Weimar Cinema Revisited

In the mid-1800s in Galicia, Baruch, the son of an orthodox rabbi, yearns to become an actor. Against his father’s will, he leaves the eastern European shtetl where he grew up and joins a traveling theatre troupe. Austrian archduchess Elisabeth Theresia becomes enamored of the young man and arranges for him to join the ensemble of Vienna’s Burg Theatre, where he becomes a celebrated star. But the father still rejects his son’s chosen path. ‘Das Alte Gesetz’ (The Ancient Law) appears to be a ‘response to a backlash of racial anti-Semitism against immigrant Ostjuden during the post-World War I era’ (Cynthia Walk). With its complex portrayal of orthodoxy and emancipation, E. A. Dupont’s period film marks a high point of Jewish filmmaking in Germany. The Deutsche Kinemathek’s digital restoration was made possible through the personal commitment of Professor Cynthia Walk (University of California, San Diego), and generous support from the Sunrise Foundation for Education and the Arts.

‘Tragedy of a Night’ is the subtitle to the tense three-act play ‘Silvester’ (New Year’s Eve), based on Carl Mayer’s expert screenplay and directed by Lupu Pick. On New Year’s Eve, the oppressive triangular relationship between a married couple and the husband’s mother escalates. The husband eventually flees the vitriolic arguments between the two women by committing suicide. In contrast to the claustrophobic backroom of the inn where the drama takes place, crowds celebrating on the streets are captured by cinematographer Guido Seeber.

The owner of a wax museum hires a young poet to write back stories for three of his wax figures – Caliph Harun al-Rashid, Ivan the Terrible, and Jack the Ripper. In each of the film’s three episodes, the love of a young couple (always recognizable as the writer and the daughter of the waxworks owner) is threatened by one of these fiends. Caliph Harun al-Rashid lusts after the wife of a baker, Czar Ivan carries a bride and groom off to his torture chamber, and Jack the Ripper lies in wait to ambush the daughter of the waxworks owner. This was the last film made by the visual artist, set designer and director Paul Leni (1885-1929) before he moved to Hollywood in 1926.

In ’Die Verrufenen’ (The Slums of Berlin), engineer Robert Kramer is released from prison and struggles to find a foothold again in the world of the middle-classes. When he wants to put an end to his life, he is held back by Emma, a streetwalker. Together with ‘Die Unehelichen’ (Children of No Importance), this film cinematically traces Heinrich Zille’s view of the Berlin ‘Milljöh’ (milieu).

Funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.  

‘Metropolis’ is a lavish production depicting a city of the future; when it was made, it was the most expensive film ever shot in Germany. But its dramatic release was a disappointment due to the unrealistic expectations of critics and audiences, fueled in advance by reports of the grandiose production. In the USA, the film was shortened by one-third. The UFA production company then decided that in Germany, too, the film should be shown ‘in the American version and eliminating the titles showing communist tendencies’. So the film’s content was drastically modified against the will of its creators. It was not until 2008 that a print was found in Argentina containing scenes that had been cut from the film in 1927. A new restoration – sponsored by the Murnau Foundation – eventually led to a version with the title ‘The Complete Metropolis’.

Funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media, DEFA-Stiftung, Gemeinnütziger Kulturfonds Frankfurt RheinMain and VGF Verwertungsgesellschaft für Nutzungsrechte an Filmwerken.  

‘Menschen untereinander’ (The Folk Upstairs) portrays the social microcosm of an apartment building, whose residents represent a cross-section of poverty, corruption, and the need for compassion.

Funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.  

In ’Die Unehelichen’ (Children of No Importance) the children of three workers suffer at the hands of their violent foster parents until a dramatic incident changes their lives. Together with ‘Die Verrufenen’ (The Slums of Berlin), this film cinematically traces Heinrich Zille’s view of the Berlin ‘Milljöh’ (milieu).

Funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.  

In 1807 Prussia, Napoleon-supporter Baron von Schranden forces his maid Regine to lead the French enemy across the Katzensteg (Cat’s Bridge), behind a corps of Prussian volunteers who the French then decimate. In retaliation for this betrayal, the people of Schranden set the lord’s castle on fire. When the baron’s son Boleslav returns to the village a Prussian war hero in 1813, he is faced with a self-righteous village community that has denied his late father a decent burial. Regine is Boleslav’s only ally, and Boleslav is Regine’s only ally. The conflict escalates, and the villagers set up an ambush for him at Cat’s Bridge. The film is in the style of a gloomy Prussian Western. Based on the book by Hermann Sudermann, it portrays a postwar society roiled by internal strife. With his historical melodrama, Gerhard Lamprecht was advocating for thoughtfulness in place of a nationalist upsurge, and for additional fealty besides loyalty to country.

Funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. With generous support from the Sunrise Foundation for Education and the Arts.  

In ‘Unter Der Laterne’ (Under the Lantern) Else goes through the short descent from cabaret performer to streetwalker: she is symbolic of countless young women whose desire to improve their lot and experience some glamor is shattered by the moral and economic realities of society. Else Riedel is a cabaret dancer who wants to rise out of poverty and move up in society. She puts her faith in theater agent Nevin, a conniving crook who survives the economic crisis by doing shady deals and who soon seduces Else. Her aspiration to attain money, love, and happiness through him has fatal consequences: she ends up turning to prostitution and dies unhappy. The film shows the downside of the Golden Twenties where newfound freedoms became traps of economic and emotional dependencies, particularly for women.

Funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.  

With her black pageboy haircut and androgynous look, the beautiful, self-confident dancer Lulu (Louise Brooks) manages to seduce her admirers and lead the life of a kept woman. By contriving a scandal, she succeeds in ensnaring the wealthy newspaper editor Dr. Schön (Fritz Kortner) in marriage. His son Alwa (Franz Lederer) is also unable to escape Lulu’s seductive allure. On the wedding night, a fight breaks out during which Dr. Schön is killed. Lulu faces charges but manages to escape with Alwa to Paris. There, she is blackmailed and they both flee to London. Lulu’s abject decline ends in impoverished slums and prostitution.

Funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.  

In 1896 in Hamburg, work on the docks is hard and unrest is brewing among the laborers. Management is deaf to demands for higher pay. The dockworkers hold meetings; the situation reaches boiling point. With the union agreeing to lend support, they call a strike. Made on the eve of the worldwide economic depression, Werner Hochbaum’s look back at the failed Hamburg dockworkers’ strike is a reminder of the achievements in social welfare brought about by trade unions and social democracy in the Weimar Republic.

This semi-documentary is one of the most important works of the silent film era. A group of young Berliners is filmed over a weekend going about their daily activities. The film combines documentary images with dramaturgic elements.

Funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.  

France in 1918 – somewhere on the front lines. The end of World War I has brought four German infantrymen together on the French front: a Bavarian, a student, a lieutenant, and a man named Karl. The daily life of trench warfare, and of gas, artillery, and tank attacks comes crashing down on them. Even home leave or the tender love of a French farm girl no longer provide a ray of hope in these times. In shockingly harsh and realistic camera footage, the cruelty of war becomes all too apparent through the shattered destinies of these four infantrymen.

‘Westfront 1918’ (Comrades of 1918) was master director Georg Wilhelm Pabst’s first sound film. A German anti-war film from 1930, it was banned by the Film-Oberprüfstelle (Film Review Office) following the National Socialist assumption of power, just three years after its premiere.

Funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.  

Young Russian student Ariane comes to Berlin where she meets Konstantin Michael, a charming older playboy. She responds to his flirtations – even though he’s made it clear he’s only looking for a brief adventure. Hoping to impress and lure him in, she plays the experienced woman of the world. On their trip to Italy, they part ways when Konstantin leaves and Ariane stays behind, deeply wounded. She fantasizes about revenge, but when the two meet again in Berlin, she confesses her sincere love to him. Konstantin realizes that he can’t resist Ariane and decides to spend his life with her.

A child killer is on the loose, terrorizing Berlin, and little Else Beckmann is his latest victim. The police step up their presence on the streets. However, their inspections and house searches severely disrupt the business of the criminal underworld. In addition, the crooks do not want to be associated with the sex offender. So they decide to catch him themselves. When a blind balloon seller identifies the murderer based on his whistle and a young man manages to mark him with chalk, the chase begins. In the meantime, the police are also on the trail of the perpetrator. But they don’t have much time to prevent the mob from lynching him. The first sound film by director Fritz Lang is one of film history’s classics. 

Funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.  

Ten years after the end of World War I, the mood on the German-French border is still hostile. A severe accident suddenly occurs in a French mine, trapping and burying alive nearly 600 French miners. Although at times the old enmity with France is rife, the German miners try to help the other side: in the end, miners are miners. Wittkopp puts together a rescue squad. Under his command they drive across the border by truck, not even stopping for the customs officials, who are not informed ahead of time.

Funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media.  

A working-class Berlin family lose their apartment due to unemployment and move to the Kuhle Wampe homeless camp on the outskirts of the city. In desperation, the son commits suicide. Daughter Anni and her fiancé Fritz begin to question their circumstances and become active members of the colony. ‘Kuhle Wampe’ (Kuhle Wampe or Who Owns the World?) premiered in Moscow on May 14, 1932. Due to its political stance, however, it was banned in Germany. After edits that shortened it by about four minutes, it passed the censors and premiered in Berlin on May 30, 1932. Then in March 1933, the board of censors, now under Nazi control, banned ‘Kuhle Wampe’ for good. Slatan Dudow’s directorial work, made in collaboration with Bertolt Brecht and Hanns Eisler, is considered a milestone in political cinema.

Narrated in flashback, French officer Saint-Avit talks about his memories of the lost city of Atlantis in the sands of the Sahara. With his friend and comrade Morhange, he was once held prisoner there by the beautiful and mysterious ruler Antinea, whom every man hopelessly falls for – until she falls in love with Captain Morhange, who remains unaffected by her allures. The aggrieved Antinea then has him killed by his best friend Saint-Avit, who flees the desert in despair after his crime.

‘Razzia in St Pauli’ (Raid in St. Pauli) takes place in the red-light district of Hamburg port, where the prostitute Else lives with bar musician Leo. When the crook Sailor Karl hides out from the police at Else’s after burgling a jeweler’s, an affair develops between the two, which makes her dream of another life. Else and Karl plan to flee together to escape their bleak existence. But the police order a raid on the harbor district to catch the perpetrator of the burglary. Werner Hochbaum’s social drama, which ends with a song by Ernst Busch about the legion of exploited dock workers, is an authentic reflection of a social setting, shot in rhythmic montage.

Skipper Henner Classen lives on a tugboat with his wife, son, and runaway Jakob. On shore leave in Berlin, he meets Gescha, a grifter, and spends the night with her. The next day, he leaves his wife and child behind on a trip to town to have fun with Gescha. He falls for her and is drawn into the wild nightlife of the dance halls. In the end, he decides to take Gescha with him on his barge. When Jakob chases her away, he is hit by a vehicle. Henner then sets sail with his wife and child and leaves the city and its temptations behind. Heinrich George’s only directorial work is particularly impressive due to his portrayal of skipper Classen and the depiction of this social setting.

Inspired by Robert Flaherty’s narrative documentaries, Jewish ethnologist and filmmaker Friedrich Dalsheim made this documentary film with a narrative plot. The people of Bedulu on Bali live in peace and harmony. The only thing threatening their happiness are the witches and demons that create confusion and bring disease down on the village. Wajan, son of the local witch, and Sari, daughter of a respected merchant, cannot find happiness until they have overcome the demonic forces.