Die Artisten in der Zirkuskuppel: ratlos

Die Artisten in der Zirkuskuppel: ratlos (Artists in the Big Top: Perplexed) is made in a collage style, featuring newsreels and quotations from philosophers alongside the story of a failing circus whose director Leni Peickert wants to show off high-class artistic performances. Leni has just lost her father in a trapeze accident. She tries to keep the circus out of debt, but she must decide if her dedication to the show is realistic or merely wishful thinking: finally, her innovations cause the business to declare bankruptcy. How does one create art for an audience which mainly seeks entertainment? How does one balance art and commerce? The film is a symbolic representation of Kluge's own frustrations in trying to help stimulate the New German Cinema movement. The film took the Gold Lion award at the 1968 Venice Film Festival.