Adapting Hein’s Willenbrock: Andreas Dresen and the Legacy of the GDR ‘Ensemble’ Tradition

One of the leading German film-directors, Andreas Dresen is renowned for working with close-knit teams of collaborators on films characterised by improvisation and collective cinematic approaches. His filming, in 2005, of Christoph Hein's novel, "Willenbrock", represents his first experiment in literary adaptation. This chapter traces the ensemble traditions of GDR/East German theatre from the work of Stanislavsky and Brecht and discusses its impact also on DEFA film production. It argues that "Willenbrock" may be understood as part of this continuing legacy and demonstrates how Dresen draws on these traditions to achieve a possible synthesis of Brechtian and Stanislavskian approaches, in offering his audience, his ensemble and himself a potentially radical 'critical experience' triggering both personal and professional self-reflection and a deeper analysis of societal concerns.