Berlin: Symphony of a Great City (1928)

A day in the life of a great city

An experimental film in its day, and still today, BERLIN: SYMPHONY OF A GREAT CITY is presented as one day in the life of the city--Berlin, in 1929. In fact, the footage was taken over a longer period of time, and evidence of every season of the year is seen in the film's "movements." Less interested in story-telling than in matching shapes and shades to create a unified portrait of the city, Walter Ruttman assembles his images according to the rhythms of the day, beginning with a train arrival in Berlin, following with dawn and the start of the work day, the midday break, afternoon work, after-work recreation, and nightlife. The film is characterized by occasional social comment and ironic juxtapositions, some of which are all the more poignant to modern viewers, who know what Berlin would become in the years that followed. Absorbing viewing--a frozen moment in time, and a portrait of a relatively calm Germany in the lull between two catastrophic storms. July 1, 2008

Caveat Emptor

Warning to buyers of Ruttmann's "Berlin:" many copies are lacking the original soundtrack entirely, and this version does not have the one by Edmund Meisel (who also composed the music for Eisenstein's Potemkin). The VHS by Kino Video also has Brock's score, not Meisel's (of which only a piano arrangement seems to have survived). The European TV program ARTE broadcast in 2007 a re-orchestration by Berndt Thewes of the Meisel score: we need to have this on DVD, please. February 27, 2008

BERLIN YEARS BEFORE ITS DESTRUCTION

I RECOMEND EVERYBODY THIS DVD TOGETHER WITH A CD THAT THE CATALAN MUSICIANS GROUP PEGASUS COMPOSED IN 1986 TO HOMAGE THIS FILM. I SAW THIS FILM IN 1986 AND HAVE'NT SEEN IT AGAIN. NOW I BOUGHT THE FILM AND WILL PLAY IT SYNCHRONIZED WITH PEGASUS THEMES. YOU CAN READ BELOW INFO FROM IT.
Almost sixty years ago, a writer, Carl Mayer, and a moviemaker, Walter Ruttmann, had the happy occurrence to dedicate a filmed portrait of their own town, Berlin. They wanted to exalt it in an "images melody" to pick up all its movements and vital impulse.
That is how Berlin: symphony of a big city, was born, where rhythms and oscillations of the urban activity, get fused into a series of inspired musical/visual movements.
As fearless in concept as bright in resolution, nobody since then has been able to overcome this beautiful avant-garde film, that remains one of the great creative successes of silent movies.
Silent but not deaf. As well as Napoleon, which discovery had dazzled everybody, Metropolis, returned recently to the young audiences, Berlin: symphony of a big city did not stay as a cinematheque's curiosity, but has preserved a forceful modernity.
That is why the Setmana Internacional de Cinema (1986) is proud to present the personal version of Berlin: symphony of a big city that PEGASUS themes with images of Ruttmann, opens not only a dimension that goes over the film and the record, but proves the universality of cinema and music beyond time.

Pegasus "Simfonia d'una gran ciutat" 1986 - Pegasus Records 1990 - PDI (80.2305)

- Obertura (Overture)
- El despertar dels carrers (Awakening of the streets)
- Primer moviment (First movement)
- Rondó de les màquines
- Balada dels obrers (Workers ballade)
- Paranoia
- Joc d'oci (Leisure game)
- Tempo de rock
- Andante per dones i infants (Andante to women and children)
- Sector terciari (Tertiary sector)
- Punt de reunió (Meeting point)
Santi Arisa - Drums and percussions
Rafael Escoté - Bass & sequencing prog.
Josep Mas "Kitflus" - Piano and synths.
Max Sunyer - Guitars
[...] July 12, 2007

Innovative Masterpiece

Unbelievable as it is: Walter Ruttmann's acclaimed Berlin film is not available on Germany's great video market. So I was very happy to spot it finally in the US. Seeing the artful scenes of bygone Berlin is highly interesting for me, but makes me sad all at once - especially as a native of this city. March 28, 2007

Great City, shame about the Symphony

Visually, this is a very good product, with excellent b&w film of 1920's Berlin. The musical accompaniment was appropriate, but very faintly recorded and TV volume had to be on full in order to obtain sound at a moderate level. January 11, 2007

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