Weekend

Running time: 12'

Weekend
Production: GER 1930, 12‘

11-minute “film audio play” which is a real symphony of sound. During one night Ruttmann recorded the sounds of the street, presenting everyday life in Berlin in this (rather humorous) way. This resulted in an extreme film experiment: a film with no picture, where everything happens in the world of sound. The “found” sounds of the city, such as church bells, the noise of the street, or fragments of random conversations make up an organic unity, evoking semantic-acoustic associations in the audience. “Weekend” is a pioneer achievement of the art of sound.
 

Authors:

  • Walter Ruttmann

    Graduate painter and architect of the Universities of Zurich and Munich. Along with Hans Richter and Viking Eggeling he experimented with abstract filmmaking for some time. After 1925 Ruttmann decided to end his activities in this area, and directed his passion towards the exploration of film editing techniques. He is most famous for “Berlin: Symphony of a Big City” from 1927. Ruttmann later became part of the Nazi propaganda apparatus. He worked with Leni Riefenstahl, with whom he wrote the script to “Triumph of the Will.” He is also one of the cinematographers for “Metropolis” and “The Nibelungs” by Fritz Lang. Died in the battlefield during World War II, making a film chronicle about the western front. 

    Filmography:

    Lichtspiel Opus I-IV (1921-1925)     
    Der Sieger (1922)
    Das Wunder (1922)     
    Der Aufstieg (1926)
    Spiel der Wellen (1926)
    Berlin, die Sinfonie der Großstadt (1927)
    Dort, wo der Rhein… (1927)
    Deutscher Rundfunk (1928)
    Melodie der Welt (1929)
    Weekend (1930)
    In der Nacht(1931)
    Acciaio (1933)
    Triumph des Willens (1934)
    Im Dienste der Menschheit (1937)
    Deutsche Panzer (1940)
     

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Screenings: