{"id":18810,"date":"2023-05-18T11:14:16","date_gmt":"2023-05-18T09:14:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/?post_type=project&p=18810"},"modified":"2026-04-09T11:09:43","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T09:09:43","slug":"people-on-sunday","status":"publish","type":"project","link":"https:\/\/www.stummfilm-live.de\/en\/project\/people-on-sunday\/","title":{"rendered":"People on Sunday"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Short and Sweet<\/h2>\n
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A semi-documentary collage of staged scenes and social reportage; through visual realism, depiction, and communication of social reality, it is one of the outstanding works of the German silent film avant-garde. The precise and authentic observations from the milieu of the working class, exemplary of the societal development of the late 1920s, possess the character of a historical document. The film’s staging style, which develops its episodes from the ambiance of the original locations and the spontaneous self-representation of its amateur actors, influenced the poetic realism in 1930s France and had a stylistic impact on Italian Neorealism. The members of the collective later emigrated to the USA.<\/p>\n

People on Sunday was made by young filmmakers in 1929 and 1930 in Berlin and its surroundings. The film premiered in Berlin in February 1930. It is considered one of the key representatives of the Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity) in film.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Action<\/h2>\n

The film begins on a Saturday at Berlin’s Zoo Station, capturing the bustling activity of people, cars, S-Bahn, buses, and trams. It then introduces the main characters: Erwin, the taxi driver; Christl, an extra; Brigitte, a record seller; Annie, a mannequin; and Wolfgang, a wine seller.<\/p>\n

The wine seller approaches the extra at the Zoo Station and takes her to a street caf\u00e9, where they make plans to meet again on Sunday morning. The film then shows scenes of ships on the Spree River and children by the riverbank. Scene transition: Erwin enters his apartment, where the mannequin Annie is lying tiredly in bed. He sits at the table set for two, drinking, eating, smoking, and reading the newspaper. Annie, who had previously called him at the workshop about a cinema date, is waiting for him. After they dress up for an evening out, a disagreement occurs over Annie’s hat brim, leading to a fight. Wolfgang, Erwin’s best friend, arrives, and the two men decide to play poker instead, leaving Annie sulking in the corner.<\/p>\n

On Sunday, the film depicts Berlin scenes: two homeless people lying on park benches, street scenes, a dilapidated house, and a cemetery. Christl meets Wolfgang at Nikolassee, bringing her friend Brigitte, and Wolfgang brings his friend Erwin. Annie is left to sleep in, with a note left for her about the meeting place.<\/p>\n

The less crowded Nikolassee beach, with its reeds and high grasses, contrasts with the busier Wannsee, featuring sandy beaches, many bathing children, and a photographer. The film shows dozens of photos of beachgoers in rapid succession, transitioning from postcard-like images to real people. Back at Nikolassee, Wolfgang initially enjoys the water with Christl but shifts his attention to Brigitte at the shore after Christl rebuffs his bold kiss attempt. A picnic scene reveals that Christl is searching for affection but is unfortunately paired with the wrong person. While both girls lie in Wolfgang’s arms, he focuses more on Brigitte\u2019s chest, leaving Christl to wait for Annie.<\/p>\n

The group then walks through the adjacent forest to a boat rental. A romantic scene between Wolfgang and Brigitte follows a game of catching, suggested by the camera work and mise-en-sc\u00e8ne to imply they have sex. Christl feels betrayed and humiliated. The day concludes with a pedal boat ride marked by mutual jealousy before the group returns to the city on a stock bus. The camera captures both the bus and its surroundings. Christl is dropped off and formally bid farewell. Wolfgang\u2019s promise to meet Brigitte again the following Sunday is exposed as a lie when Erwin mentions a soccer game, prompting a knowing smile from Wolfgang. The film ends with Erwin returning to Annie, who has slept through the entire Sunday like a painting.<\/p>\n

The intertitle “And then on Monday” appears, showing the bustling streets\u2014people at work or on their way to work. Intertitles such as “back to work,” “back to everyday life,” and “back to the week” appear at regular intervals. The film concludes with the words “4 million are waiting for the next Sunday” displayed one by one. “The End.”<\/p>\n

The film portrays semi-documentarily the lives of young people in Berlin at the end of the 1920s. The young amateurs wrote the script in their spare time and filmed on Sundays when everyone was available. The budget came from the savings of the directing collective. The five main actors were on camera for the first time. Kurt Gerron and Valeska Gert briefly appear in the photography scene. Historically, the film is notable for its authentic portrayal of Berlin at that time, including beautiful shots of Wannsee. It also marks the first film work of future Oscar winners Billy Wilder and Fred Zinnemann, while Edgar G. Ulmer made primarily B-movies in Hollywood, and the Siodmak brothers achieved careers in both German and American films. The film’s creation makes it one of the first independent films and a precursor to post-war Neorealism.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16923,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":""},"pj-categs":[],"pj-tags":[88,87],"class_list":["post-18810","project","type-project","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","pj-tags-kaets","pj-tags-wilfried-kaets"],"yoast_head":"\nPeople on Sunday - Stummfilm-Live<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Eine halbdokumentarische Collage aus Spielszenen und Sozialreportage;durch Bildverismus, Darstellung und Vermittlung sozialer Realit\u00e4teines der herausragenden Werke der deutschen Stummfilm-Avantgarde. 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