This documentary has much to answer for, since it started a trend for city-based films: in its case, being a non-narrative look at the thriving German metropolis (though there were a number made in that vein), the original impact has essentially faded with imitation – and its place in the cinematic pantheon overtaken by such classic dramas of 'ordinary people' as F.W. Murnau's SUNRISE: A SONG OF TWO HUMANS (1927) and King Vidor's THE CROWD (1928). The end result – bafflingly split into five unnamed acts, thus boasting no specific characteristic to differentiate them! – nevertheless makes for a veritable time-capsule of an era that is long-gone and, therefore, looked upon now with a certain degree of romantic nostalgia.
The style – among the credits are such luminaries of German Expressionism as Carl Mayer and Karl Freund! – is intermittently flamboyant (notably the opening rapid-fire montage simulating a speeding train's entry into Berlin and the concluding rotating shot of the city at night dissolving into a full-blown fireworks display) but generally pretty straightforward, content merely to document the bustling ongoing activity – encompassing virtually all strata of society – from early morning till after dark (literally "a day in the life"). Still, for all its supposed naturalism (including the unsightly image of a pair of pigeons nonchalantly pecking away at a turd on the pavement!), certain scenes were obviously staged for maximum impact – such as a tussle between two men that causes such a commotion as to necessitate Police intervention (which is then conveniently captured from all possible angles!).
The style – among the credits are such luminaries of German Expressionism as Carl Mayer and Karl Freund! – is intermittently flamboyant (notably the opening rapid-fire montage simulating a speeding train's entry into Berlin and the concluding rotating shot of the city at night dissolving into a full-blown fireworks display) but generally pretty straightforward, content merely to document the bustling ongoing activity – encompassing virtually all strata of society – from early morning till after dark (literally "a day in the life"). Still, for all its supposed naturalism (including the unsightly image of a pair of pigeons nonchalantly pecking away at a turd on the pavement!), certain scenes were obviously staged for maximum impact – such as a tussle between two men that causes such a commotion as to necessitate Police intervention (which is then conveniently captured from all possible angles!).