Bauten, Bürger und ein Bembel
(In the presence of the curator: Felix Fischl)
Documentary film, Germany 1923-1968, approx. 90 min.
Language: German (English subtitles available)
Guidance on the historical exhibition grounds, babbling local big fish and dolls driving trains -not long ago, publicity of the city Frankfurt am Main was mostly taking place at the cinema. The Filmkollektiv Frankfurt chose ten of Frankfurts image films from 1909 to 1968 to publish them on DVD for the first time as well as showing them at cinemas. The films guide through the alleys of the old town and bear witness to a thriving fair with impressive architecture in the 1920’s, documents the city destroyed by bombs and the rebuilding of the city centre after the second World War, present the chaos of the building of underground trains in a lovingly cartoon and ultimately shows the advantages of it after being established in 1968. In addition to the long-forgotten city views, the films show the incredible effort by city establishments to inform, impress but also entertain people in cinemas and screening rooms.
Film selection
Frankfurter Internationale Messe (1923), b/w, silent film, 25 Min.
Frankfurt am Main. Zerstörung und Wiederaufbau. Ein Dokumentarfilm der Frankfurter Aufbau-Aktiengesellschaft FAAG über ihre Tätigkeit beim Wiederaufbau (1956), b/w, 21 Min.
Bauten, Bürger und ein Bembel. Frankfurt zwischen heute und morgen (1960), colour, 21 Min.
Operation Stadtbahn (1962), colour, silent film, 4 Min.
Eine Stadt fährt in die Zukunft. Grünes Licht für Frankfurts U-Bahn (1968), colour, 16 Min.
Press
“Bauten, Bürger und ein Bembel revives the old Frankfurt once more, including its now mostly destroyed architecture between Art Noveau and New Objectivity. A DVD not only for local patriots." (Hadwiga Fertsch-Röver, hr2-kultur)
"The films now offer insights formerly unknown." (Eva-Maria Magel, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)
“A booklet of 60 pages included with background on each film is what makes the whole thing truly exciting.” (Thomas Stillbauer, Frankfurter Rundschau)
