Berlin Alexanderplatz
Encyclopedia
Berlin Alexanderplatz is a novel by Alfred Döblin
, published in 1929. The story concerns a small-time criminal, Franz Biberkopf, fresh from prison, who is drawn into the underworld. When his criminal mentor murders the prostitute whom Biberkopf has been relying on as an anchor, he realizes that he will be unable to extricate himself from the underworld into which he has sunk. In a 2002 poll of 100 noted writers conducted by the Norwegian Book Clubs, the book was named among the top 100 books of all time.
in 1920s Berlin
. Its narrative style is reminiscent of James Joyce
. It is told from multiple points of view
, and uses sound effects, newspaper articles, songs, speeches, and other books to propel the plot forward.
. Berlin Alexanderplatz starred Heinrich George
, Maria Bard
, Margarete Schlegel, Bernhard Minetti
, Gerhard Bienert, Albert Florath and Paul Westermeier
. It runs for 85 minutes.
The second adaptation, Berlin Alexanderplatz
was directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder
, and was first shown on and produced for German television in 1980, although it has also been shown theatrically. It runs for 15½ hours, and when it was released in New York, ticket holders were required to come to the theatre for three consecutive nights to see the entire film. Berlin Alexanderplatz is considered by many to be Fassbinder's magnum opus
. Both films were released in November 2007 by the Criterion Collection in the U.S. in a multi-disc DVD
set. A Region 2 edition of the Fassbinder version was released in the UK by Second Sight in October that year.
Alfred Döblin
Alfred Döblin was a German expressionist novelist, best known for the novel Berlin Alexanderplatz .- 1878–1918:...
, published in 1929. The story concerns a small-time criminal, Franz Biberkopf, fresh from prison, who is drawn into the underworld. When his criminal mentor murders the prostitute whom Biberkopf has been relying on as an anchor, he realizes that he will be unable to extricate himself from the underworld into which he has sunk. In a 2002 poll of 100 noted writers conducted by the Norwegian Book Clubs, the book was named among the top 100 books of all time.
Style
The novel is set in the working-class neighborhoods near the AlexanderplatzAlexanderplatz
Alexanderplatz is a large public square and transport hub in the central Mitte district of Berlin, near the Fernsehturm. Berliners often call it simply Alex, referring to a larger neighborhood stretching from Mollstraße in the northeast to Spandauer Straße and the City Hall in the southwest.-Early...
in 1920s Berlin
1920s Berlin
The Golden Twenties in Berlin was a vibrant period in the history of Berlin, German history, and European history in general.-Weimar culture:...
. Its narrative style is reminiscent of James Joyce
James Joyce
James Augustine Aloysius Joyce was an Irish novelist and poet, considered to be one of the most influential writers in the modernist avant-garde of the early 20th century...
. It is told from multiple points of view
Point of view (literature)
The narrative mode is the set of methods the author of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical story uses to convey the plot to the audience. Narration, the process of presenting the narrative, occurs because of the narrative mode...
, and uses sound effects, newspaper articles, songs, speeches, and other books to propel the plot forward.
Film adaptations
The novel was adapted twice into a film, the first in 1931, directed by Piel Jutzi. Döblin worked on the adaptation, along with Karl Heinz Martin and Hans WilhelmHans Wilhelm
Hans Wilhelm is a German-American writer, children’s book author and illustrator, and artist. Hans Wilhelm has written and/or illustrated over 200 books – mostly for children. They have been translated in twenty languages and have won numerous international awards and prizes. Many of them have...
. Berlin Alexanderplatz starred Heinrich George
Heinrich George
Heinrich George , born Georg August Friedrich Hermann Schulz, was a German stage and film actor.He had one of his first roles in the Fritz Lang directed film Metropolis and the first film version of Berlin Alexanderplatz...
, Maria Bard
Maria Bard
Maria Bard was a German stage actress, who made a handful of films in the silent era for Rimax, her first husband Wilhelm Graaff's company. By 1930, her marriage with Graaff was over, and she appeared with Werner Krauss in the stage production Der Kaiser von Amerika or The King of America and the...
, Margarete Schlegel, Bernhard Minetti
Bernhard Minetti
Bernhard Minetti was a German actor. He appeared in 50 films between 1931 and 1996 but is mostly known for his distinguished stage career.-Selected filmography:* Tiefland * It...
, Gerhard Bienert, Albert Florath and Paul Westermeier
Paul Westermeier
-Selected filmography:* Alraune * The Star of Valencia * Morgenrot * If I Were King * Paul und Pauline * Fridericus * The White Horse Inn * Sauerbruch – Das war mein Leben...
. It runs for 85 minutes.
The second adaptation, Berlin Alexanderplatz
Berlin Alexanderplatz (television)
Berlin Alexanderplatz, originally broadcast in 1980, is a 14-part television film adapted and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder from the Alfred Döblin novel of the same name, and stars Günter Lamprecht, Hanna Schygulla, Barbara Sukowa, Elisabeth Trissenaar and Gottfried John...
was directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Rainer Werner Maria Fassbinder was a German movie director, screenwriter and actor. He is considered one of the most important representatives of the New German Cinema.He maintained a frenetic pace in film-making...
, and was first shown on and produced for German television in 1980, although it has also been shown theatrically. It runs for 15½ hours, and when it was released in New York, ticket holders were required to come to the theatre for three consecutive nights to see the entire film. Berlin Alexanderplatz is considered by many to be Fassbinder's magnum opus
Masterpiece
Masterpiece in modern usage refers to a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or to a work of outstanding creativity, skill or workmanship....
. Both films were released in November 2007 by the Criterion Collection in the U.S. in a multi-disc DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
set. A Region 2 edition of the Fassbinder version was released in the UK by Second Sight in October that year.
See also
- Museum of Modern LiteratureMuseum of Modern LiteratureThe Museum of Modern Literature or LiMo is part of the German Literature Archive in Marbach am Neckar, Germany...
, where the original manuscript is held. - Best German Novels of the Twentieth CenturyBest German Novels of the Twentieth CenturyThe Best German Novels of the Twentieth Century is a list of books compiled in 1999 by Literaturhaus München and Bertelsmann, in which 99 prominent German authors, literary critics, and scholars of German ranked the most significant German-language novels of the twentieth century.The group brought...