''The Berliner'' (german: Berliner Ballade; also known as ''The Ballad of Berlin'') is a 1948 comedy film adapted by
Günter Neumann from his cabaret, directed by
Robert A. Stemmle
Robert Adolf Stemmle (10 June 1903 – 24 February 1974) was a German screenwriter and film director. He wrote for more than 80 films between 1932 and 1967. He also directed 46 films between 1934 and 1970. His 1959 film '' Die unvollkommen ...
, and starring
Gert Fröbe in his first leading role.
It offers a satirical portrayal of life in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
in the aftermath of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
Plot
The film has a framing narrative set in 2048 where viewers are offered the chance to look back at "The Ancients", which introduces the main narrative set in 1948. The film reflects the struggles of Otto Normalverbraucher (Otto Average-Consumer, played by Fröbe), a former German soldier returning to civilian life in
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
after
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
.
After many travails, struggling to find food, shelter, and work, he eventually falls in love and ends up happily with his dream woman.
Production
The film was adapted by Günter Neumann from his cabaret program ''Schwarzer Jahrmarkt'',
was filmed in
West Berlin
West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...
at the time of the
Soviet blockade, and shot on location and at the
Tempelhof Studios
The Tempelhof Studios are a film studio located in Tempelhof in the German capital of Berlin. They were founded in 1912, during the silent era, by German film pioneer Alfred Duskes, who built a glass-roofed studio on the site with financial bac ...
.
Joseph Burstyn Inc. distributed the film in the U.S.
Critical reception
The Darmstädter Echo praised it for its lack of spite and viciousness and its humor and humanity. Angelica Fenner compares the film to
Bertolt Brecht with devices such as the
omniscient narrator
Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the ...
, prototypical characters, and satirical tone.
Sabine Hake points out that although within the genre of post-war ''Trümmerfilme'' (
rubble film
Rubble is broken stone, of irregular size, shape and texture; undressed especially as a filling-in. Rubble naturally found in the soil is known also as 'brash' (compare cornbrash)."Rubble" def. 2., "Brash n. 2. def. 1. ''Oxford English Dictionary ...
) it offers a refreshing change from the majority of those films through its use of satirical humor. However, Stephen Brockmann has criticised the film for portraying an optimistic message about the survival of the human spirit after World War II while ignoring the causes of the war.
Awards
It was nominated for a
BAFTA for Best Film from any Source in the 1950 ceremony, when it was beaten by ''
Bicycle Thieves
''Bicycle Thieves'' ( it, Ladri di biciclette; sometimes known in the United States as ''The Bicycle Thief'') is a 1948 Italian neorealist drama film directed by Vittorio De Sica. It follows the story of a poor father searching in post- World ...
''. It won an International Prize at the
10th Venice International Film Festival
The 10th annual Venice International Film Festival was held from 11 August to 1 September 1949. The Venice Film Festival came back permanently to the Palazzo del Cinema on the Lido di Venezia.
The award for the Best film is first called " The Li ...
in 1949.
References
External links
*
1948 films
1940s satirical films
1940s science fiction comedy films
West German films
1940s German-language films
Films set in Berlin
Films shot in Berlin
Fiction set in 2050
German satirical films
German science fiction comedy films
German black-and-white films
Films shot at Tempelhof Studios
1948 comedy films
1940s German films
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