Walter Ruttmann’s 1927 film is a classic example of the “city symphony” genre popular in the 1920s and ‘30s, which presented carefully-edited montages filmed in an urban metropolis set to musical scores that reflected the rhythm of city life. Employing a battery of cinematographers (including Karl Freund, who had shot Fritz Lang’s Metropolis with Ruttmann and later built a distinguished career as a cameraman and director in Hollywood), Ruttmann compiled a portrait of a day in Berlin, dividing his film into five acts corresponding to the awakening of the city, the early morning hours, daytime street life, the lunch break and afternoon activity, and finally nighttime entertainment, which closes the film in a kaleidoscopic frenzy. The editing is a marvel (with shots of newspaper headlines punctuating snippets showing people engaged in their everyday work, clips of hearses passing through the street, and scenes of children at play), and the cascade of images—including a brief street fight, a ceremonial appearance by the Reichspresident, parades, and exhortations from protestors—makes for a fascinating time capsule, especially since the Berlin captured here is that of the Weimar Republic, predating the Nazi era and the destruction of much of the city in World War II. The decision to use a new music score by Timothy Brock rather than the original work of Edmund Meisel may be debatable, but the overall result is a delight. Extras include audio commentary by filmmaker Alex Barrett. Highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)
Berlin, Symphony of a Great City
(1927) 62 min. Blu-ray: $19.95. Flicker Alley (avail. from most distributors).
Berlin, Symphony of a Great City
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