1. Berlin Film Palaces
The online collection, “Movie Theater History in Berlin” created by the Deutsche Kinemathek, contains images from different eras of the 20th century. Most of the theaters mentioned in this chapter can be found in the first three eras: 1905-1918, 1919-1932, and 1933-1945.
- Select an image from the Weimar Era (1919-1932) and describe the theater.
- What surprises or intrigues you about these images?
- In the collection for the Nazi era (1933-1945), find the image of the Ufa-Palast am Zoo and describe the façade for the premiere of Leni Riefenstahl’s “Olympia.”
2. Fritz Lang, Metropolis
If your library has access to Kanopy, the film can be viewed there.
As you watch the opening twenty minutes of this film, create a list of adjectives for life aboveground and for life underground.
- Which adjective in your list best represents each part of the city?
- Why do you think these adjectives best describe this part of the city?
- From this section of the film identify one key scene. Briefly describe the scene and the themes it introduces.
- In one sense the film is about the relationship between humans and machines. In what ways are humans machinelike in the film? In what ways does the machinery take on human characteristics?
- Speculate about how the story develops. What do you think happens in the remainder of the film?
- Reflecting on the film as a product of the late 1920s, connect it to life in Berlin at the time. Do you consider the film a critique of Weimar Berlin? Why or why not?
- Why do you think Metropolis has captured filmgoers’ imaginations for ninety years?
3. Walter Ruttmann, Berlin, Die Sinfonie der Großstadt
First Act—runs until approximately the 15-minute mark.
Fifth Act—begins around the 52-minute mark and continues to end of film.
This film is available on Kanopy. If your library has access, the first act runs from the beginning of the film to the 15-minute mark. The fifth act runs from 52:25 to the end of the film.
Building on the questions on page 105 and 106 in the book, compare the first act and the fifth act of the film.
- Do you see any similarities between these portions of the film?
- Many scenes in the film recur or show very similar material. What is shown in these duplicated or nearly-duplicated scenes? What function does this repetition have in the film?
- Would you consider the film a documentary? Why or why not? If so, what does the film document?
- Does Ruttmann’s film make viewers want to visit the city? Give examples of positive and negative attributes of Berlin.
- Over the film’s five acts a day in the life of the city is shown. What story, if any, does Berlin, die Sinfonie der Großstadt tell?
- Consider the film’s title. What kind of symphony is this film?
- Based solely on scenes from the film, what is characteristic of a Großstadt, a metropolis?
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