This article introduces German actor Hans Zischler's book "Kafka Goes into the Cinema", which for the first time reveals Kafka's side as a fan and his close relationship with cinema. The book provides a detailed examination of the films that Kafka watched, including 22 films from different countries and regions, particularly the Danish film "White Slave Blood and Tears" mentioned in his novel "Richard and Samuel" co written with his friends. Zischler's research has made the relationship between Kafka and film a classic proposition in the study of Kafka in the 21st century. Scholars have explored the connection between Kafka's literary creation and the art of film narrative, pointing out that Kafka's works already present a cinematic consciousness. In addition, the chapter also discusses the concept of "cinematic writing", emphasizing that it not only includes formal imitation of film performance methods, but also involves content imitation, such as fluid metaphors. Finally, the article proposes to use "White Slave Blood and Tears" as a clue to analyze Kafka's early film style writing from three aspects: modern transportation, feminine temperament, and early cinema space.

Perceived racing and disappearing aesthetics: appropriation of train and car imagery in early films

Explored the appropriation of train and car imagery in early films, and how these imagery relate to modern transportation, femininity, and cinema space. By analyzing the train and car scenes in Kafka's "Richard" and other early works, it reveals how these modern mechanical inventions change human perception of time and space through speed and motion, and provide people with new visual experiences. At the same time, the chapter also discusses Kafka's discomfort with early film racing perception and disappearing aesthetics, as well as his preference for the visual experience brought by panoramic painting. In addition, it also involves the analysis of the symbolic meanings of trains and cars in early films by film historians, as well as the multi-layered metaphors of these images in Kafka's works.

Dora Lippert: 'Women who are violated' and 'women who are flattered'

Explored the transition period from short films to feature films between 1908 and 1913, as well as the symbolic significance of trains in films. During this period, movies began to shift from "attraction films" to drama films, with trains becoming an important element of narrative, symbolizing encounters and sexual adventures between unfamiliar men and women. Women in the masculine space of trains face both opportunities for romantic encounters and risks of being violated. In Western train movies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, female characters were often portrayed as "violated women" or "flattered women". The former refers to women becoming others, violated, and viewed as sexual carriers in the masculine space of trains; The latter refers to railway films that shape a positive image of the railway industry, endowing women with a pure, holy, and romantic temperament.

Dangerous Pleasure ": Early Cinemas as Urban Desire Spaces

Exploring the early cinema as a symbol of urban desire space through Kafka's "Richard". The comparison between taxis and movie projectors in the text implies the danger of dark spaces in cinemas and cities. Early cinemas were often seen as places of sin, with complex audiences and harsh environments, providing hidden spaces for pornography transactions. Therefore, the government established a review and supervision mechanism. The Prague cinema during the Kafka era was rudimentary, echoing the negative descriptions of cinemas in the works of contemporary German writers. Early cinemas, as a representation of desire space, reflected the criticism of modern cities and modernity. In Kafka's works, elements such as urban-rural opposition and urban desire topography are closely connected to early cinema spaces. Despite Kafka's later detachment from film, his mid to late works are still related to cinema. The article argues that Kafka created a paper light and shadow space with his unique style by absorbing the thematic ideas of the early film "White Slave Blood and Tears".