Berlin: Symphony of a Great City Review
65 minutes, Germany (1927),
More of a montage of images than an actual movie, this is a deeply fascinating documentary, following ordinary Berliners going about their business from sunrise to midnight, taking in the working day and the exuberant nightlife of this bustling urban sprawl. Although it's essentially plotless, there's further evidence here that ordinary folks often provide the most interesting movie material of all; there's something innately satisfying about watching members of the public, even when they are doing such mundane things as going to work. The film is sometimes shown with music, but more often than not it's completely silent, yet still manages to draw the viewer into its world of normality. The fact that it was filmed just a short time before the rise of Nazism injects a note of uncertainty into proceedings - there's something profoundly unsettling about watching this seemingly civilized society and knowing what will become of it
YOUTUBE link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ej84nN1WcE
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