-ii.html

Germany in 1910

Germany industrialized rapidly during the 19th century, and towards the end of it also went through a severe recession, as well as population growth.

Politically, 1910 was a difficult year, because the country struggled to modernize although its ruler, Kaiser (Emperor) Wilhelm II, wanted to have absolute power, the way medieval/Renaissance rulers once had. Therefore, he dismissed the High Chancellor, Bismarck (a great statesman who'd unified the country) to rule as he pleased. After Germany lost the war (1918), Wilhelm abdicated, leaving the country to the SDP, the Social-Democratic Party. The Germans never forgot how Wilhelm abandoned them, and today he is considered a whimsical, weak ruler.

Pic: 1855 industrialized Dusseldorf

Düsseldorf Photo Galley

More pics of the old town at:
http://martins-underpants-pics.blogspot.com

Photo gallery of contemporary Düsseldorf at:
http://www.duesseldorf.de/medienhafen/pressefotos/bildarchiv_11.shtml

The City of Düsseldorf

Is the capital of Germany's industrial heartland, the Rhine-Ruhr region, where Germans are at their most stereotypically industrious, technical, and humorless.

The Dusseldorf of Theo and Louise's time had just faced a huge baby-boom due to the industrial revolution, the 1882 population being doubled by 1892. Given the large number of people, guest-houses such as theirs were very common, as well as public parades, parks, and zoos.