A day in the life of 1920's Berlin, Walter Ruttmann's images on screen is structured in a way showing us the great city. Ruttman toured us in the Berlin's awakening, mid-day rest, busy afternoon life, and evening leisure.
A normal day in the heart of the city Berlin, but a day full of life and energy. On the whole, this sequence focuses primarily on people. Though it's true that it is not so much about the people of Berlin, although we see many of them, but it is not a film about the life of Berlin people, it is Berlin seen as a living organism.
Scenes are edited and cut together based on relationships of image, motion, point of view, and content- the five reel film is divided into five acts. The first act starts the day, beginning with calm waters and a representation of a sunrise. The opening sequence with the train but it's when the train reaches the station that the main part of the movie really begins, presenting an interesting typical day in Berlin.
Second act shows more how the usual morning starts, with the opening of gates, shutters, windows, doors, people busy cleaning, fruit carts, children going to school. A montage of monkeys biting one another, telephone operators, machinery, and dogs fighting is mixed into the general busy work of the office.
The third act showed the busy side of the street's of the great city wherein a variety of people of different classes going about their business. There are industrial workers, construction workers, salespeople, shoppers, etc. A fight between two men breaks out briefly, but is quickly stopped by bystanders and a policeman. There are many crowds, a father and bride arriving at a wedding and a strong contrast of some flirtation on the street.
Fourth is the lunch break where 12:00 is shown on a clock. Berliners start to eat and drink, and animals feed. There is a scene in the film wherein social issue was shown in symbolism form wherein during the lunch hour sequences, when we see the rich eating in fancy restaurants and the poor eating in harder conditions. Ruttmann then follows it up with the shots of a lion eating his big meal of raw flesh and a few kittens looking for food in the garbage. This is the only real significant hint but rather than seem like the portrayal of a serious social issue of Marxist ideology, that one of Marx's arguments is the difference of the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. And as the camera moves among the wealthy and the less fortunate, while children play and factories roar. Words from a newspaper fly off the screen: Murder! Marriage! Money! Money! Money! A wild eyed woman throws herself from a bridge and disappears into the dark water while office workers pound the keys of their typewriters then on the lover's boat on a peaceful city lake. It shows how Ruttman has the power to shift the scenes gracefully and violently manner through each frame shown.
Finally, the fifth act is the people's entertainment at night. Montage of entertainments includes hockey, indoor races, boxing and dance contests. The city starts to spin wildly, transitions into a majestic fireworks display, and thus concludes the day of the great city Berlin.
This fascinating classic never loses its ability to capture the attention and imagination of its audience. The technique is creative and resourceful, and the images are significant. Everything fits together to make the idea work wonderfully well, truly a great classic and contribution to the world of cinema.
Although the film seem portray the lives of the people in the city, humanity is not its focal topic rather the Berlin City itself, how it has come to life in film and how it will be remembered and visited in the time capsule Ruttmann has created for the whole world to see and appreciate.
A normal day in the heart of the city Berlin, but a day full of life and energy. On the whole, this sequence focuses primarily on people. Though it's true that it is not so much about the people of Berlin, although we see many of them, but it is not a film about the life of Berlin people, it is Berlin seen as a living organism.
Scenes are edited and cut together based on relationships of image, motion, point of view, and content- the five reel film is divided into five acts. The first act starts the day, beginning with calm waters and a representation of a sunrise. The opening sequence with the train but it's when the train reaches the station that the main part of the movie really begins, presenting an interesting typical day in Berlin.
Second act shows more how the usual morning starts, with the opening of gates, shutters, windows, doors, people busy cleaning, fruit carts, children going to school. A montage of monkeys biting one another, telephone operators, machinery, and dogs fighting is mixed into the general busy work of the office.
The third act showed the busy side of the street's of the great city wherein a variety of people of different classes going about their business. There are industrial workers, construction workers, salespeople, shoppers, etc. A fight between two men breaks out briefly, but is quickly stopped by bystanders and a policeman. There are many crowds, a father and bride arriving at a wedding and a strong contrast of some flirtation on the street.
Fourth is the lunch break where 12:00 is shown on a clock. Berliners start to eat and drink, and animals feed. There is a scene in the film wherein social issue was shown in symbolism form wherein during the lunch hour sequences, when we see the rich eating in fancy restaurants and the poor eating in harder conditions. Ruttmann then follows it up with the shots of a lion eating his big meal of raw flesh and a few kittens looking for food in the garbage. This is the only real significant hint but rather than seem like the portrayal of a serious social issue of Marxist ideology, that one of Marx's arguments is the difference of the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. And as the camera moves among the wealthy and the less fortunate, while children play and factories roar. Words from a newspaper fly off the screen: Murder! Marriage! Money! Money! Money! A wild eyed woman throws herself from a bridge and disappears into the dark water while office workers pound the keys of their typewriters then on the lover's boat on a peaceful city lake. It shows how Ruttman has the power to shift the scenes gracefully and violently manner through each frame shown.
Finally, the fifth act is the people's entertainment at night. Montage of entertainments includes hockey, indoor races, boxing and dance contests. The city starts to spin wildly, transitions into a majestic fireworks display, and thus concludes the day of the great city Berlin.
This fascinating classic never loses its ability to capture the attention and imagination of its audience. The technique is creative and resourceful, and the images are significant. Everything fits together to make the idea work wonderfully well, truly a great classic and contribution to the world of cinema.
Although the film seem portray the lives of the people in the city, humanity is not its focal topic rather the Berlin City itself, how it has come to life in film and how it will be remembered and visited in the time capsule Ruttmann has created for the whole world to see and appreciate.