Film Archive

Berlin - Alexanderplatz

After being released from prison, Franz is determined to finally lead a decent life. But it is difficult to get used to living outside of prison again. In the local bar, he meets Reinhold, leader of a gang of criminals. Unable to convince Franz to join the gang, Reinhold gets him to take a drive with them one night. When Franz realizes that they are on their way to a job, he refuses to participate and is thrown out of the car while it is still moving. Franz survives, but loses his right arm. Having now lost all faith and sure he’ll never make it on “the straight and narrow”, Franz gives in and joins Reinhold’s gang. Franz’s new girlfriend Mieze, however, finds out what’s going on and starts making trouble. To get her out of the way, Reinhold tricks her into taking a drive with him and kills her. When Franz learns of Reinhold’s treachery, he grabs his revolver and heads to the local bar to confront the gang leader. But the bar is already swarming with cops… In court, Franz is acquitted and Reinhold is sentenced to 15 years in prison. Although he’s hit rock bottom, Franz still finds the strength to go on. Working as a street vendor selling tumbler toys on Alexanderplatz in Berlin, Franz has finally found happiness in a simple, but upright life.

Piel Jutzi was born in 1896 in Alt-Leiningen and died in 1946 in Neustadt. Originally a painter, he directed his first films Das blinkende Fenster (1919), Die Rache der Banditen (1919) and Das deutsche Lied - Henkerskarren und Koenigsthron (1920) auto-didactically. He went to Berlin in 1925 and filmed the comedy Kladd und Datsch (1926) and the sentimental Kindertragoedie (1927). All of his early works, however, are presumed lost without a trace. He then worked as a cameraman, documentarist and editor for Prometheus Film on numerous Russian films, as well as with the Russian director Roschal on the first German-Russian production. Russian silent films influenced his worked, resulting in his masterpieces Hunger in Waldenburg - Ums taegliche Brot (1928) and Berlin-Alexanderplatz (1931). However, in 1933 his films were prohibited by the government. From then on, he directed short comedies and crime stories. His other films include: Mother Krausen Goes to Heaven (Mutter Krausens Fahrt ins Glueck, 1929), Frau Eva wird mondaen (1934), Die Sache mit dem Hermelin (1939) and Fruechtchen (1942), among others.
 

Genre Drama
Category Feature Film Cinema
Year of Production 1931
Director Piel Jutzi
Screenplay Alfred Doeblin, Karl Heinz Martin, Hans Wilhelm
Director of Photography Nikolaus Farkas
Editor Goeza Pollatschik
Music by Allan Gray
Production Design Julius von Borsody
Producer Arnold Pressburger
Production Company Allianz-Tonfilm/Berlin
Principal Cast Maria Bard, Gerhard Bienert, Hans-Peter Deppe, Albert Florath, Heinrich George, Oskar Hoecker, Bernhard Minetti, Margarete Schlegel, Paul Westermeier
Length 89 min, 2,240 m
Format 35 mm, b&w, 1:1.37
Original Version German
Sound Technology Optical Sound
German Distributor Filmverleih Die Lupe/Goettingen

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