Similar to what S. Kracauer and A. Bazin did for Italian Neorealism, Gross's study examines German post-war cinema in terms of its paradigmatic forms, investigating to what extent current post-war themes take shape within them and become visible and articulable. Based on approximately 150 East and West German rubble and entertainment films, documentaries, newsreels, cultural films, and 're-education' and 're-orientation' films from the years 1945-50, the author explores how these films themselves enable an original experience of historicity, particularly realized in the time forms of standstill, paralysis, and the resulting heterogeneous image types associated with the 'Zero Hour.' The foundation for this is the question of what kind of audience these films envision, and whether and how they empower that audience to engage with the resistance.