ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the film Kleiner Film einer großen Stadt … der Stadt Dusseldorf am Rhein directed by Walter Ruttmann. In the mid-1930s, Ruttmann made some city films, of which Kleiner Film einer großen Stadt … der Stadt Dusseldorf am Rhein was the first. In the middle of the film, Ruttmann presents a scene of the annual July fair organized by the St. Sebastianus Schutzenverein, adding to the temporal structure of a year. The film includes a number of typical city symphony motifs, such as a train journey towards the city, a tram ride, shop windows, sidewalk cafes, and strollers on the Konigsallee as well as a sequence of artisans' labor, factory buildings, moving machine parts, and sparking steel works. The river Rhine is presented both as transportation route for ships, including the Dusseldorf harbor, and as recreation area for swimming, rowing, and other water sports.
