Berlin: Symphony of a Great City (1927)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

Berlin: Symphony of a Great City (1927) – W. Ruttmann

More interesting as an historic artefact these days than as a fully enjoyable film (methinks), Walter Ruttmann’s hour-long montage of footage recorded in Berlin circa 1927 shows ordinary rather than extraordinary people and locales (no sign of the Brandenburg Gate). Of course, it is impossible not to think of the future that will unfold for these ordinary people, with Hitler’s rise just around the bend, but there is nothing in these scenes that hints at this eventuality. Indeed, the activities of the people of Berlin, shown from 5 AM through until night, could be the activities of people in any big European city (or perhaps even New York City). At times, these activities even seemed like the activities that people do today in any big city (sitting at a café). Ruttmann’s real contribution, aside from inaugurating the city symphony film, was to create a fully dynamic piece through editing and montage (and of course shots of people in action) – for a while, I counted the shot lengths, which ranged from 2 to 10 seconds or so, trying to ascertain whether there was a calculated rhythm being employed. My conclusion was that the shots were probably directly linked to the music (by Edmund Meisel), although otherwise the film is completely silent. As far as content goes, we do see a range of activities and people, rich and poor, happy and sad, mundane and more specialised; some shots are obviously staged for the camera whereas others are not. Ruttmann plays a few tricks on the audience, engages in visual poetry and other artistic cutting, and generally mixes things up to hold the audience’s interest.

 

The Ring (1927)

☆ ☆ ☆

The Ring (1927) – A. Hitchcock

This silent feature from Hitchcock shows the Master developing his craft.  There is a tremendous focus on advancing the language of film, through montage, superimposition, and other experiments.  The story itself is not too exciting – a young boxer loses his wife to the champ but works his way up to the title bout and wins her back.  I think I made that sound more exciting than it really is but Hitch’s technique does add some suspense to the proceedings, even if this film is not even close to his later films in that (suspense) genre.  Still, there is no denying that Hitchcock had talent even then and was developing with each picture, even if he wouldn’t really hit his stride until the coming of sound and the Gaumont British pictures.     

  

It (1927)

☆ ☆ ½

It (1927) – C. Badger

My consumption of silent film has primarily been composed of the amazing classics (Murnau, Keaton, Eisenstein, and so on).  So, stumbling into more run-of-the-mill fare is a bit of a let-down.  Of course, “It” was a big hit and helped to spur along the stardom of Clara Bow, a free and easy sex symbol of the 1920s.  She is rather vivacious here but the film is hardly lurid or ribald.  Bow plays a shopgirl with designs on the wealthy boss and she manages to snare him.  En route, there is a bit of a problem when he accidentally believes she is a single mother to a “fatherless” child.  The stigma is palpable but Bow actually manages to get the cad to propose to her even though he thinks she has a baby to support before she tells him the truth.  Nothing too flash here in the direction or acting (apart from Bow’s obvious star turn).  Bow went on to a series of scandals and her popularity declined (Kenneth Anger tells all in Hollywood Babylon).