ABSTRACT
In the spring and summer of 1931, Heinrich Hauser made a car trip through the United States, which resulted in his book Feldwege nach Chicago as well as in his silent documentary feature Weltstadt in Flegeljahren: Ein Bericht uber Chicago. While the film focuses on Chicago, the book covers his entire journey. Weltstadt in Flegeljahren itself can be considered an outsider film as it was rejected as an educational film by the Film Department of the Institute for Education due to accusations that it was confusing and chaotic. Lasting 74 minutes in total, Weltstadt in Flegeljahren consists of five acts, in which Hauser draws attention to the specificities of Chicago, including its architecture, skyscrapers and skyline, the Loop, its views along the Chicago River, and its industry. Weltstatdt in Flegeljahren is loosely marked by the day-in-the-life-of-the-city structure, typical of cross-section city films.
