Bristol Hannover Council
Historical fascination – Das Gesicht einer Stadt
** The latest Bristol Hannover Council film projection was fascinating. It was shot in 1931 and produced in 1932 by Döring-Film-Werke. Although it was a silent film and in black and white it made an impressive impact.
It was lost during the Second World War, eventually found in the GDR Film Archives and digitised in 2010-11.
The film aimed to show how Hannover had developed and grown over time. The outline maps at the beginning were an effective way of showing how the small settlement on the banks of the Leine spread, gained and lost city walls as it grew and evolved into a thriving early 20th century city.
The filmmakers were certainly communicating their admiration for the success of Hannover from a commercial and social point of view. New residential building projects with good amenities for all and the replacement of old and unwanted buildings featured clearly.
There was pride in Hannover becoming modern and we saw inside the Continental Tyre factory.
During the film we were treated to wonderful footage of the important stone and brick built buildings including the well-known Marktkirche and the Altes Rathaus in the centre of the city and of course the half-timbered homes typical of that part of Germany.
It was interesting to see the cramped, narrow streets in the city centre with many horse-drawn vehicles. Interesting too were the many trams which provided transport for the people.
Aerial shots included the Marktkirche, the building which is now the Neues Rathaus and Kongresszentrum. The intertitles were a helpful addition, even if the English sometimes read rather oddly, which made it rather amusing.
To conclude, the film did indeed show the character of Hannover in the early thirties, with its hopes and aspirations for the future and captured images of a city which was within a short time soon to be changed beyond recognition.
CARLA MURRAY
