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Berlin Symphony Of A Great City [Blu-ray]

Walther Ruttman (Director), N/A (Actor) Rated:

Format: Blu-ray

4.6 37 ratings

IMDb7.6/10.0

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Genre	Special Interests, Classics/Silent Films
Format	Subtitled, Blu-ray
Contributor	N/A, Walther Ruttman & Karl Freund, Carl Mayer, Walther Ruttman
Runtime	1 hour and 2 minutes
Studio	Flicker Alley, LLC

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Product Description

At once an invaluable photographic record of life in Weimer Berlin and a timeless demonstration of the cinema's ability to enthrall on a purely visceral level, Berlin, Symphony of a Great City (Berlin, die Symphonie der Grosstadt) offers a kaleidoscopic view of a single day in the life of a bustling metropolis. Carl Mayer (The Last Laugh), influenced by the naturalistic Kammerspiel movement, envisioned "a melody of pictures" sprung from daily reality instead of the stylized artificiality of the studio-bound expressionist film. Following Mayer's rough outline, photographer Karl Freund deployed a team of cameramen to explore the avenues, alleyways, and factories of Berlin and secure hidden-camera glimpses of the people and machinery that provide the city with its constant motion. The many hours of footage were then edited into a series of five acts, like movements of a symphony, by Walther Ruttmann as a continuation of his experiments with abstract motion. Scanned in 2K resolution from 16mm elements and featuring a score by composer Timothy Brock as performed by the Olympia Chamber Orchestra, Flicker Alley and Blackhawk Films are proud to release this classic of documentary cinema in a high-definition Blu-ray edition for the first time ever. Berlin defined the formula of the "city symphony" film and according to John Grierson the filmmaker/critic who coined the term "documentary" "No film has been more influential, more imitated."

Product details

MPAA rating ‏ : ‎ NR (Not Rated)
Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.75 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches; 1.76 Ounces
Director ‏ : ‎ Walther Ruttman
Media Format ‏ : ‎ Subtitled, Blu-ray
Run time ‏ : ‎ 1 hour and 2 minutes
Release date ‏ : ‎ September 4, 2018
Producers ‏ : ‎ Carl Mayer
Studio ‏ : ‎ Flicker Alley
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07GRS2C2Y
Writers ‏ : ‎ Walther Ruttman & Karl Freund
Country of Origin ‏ : ‎ USA
Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1

Best Sellers Rank: #74,389 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
- #337 in Special Interests (Movies & TV)
- #428 in Documentary (Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews:
4.6 37 ratings

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4.6 out of 5

37 global ratings

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Barbara Underwood

A special journey back in time!

Reviewed in the United States on February 14, 2005

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Watching this outstanding film is like travelling back in time to Berlin of 1927, experiencing it as a visitor or as a native Berliner would, with views, insights and glimpses of street scenes, restaurants, shops, trains, stations and many more. In a carefully arranged sequence, the film begins with a train ride into the city as a passenger would see it, then we see empty streets as the city awakens to a new day. Each short scene captures a piece of everyday life in the metropolis; from pidgeons on the street and a meandering cat to a couple of quarrelling men on a busy street. The style of this early documentary often reminded me of some famous Soviet Avant-Garde films such as "The End of St Petersburg" and "Earth" in that the pictures, camera angles and varying speeds of presenting a sequence of images create a drama, a feeling, thereby making this much more than just a collage of city scenes. A perfectly suited orchestral score composed by Timothy Brock completes the experience. Director Walther Ruttmann has truly managed to capture the essence of Berlin in 1927 in this one hour film which is divided into five acts; from early morning in the first, to night life in the fifth act, making you feel as if you really have visited pre-war Berlin for a day. This becomes even more poignant when you consider that the city was largely destroyed by bombs during World War II, and that this marvellous film allows a unique travel experience to a long-lost time and place. Picture quality is excellent as well, and for any lover of history and travel, as well as of film making in general, this DVD is a must.

14 people found this helpful

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WILLIAM P. BOYLE

Excellent Footage

Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2019

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Fine film tour of Berlin in its Weimar years.

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Miguel

Awesome DVD!!

Reviewed in the United States on June 17, 2014

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great DVD ontime!!! i had a lot of fun watching this and was happy to get it on time, awesome service.

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musikwissenschaft

Caveat Emptor

Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2008

Verified Purchase

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.

10 people found this helpful

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HISAO GAMA

Thank you. Is satisfied

Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2013

Verified Purchase

Also supported content is a perfect score
No problem also transport
I am glad that precious thing is available
Thank you

One person found this helpful

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fascinating, haunting and very well done

Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2012

Walther Ruttman's Berlin: Symphony of a Great City is a fantastic work of art that paints a slice of daily life in the city of Berlin during the Weimar Republic in Germany. We observe through Ruttman's lens what Berlin looked like in neighborhoods both good and not so good. The film does a magnificent job of portraying Berlin as a living organism; but it's equally amazing to see Berliners going about their day and enjoying the night in this little masterpiece. Moreover, the film moves along at a very good pace; Ruttman's captivating work is brilliant and the musical score enhances the film.

At the beginning of this five part documentary, (which is in five parts called "acts"), we experience a train coming into Berlin. This viewer was treated to the sights of several Berlin streets as early as five o'clock in the morning before hardly anyone is even awake. Ruttman's "symphony," his marriage of silent footage with that musical score, becomes more elaborate as we see people wake up, do morning chores and then go to work. Young children walk to school and meet each other to say hello just before entering the school.

As the "symphony" progresses even further, it becomes an even more beautiful and sensitive medley of just about all aspects of Berlin life in 1927--for example, we see factory workers using mechanical assembly lines to bottle milk and there are fantastic images of hotels with beautiful lobbies. People socialize over lunch or perhaps are seen eating a typical German style lunch at a café. There are images of busy Berlin streets with traffic cops and the store windows are full of merchandise all designed to attract customers. Among other things, the film eventually shows us workers going home at the end of the workday and the footage of people enjoying Berlin's nightlife fascinated me.

As many have written, this film is now quite important because it shows a city completely lost by the end of World War Two. I, too, wondered what became of many of the Berliners in this film--did they survive the war? The two or three times the camera caught images of Jews walking down the street or wheeling out a cart to sell fruit during the day made me shudder because I knew what was in store for them.

I'll leave out the rest so that you can experience this picture and enjoy it to the extent that I did. I will add that you'll likely be glued to the screen; it's all so well done. In addition, Opus 1 is an unusual yet interesting example of German avant-garde film; it's a great bonus feature and the music enhances the handsomely hand-colored, somewhat abstract shapes dancing across the screen.

I recommend Berlin: Symphony of a Great City for people interested in the history of Germany especially before World War Two and fans of Walther Ruttman. In addition, people who appreciate historical documentaries will not be disappointed.

6 people found this helpful

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M. McClure

Portrait of Berlin in 1927

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 23, 2019

Verified Purchase

This is a minor masterpiece of the Weimar Republic years. Simply recording a day in the life of Berlin in 1927 at a time of one of Berlin's most creative and interesting periods, it simply records the comings and goings of a great and thriving city. It is endlessly fascinating in its recording of human details and everyday life. It must be watched.

2 people found this helpful

flomo81

very pricey

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 14, 2019

Verified Purchase

too pricey for one hour documentary. nothing else as special feature

3 people found this helpful

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