SLUMS OF BERLIN (DIE VERRUFENEN (DER FÜNFTE STAND)) & CHILDREN OF NO IMPORTANCE (DIE UNEHELICHEN)
SLUMS OF BERLIN (DIE VERRUFENEN (DER FÜNFTE STAND)) & CHILDREN OF NO IMPORTANCE (DIE UNEHELICHEN) is a double-DVD set presenting two feature films by Gerhard Lamprecht which reproduce German illustrator Heinrich Zille's view of the Berlin milieu ("Milljöh"). In SLUMS OF BERLIN (1925) the engineer Robert Kramer, released from prison, cannot find his way back to civilian life. He wants to end his life, but is held back by the streetwalker Emma. In CHILDREN OF NO IMPORTANCE (1926) three working- class children suffer under their violent foster parents, till a dramatic incident changes their lives.
Gerhard Lamprecht is most well known in film history circles for his multi-volume compilation of German film productions, Deutsche Stummfilme, dating from 1903-1931. In 1963, he founded the Deutsche Kinemathek (Berlin). During the intervening period (1920-1958), he directed more than 60 films, and is best remembered today for his 1931 film version of Emil and the Detectives, scripted by Billy Wilder. Now, the film archive which Lamprecht founded, together with Edition Filmuseum, has published four of his silent features from the years 1925-1928, paired in two separate DVD editions: SLUMS OF BERLIN (DIE VERRUFENEN) (1925), together with CHILDREN OF NO IMPORTANCE (DIE UNEHELICHEN) (1926); and THE PEOPLE AMONG US (MENSCHEN UNTEREINANDER) (1926), with UNDER THE LANTERN (UNTER DER LATERNE) (1928). All four films highlight both the desperation and resolve of the working class in Berlin during the tumultuous decade following World War I. Following recent revival showings of a number of these films at the Pordenone and San Francisco silent film festivals and Telluride Film Festival, the release of these DVD editions should further herald a rediscovery in academic circles of this oft-overlooked German film director.
SLUMS OF BERLIN (DIE VERRUFENEN (DER FÜNFTE STAND)) (Germany, 1925)
CHILDREN OF NO IMPORTANCE (DIE UNEHELICHEN) (Germany, 1926)
Filmmaker Gerhard Lamprecht
Contents
Format: DVD-PAL / Region 0
(No Regional Code)
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SLUMS OF BERLIN (DIE VERRUFENEN (DER fÜNFTE STAND))
(Germany, 1925)
Directed by: Gerhard Lamprecht
Written by: Luise Heilbron-Körbitz & Gerhard Lamprecht, based on experiences by Heinrich Zille
Cinematography by: Karl Hasselmann
Cast: Bernhard Goetzke, Paul Bildt, Margarete Kupfer, Aud Egede Nissen, Arthur Bergen, Eduard Rothauser & Mady Christians
Produced by: Gerhard Lamprecht-Film-Produktion, Berlin
• 113 minutes
• B&W
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CHILDREN OF NO IMPORTANCE (DIE UNEHELICHEN)
(Germany, 1926)
Directed by: Gerhard Lamprecht
Written by: Luise Heilbron-Körbitz & Gerhard Lamprecht
Cinematography by: Karl Hasselmann
Cast: Ralph Ludwig, Alfred Grosser, Margot Misch, Fee Wachsmuth, Bernhard Goetzke & Margarete Kupfer
Produced by: Gerhard Lamprecht-Film-Produktion, Berlin
• 96 minutes
• B&W
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Total Running Time: 03:29:00 (2 Discs)
Language: German intertitles, English & French subtitles
Musical Score: Donald Sosin
Booklet Text: Rolf Aurich & Wolfgang Jacobsen (German, English & French)
Published By: Edition Filmmuseum
Institutional Price: $300 (plus shipping).
To order call: 212.280.8654 or click here for information on ordering by fax, e-mail or post.