Berlin sinfonie der grossstadt
Critics, however, have suggested that either Ruttmann avoided a strong position, or that he pursued his aesthetic interests to the extent that they diminished the potential for political content. Idle kids play. A paper press churns out newspapers, and a man reads a paper which is held up for our view Geld" money, money, money. Keys on keyboards spiral around one another, and a montage of a spinning hypnotist's wheel, monkeys biting one another, telephone operators, machinery, and dogs fighting is mixed into the general busy work of the office, building quickly to a crescendo The third act shows more busy street life, and a variety of people of different classes going about their business.
According to Ruttmann, a "hypersensitive film stock" was developed for use in this film, to solve lighting difficulties during night scenes.
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At times, a sort of non-narrative commentary can be implied, as in edits that juxtapose workers entering a factory with cattle being beaten and driven into a corral. Finally, a demanding diner in a café taps his spoon on a sugar bowl, and it awakens the city again, as the animals rise, then factory machinery starts up, and workers return to work. A variety of workers leave their workplaces. Glass bulbs are produced, sheets of metal are cut, molten steel is poured, smokestacks are seen against the sky, and the first act ends.
A storm of sorts arises, with the montage of revolving doors, wind, roller coasters and trains, rain, cyclones of leaves, a woman peering frantically over a rail into water, cut against points of views of roller coasters, churning water, a crowd looking down, a splash, eyes, fighting dogs, etc. Composer Edmund Meisel was commissioned to write an orchestral score for its original release.
Railroad crossing gates are lowered, and a train travels down the tracks and proceeds into the city, ending at the Anhalter Bahnhof with a graphic of the "Berlin" sign approaching. Office workers prepare to start their day, as roll top desks open, people set out their pens, paper, open books, remove the cases from typewriters, and a bank of typists quickly erupt into activity.
The second act shows more of the general life of the city, beginning with the opening of gates, shutters, windows, doors, people busy cleaning, fruit carts, children going to school. Much of the motion in the film, and many of the scene transitions, are built around the motion of trains and streetcars. Some poignant transitions intercut a wealthy diner with a lion feeding on meat from a bone, and hungry street kids embracing their mother clothed in rags sitting out on the steps.
The film is an example of the ' city symphony ' film genre. There are many crowds, a father and bride arriving at a wedding, some flirtation between people on the street, a coffin on a hearse seen through the windows of a streetcar, a diplomat arrives at a ministry, the Reich President is saluted by police, a conservative students' organization is marching with banners, an angry protester lectures a crowd, there are a few glimpses of racial minorities, many workers, and much chaotic activity.
A fight between two men breaks out briefly, but is stopped by bystanders and a policeman. There are industrial workers, construction workers, salespeople, shoppers, etc. Today it is often watched as a filmed time capsule, providing a historical filmed record of the city of Berlin in the mid s.
Events are arranged to simulate the passage of a single day. What is critically interesting about this particular film shot in Berlin, Germany is the time when it was made: several years before any clear National Socialist influence, and well before Joseph Goebbels ' Propaganda Ministry took over all German film production, which stalled creativity and forced many filmmakers to leave the country.
Die Sinfonie der Großstadt | Sound des Jahrhunderts | bpb.de
The first act starts the day, beginning with calm waters and a graphic representation of a sunrise. Many types of people eat, and some rest. Animals are seen resting, as an elephant lies down, a work dog tethered to a cart lies on the pavement, various zoo animals loll about. The fourth act starts with a lunch break. Mailmen start their day, shops open. A hand manipulates a lever, effectively turning on the city, and factory machinery springs to life.
The five-reel film is divided into five acts, and each act is announced through a title card at the beginning and end. These films were conceived of in the mid to late s among the "artistic" writers and filmmakers as an avant-garde, "new style" of film-making that evolved from a script-free open narrative form, seeking to present a less cluttered view of the world, free from a clear story or rigid structure.
Trains and several newspapers are held up for display, dissolving over one another, bringing us to the end of the third act.
Berlin: Symphony of a Metropolis - Wikipedia
This film represented a break from Ruttmann's earlier " absolute films ," with influences from Vertov's earlier films apparent in Ruttmann's approach to this film. The film then transitions through calm and empty streets, to the gradual process of the city waking up. People start to eat and drink, and animals feed. The film demonstrates the filmmaker's knowledge of Soviet montage theory , and some socialist political sympathies can be inferred from a few of the edits in the film.
At first, only objects are seen, such as a bit of paper blowing through an empty street, but soon a few people arise, then more are about, and the activity builds to crowds of workers going to work, pedestrians, busy streetcars, trains etc. Many places and buildings that did not survive the war appear in the film, such as the Anhalter Bahnhof train station, and the Hotel Excelsior located opposite, once the largest hotel in Europe.
Different classes of people are seen, some mounting buses and streetcars, while wealthy men enter chauffeured private cars. Some poor folk sleep on benches or wall ledges, while activity goes on around them. The city is bustling with activity.