Review of Inflation

Hans Richter, following his previous effort "Filmstudie", made this even shorter film in which he did not utilize any sort of geometric abstraction, which was prominent in his earlier work. Initially, film for him had been all about expanding on the work of his cubist/expressionist paintings, including shapes like squares, circles, etc.; but the more he experimented, the more he became a true filmmaker in his own right, and "Inflation" could be considered his first real exploration into photography. The film's images, blended skillfully with some very good special effects, intend to convey a sense of overwhelming desperation while still remaining abstract enough to call experimental, and that they do.

"Inflation" bases itself off of the economic period of Germany in the 1920's, where hyperinflation was prominent and one was literally faced with the "wheelbarrow of money for a loaf of bread" stereotype, which led to Hitler's rise to power. Through images of currency, numbers, etc., Richter paints an effective picture of the crisis his country was experiencing through the mounting tension as the numbers grow higher and higher. Considering his other work, the film is hardly anything overly exciting, but for the three minutes it runs it successfully fulfills its goal in a rather striking fashion. Solid evidence of Richter's technical skills, and a good if not perfect way of introducing the work of this filmmaker.