Babylon Berlin

Volker Kutscher is something like “German James Ellroy". In the same way, he builds a (neo) noir crime movie as an unadorned image of the time through the seeming cacophony of postwar disillusionment, proletarian moods, cabaret debauchery, moral crimes, decadence, a mixture of ideologies, and much more. He combines seemingly disparate lines and look at them from bottom to elite; nevertheless, his ambiguous characters are always at the center of the action. The scope is not small and sometimes the case itself is forgotten. It´s quite tricky to adapt, but Babylon Berlin got the care it deserved. And so, the scale, the epicness, the design, the technical side (especially Tykwer's influence is obvious) and much more, all that remains is to nod appreciatively and admiringly. The cast is accurate, it's intoxicating, it doesn´t consider a viewer as a moron, who needs constant explanation of everything, here and there a scene is seen that you just can't get out of your mind (yes, the first is the hypnotic cabaret Zu Asche, Zu Staub. Nevertheless, all of this is reprehensible because of one aspect, which is hard to accept and it is not possible to get used to it completely even after several series. Although it takes place in Berlin, the fates of the two dozen characters are constantly intersecting. Unlike the original, however, this is not so cleverly done; it is quite fundamentally different from each other, only the points of contact are common, it is not so much an adaptation as rather generally inspired by the motives of original. In the series, this is not justified by "storyline" thanks to the carefully prepared foundation, but simply by chance over and over again. In the area of a few days, one and every actor (and not just the central ones) repeatedly “just by the way" (not) directly clashes with another. The paper rustles in a deafening way when seeing this. It's so excessive “lost style", overused (it's not once every few episodes, but almost scene by scene) that it would seem ridiculous and unbelievable even in a village where only fifty people live and everyone knows each other. Not to mention in the busy, elemental and crowded cosmopolitan metropolis. Grrr. This is also true of the second series, but there it is at least slightly not that frequently seen. | S1: 4/5 | S2: 4/5 | (03.02.2019)

In the spring of 1929, the Weimar Republic experienced a period of prosperity and stability - the last in its short existence. However, it was not for everyone and not forever. May Day in Berlin becomes a shocking bloody spectacle, and the carefree visitors of decadent cabaret performances certainly do not share the concerns of the inhabitants of the extensive impoverished neighborhoods. Nevertheless, Berlin is an exciting place to live during that era, where many thrilling human dramas and remarkable stories take place. Babylon Berlin combines a variety of elements that increase its attractiveness and are traditionally appreciated by viewers: ambiguous, constantly surprising characters, and a sophisticated script that cleverly intertwines several storylines and smartly works with multiple secrets. Slowly and gradually, you discover the motives and intentions of the actors in this intricate game. You will find passion, love, betrayal, crime, and hatred, as well as intrigues and conspiracies, high political games, and petty schemes. Babylon Berlin also has a very decent budget compared to other European productions. As a spectacle, it may not reach the grandeur of the most elaborate productions that overseas studios are capable of producing, but the portrayal of 1920s Berlin is convincing and attractive nonetheless. We were looking for a series that we could watch as a family, and in competition with the acclaimed Big Little Lies, Babylon Berlin emerged as the winner among all participants. Therefore, give the thin police investigator with troubled sleep and an unpleasant war past a chance, and follow the tracks of a train heading from Russia to Berlin, leaving behind corpses and shattered hopes. Overall impression: 90%. (03.12.2017)

Laut Kutscher gehört Tykwers Babylon Berlin zu den seltenen Werken, die sowohl Kritiker als auch den normalen Zuschauer ansprechen. Die Romane, die den Fällen des ursprünglich in Köln lebenden Krimiautors Gereon Rath folgen, inspirierten zu dieser großen Rückkehr in die Weimarer Republik, die jetzt wieder interessant geworden ist. Was toll ist, im Original kann der Zuschauer Deutsch und Russisch üben und wieder etwas ganz anderes erleben. Die Hauptfiguren sind anders, sie sind keine Klischees aus den üblichen Kriminalfilmen. Gereon Rath steht zwischen Köln und Berlin, zwischen der Gegenwart und dem Trauma des Krieges. Charlotte Ritter ist eine vollkommene Heldin, die im Begriff ist, aus demütigender Armut aufzusteigen... und beide sind umgeben von der ganzen Palette von Polizisten, Monarchisten, Trotzkisten, Kommunisten, Nutten und anderen Bewohnern dieser fast mythischen Stadt. Und jeder Einzelne erlebt für sich und in seiner Gruppe die Auswirkungen der Kriegsreparationen, aber auch die Freude über die moderne Zeit. Das gestiegene Interesse an dieser Serie ist wohlverdient. Der Fall "Nasser Fisch" wurde auch als Comic und Hörbuch adaptiert, und wenn all dies das Bewusstsein für diese historische Epoche schärft, kann das nur gut sein. In der Zwischenzeit wurden die Romane bis 1937 fortgesetzt ("Der stille Tod", "Goldstein", "Die Akte Vaterland", "Märzgefallene", "Lunapark", "Moabit", "Marlow", "Olympia" und "Transatlantik"). (12.01.2020)

The Weimar Republic is a great setting for a crime series with a political backdrop. For this reason alone, I was very much looking forward to the show and I wasn’t disappointed. On the other hand, some of the creators' decisions managed to dampen my enthusiasm. I was satisfied, but not enough to give five stars. Out of the sixteen episodes, three were considerably weaker. Unfortunately, this included the finale, which crossed over to another genre with the action, which spoiled my overall impression. Season 1 was definitely better, I immensely enjoyed the contrast between the crisis-affected daytime Berlin and its nightlife decadence. I was equally pleased with the clashes of political views (the two Bolshevik factions alone would have been enough). Whatever my complaints, the fact is that I enjoyed the series and wasn't bored for a moment, so I was more or less satisfied. Oh, and by the way, I can't get the theme song "Zu Asche, zu staub" out of my head no matter how hard I try. (12.08.2018)

Eigentlich könnte es zu einem ganz gewöhnlichem Krimi im Gewand von Berlin 1929 werden, allerdings dürfte dann nicht das alt bekannte Duo Tykwer-Klimek dabei sein. Ich will ja nicht die Verdienste der anderen Filmemacher in Frage stellen, aber die wenigsten könnten so anmutig in die politische Situation der Weimarer Republik einführen, das Nachtleben der Berliner Bohème zu spektakulären Musical-Einlagen zeigen und dabei über ein Dutzend Verschwörungen von Monarchisten bis Kommunisten aufklären. Mit dem historischen Soundtrack, der beweist, dass auch Musik im Zeitgeist der 20er „cool“ sein kann, geht so was ganz einfach. Wäre da nicht das etwas hastige Finale, wäre es perfekt gewesen, denn die Hauptgeschichte endet mit einigen hervorragenden Wendungen, aber die Abschlüsse der Nebencharaktere sind deshalb ein wenig unklar. Ansonsten, toll. (25.08.2018)