A legendary pioneer of the 1960s New German Cinema movement has passed away at the age of 94, per Variety.
Alexander Kluge was born on February 14, 1932, in Halberstadt, central Germany. He was a filmmaker, author, philosopher, and academic.
Kluge started his career as a lawyer, but inevitably began leaning towards writing and cinema. While working as a legal counsel at Frankfurt’s Institute for Social Research, he forged a close relationship with the seminal social philosopher Theodor Adorno, who soon became his mentor. When Kluge began working as assistant to German cinema icon Fritz Lang in 1958, his journey in the world of big screen entertainment began.
In 1962, he became one of the signatories of the Oberhausen Manifesto, which called for the establishment of a New German Cinema movement. Once the movement was established, Kluge quickly became one of its most influential figures, paving the way for the likes of Edgar Reitz, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Werner Herzog, and Wim Wenders in the years that followed.
Per IMDb, his work includes the 1961 documentary “Brutalität in Stein” (“Brutality in Stone”), the 1966 drama “Abschied von gestern” (“Yesterday Girl”), the 1973 drama “Gelegenheitsarbeit einer Sklavin” (“Part-Time Work of a Domestic Slave”), and the 1980 documentary “Der Kandidat” (“The Candidate”).
His acclaimed drama “Die Artisten in der Zirkuskuppel: ratlos” (“The Artists in the Big Top: Perplexed”) won the 1968 Venice Film Festivals Golden Lion award.
Kluge died in Munich on Wednesday, March 25. The exact cause of his death has not been publicly disclosed.
Following his passing, people have been paying their respects to him online.
Alexander Kluge Had a ‘Poetic Spirit’
The official Instagram account of the DLD Conference (a conference for visionaries from around the globe) shared the news of Alexander Kluge’s passing with their 12,300 followers.
The post comprised 11 photographs of Kluge. The caption on it began, “We are deeply saddened by the passing of our dear friend, Alexander Kluge.”
It continued, “In his poetic spirit, he connected frontier technologies with endless curiosity and a deep commitment to the humanistic values of Europe. We learned so much from him. His cosmic „Weltdenken“, openness and „Menschenfreundlichkeit“ will stay with us forever.”
Followers of the account flocked to the comments to pay their respects to Kluge.
One follower wrote, “my condolences to the great man who [I] had the honor to meet last September.”
“I remember him because of you guys. Beautiful honor❤️ The rest of us hoping for a DLL honor the day our day is here,” said one user.
Another Instagram user said, “How precious we could hear and enjoy him in January at the DLD. 🤍🤍”
Finally, someone else simply said, “A rare spirit.”
Peers Also Paid Their Respects
Industry peers also paid their respects to Alexander Kluge. One of those peers is fellow author Rachel Kushner. Kushner is known for novels like 2008’s “Telex from Cuba,” 2013’s “The Flamethrowers,” 2018’s “The Mars Room,” and 2024’s “Creation Lake” (per her website).
Her post, shared with her 13,000 followers, included a picture of herself with Kluge and another man.
She wrote a lengthy tribute to Kluge alongside the image. It included the passage, “His gentle energy, ferocious intelligence, and radiance are in everything he made, but up close, in person, even more astonishing. He was already in his late 80s, but vibrant, sunny, tireless.”
Her post concluded, “Kluge, born on Valentine’s Day 1932, gone yesterday. Impossible to absorb.”
Several of Kushner’s followers commented respectfully on the post, with one writing, “Oh no, I was so late to Kluge, but radically altered after I finally plunged into his work.”
We’d like to send our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Alexander Kluge at this sad time. May he rest in eternal peace.
