Romance in a Minor Key: Escapism?

I agree with Silberman that Romance in a Minor Key is “a film that cannot be reduced to an ideological or propagandistic prescription.” However, I believe, as Shulte-Sasse says, that few, if any, films made during the Nazi regime can be pigeon-holed as purely propaganda vehicles. This film differs from the other films of the time period in that it does not attempt to fit neatly into the Nazi ideology. Silberman claims that the narrative creates a “loss of illusion, elaborating an imaginary, protected space of privacy identified with a spectator position of helplessness and escapist desire.” He goes on to show that this is relevant to the historical time and climate. I agree. The film is fraught with decisions that lead to only negative outcomes. It seems as though Madeleine has no options except to accept unhappiness. This provides the viewer with a sense of unease and even helplessness, much like the German viewers of the time would probably be feeling with the weight of the impending loss of the war on their minds. Käutner further exacerbates these worries when he does not even suggest which way Madeleine should turn. Not only does she have no options, but not even the all-mighty escapist power of film can provide one for her. It is as if film, the escapist medium, is not providing the viewer with an escape at all, but with a mirror to their own situation and subconscious emotions. Silberman seems to think that the film allows the spectator to “transfer any sense of responsibility to those who misuse their authority,” probably referencing Victor as the main source of conflict in the film. However, I do not believe the sense of responsibility is that fixed at all. The force of the film lies in the fact that there is not an easy cause, an easy solution, or an easy resolution, which mirrors the progression of the war for the viewer.