Umbra

My Name is Bertolt Brecht - Exile in the U.S.A.

• Norbert Bunge, Christine Fischer-Defoy
• 1988

This documentary is about a less well-known period in Brecht's life, his exile in the United States. After a long ramble as a refugee he arrived by boat in Los Angeles in 1941. Immediately, Brecht tried to get a job in the film industry. At the same time, he wrote several poems and plays. In spite of this, his stay in the U.S. was, in fact, a period of stagnation and disillusion. America to him, as to so many German writers of his generation, was a land full of promises. But little by little this illusion fell to pieces under the influence of the harshness of American reality. It is very interesting to see Brecht being interrogated by the 'Un-American Activities Committee', in 1947. Contrary to other directors and scriptwriters, who called upon their constitutional rights, Brecht did answer the questions. However, this intimidation was the last straw. The next day, he left for Europe. Brecht's diary, letters, and poems have been used as sources for this film, as well as conversations with colleagues and friends from those days.…