ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the film Weltstadt in Flegeljahren directed by Heinrich Hauser. In the spring and summer of 1931, German writer, traveler, photographer, and filmmaker Hauser made a trip by car through the American Midwest, with Chicago as his main destination. This voyage resulted in a book, Feldwege nach Chicago or Dirt Tracks to Chicago, and a silent "city" film, Weltstadt in Flegeljahren. Though Hauser considered Chicago to be "the most beautiful city in the world," his city symphony is notable for its critique of the modern American city, and of the United States in general. Weltstadt in Flegeljahren received positive reviews at its release, and it was praised for its documentary quality and social responsibility. The film begins on the Mississippi River before entering the city, gradually changing the natural landscape into an urbanized environment and traditional forms of manual labor into mechanized industry. His Chicago city symphony alternates between fascination and fear, curiosity and critique, enthusiasm and reservation.
