Figure 1.-- One of the most famous German silent films was "Berlin: Symphony of a Great City" released in 1927. A scene in a Berlin street shows a boy of about 14 wearing a cardigan sweater buttoned all the way up to his neck. He also wear knee pants and long black stockings.

One of the most famous German silent films was "Berlin: Symphony of a Great City" released in 1927. It contains wonderful images from an entire day in Berlin in 1927 and includes several interesting details of boys' clothes. The first scene shows two boys entering their school for classes in the morning carrying bookbags. One boy wears a flat cap, a belted jacket, knee pants, and long black stockings. The second photograph is a Berlin street scene showing a boy of about 14 wearing a cardigan sweater buttoned all the way up to his neck. He also wear knee pants and long black stockings.

Filmography

One of the most famous German silent films was "Berlin: Symphony of a Great City" released in 1927. It contains wonderful images from an entire day in Berlin in 1927. The film is notable as an early documentary presented in an artistic format. The director was Walther Ruttman. Ruttman went on to become a Nazi propagandist, but his technique and vision in this film are very original and artistic.

Organization

The film is divided up into five "movements" as a symphony would be. It begins before dawn and chronicles all aspects of life in Berlin on a single day until night.

Music

The musical score is by Timothy Brock, which is very beautiful.

Clothing

There is no costuming, rather the people of Berlin are photographed documenbtary style in their own clothing. The film includes several interesting details of boys' clothes. The first scene shows two boys entering their school for classes in the morning carrying bookbags. One boy wears a flat cap, a belted jacket, knee pants, and long black stockings. The second photograph is a Berlin street scene showing a boy of about 14 wearing a cardigan sweater buttoned all the way up to his neck. He also wear knee pants and long black stockings.

The Weimar Republic: Clothing Trends

German boys' fashions changed significantly as was the case in other European countries. Sailor suits continued to be widely worn, but not as commonly in the early 20th century. The rather formal styles before World War I gave way to more casual styles. Sailor caps were still common in the 1920s. We also note another military-syle cap that looks like a peaked army cap. Both styles disappeared very rapidly in the 1930s after the NAZIs seized power. Shirts were worn with wide open collars, a style very popular in the 1920s and 30s. Boys attire changed from kneepants to short pants in the 1920s. Boys especially in the 1920s commonly wore long over-the-knee stockings, both for warmth and formal occassions. A good view of formal boys attire can be seen by looking at the outfits Catholic boys wore for their First Communion. Kneesocks were, however, becoming more common. The shorts tended to be realatevly long in the 1920s and even into the early 30s when the Weimar Republic was seized by the NAZIs. At the same time kneesocks conntinued to be very common. Many boys wore sandals. In some case single bar strap shoes, but English style "T"-strap sandals were also common. Many German boy still had very short even cropped hair cuts in the 1920s.

Assessment

Architecture as well as costume becomes an important aspect of the film. The film gives a wonderful sense of what life was like in the waning years of the Weimar Republic. That the film gains in poignancy by being watched now because we realize that the prosperous and happy city depicted had only a little time left before the NAZIs seized power in 1933. Berlin became briefly the center of one of the great evils of the 20th century and for about 3 years from 1940-43 the center from which virtually ll of Western Europe was ruked before being reduced to rubble by the Allied strategic bombing campaign and finally the assault of the Red Army in 1945.

Created: June 23, 2003
Last updated: June 27, 2003