Friday, September 16, 2011

People on Sunday (1930)

People on Sunday • Menschen am Sonntag (1930)
People on Sunday • Menschen am Sonntag (1930)

Genre: Silent
Director: Robert Siodmak, Edgar G. Ulmer
Starring:  Erwin Splettstößer, Brigitte Borchert, Wolfgang von Waltershausen, Christl Ehlers, Annie Schreyer
Duration: 73 min.
Rating: 8.0  

Summary:
This effervescent, sunlit silent, about a handful of city dwellers enjoying a weekend outing, offers a rare glimpse of Weimar-era Berlin.



People on Sunday is a silent film by Robert Siodmak, Curt Siodmak, Edgar G. Ulmer, and Fred Zinnemann, from a screenplay by Billy Wilder and photographed by Eugen Schüfftan.  This was an independent and experimental low budget film collaboration created while they were still unknown young talents living in Berlin.  Shortly before they would all flee Germany and make their significant marks in Hollywood.

The story follows five young Berliners over one summer Sunday at the beach in 1929.  The entire cast consists of nonprofessional actors playing a variation of themselves, Wolfgang (Wolfgang von Waltershausen) a wine-seller, Christl (Christl Ehlers) a pretty film extra, Brigitte (Brigitte Borchert) a record store sales girl, Erwin (Erwin Splettstößer) a taxi driver, and Annie (Annie Schreyer) a fashion model. 

For me the remarkable thing about this film is the wonderful portrayal of life in Berlin at that specific time.  Mixed in with the images of our characters' day at the beach are a variety of scenes of other random people enjoying their own days out.  It plays out like a captured moment of collective joy shortly before the decline of the Weimar Republic, and the events that would forever change the lives of everyone involved.  Giving the film a significance which the filmmakers couldn't possibly have been aware of, but is something always in the back of the audience's mind. 

Aside from the historical importance of this, it is a beautifully crafted film all on its own.  Even though there isn't really much of a plot, and the editing flow of the scenes is disjointed at times.  Most likely because the original film is lost and this version was pieced together using parts from several different sources.  The overall look and feel, particularly of the outdoor scenes that make up the majority of People on Sunday, is much more realistic and natural than you would expect to see from a silent film of this era.   This makes it easy to get immersed in the tone and setting.  

People on Sunday is an obscure but noteworthy piece of cinematic history.  An early work from a list of creative names who would all go on to have great careers in Hollywood, and a lighthearted look at Berlin in the golden era before the rise of Hitler.

Bonjour Tristesse

People on Sunday • Menschen am Sonntag (1930)

People on Sunday • Menschen am Sonntag (1930)

People on Sunday • Menschen am Sonntag (1930)

People on Sunday • Menschen am Sonntag (1930)

People on Sunday • Menschen am Sonntag (1930)

People on Sunday • Menschen am Sonntag (1930)

People on Sunday • Menschen am Sonntag (1930)

People on Sunday • Menschen am Sonntag (1930)

10 comments:

Bonjour Tristesse said...

I recently saw Cold Fish and posted about it here: http://specialdoseofsadness.blogspot.com/2011/07/cold-fish-2010.html  (try my handy search feature found at the top right)

Thanks for those recommendations, I will try to find them. Suicide Club is the only other one of his films I've seen. 

TimBowen said...

Have you reviewed any of his other work? I'm a huge fan. If you haven't seen much, Hazard, Cold Fish and Strange Circus are all amazing and worth your time. Love Exposure is my favorite though.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Thanks Tim, no I haven't seen that one yet, but I will as soon as I get the chance, I do enjoy Sion Sono's work.

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Yeah the acting/body language in this is much more natural than what you would expect from a silent film. 

Bonjour Tristesse said...

Thanks for stopping by Andrea.

The Reel Foto said...

beautiful!

Hoi-Ming Ng said...

It has been a long while since I've seen a silent film but this might end that streak. Might.

TimBowen said...

This looks like a cool film. Also, awesome blog. Will totally be following and coming back. Any chance you've done a write up on the movie Love Exposure? 

Andrea Ciucci said...

And this was the first movie directed by one of my favourite directors
of all the times... Edgar G. Ulmer! Thanks for this nice and precious
review! 

d_4 said...

I've tried to watch a few silent films before and I've never really been able to sit through one. This one seems like it might be different, though. At least with the trailer it seems like it might have been a recent film trying to seem like an old one, if you get what I'm saying? It seems like it was very modern for the era and I like that.

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