Tucholsky and 1920s Berlin

Tucholsky and 1920s Berlin

"Berlin and Tucholsky" is a filmic journey back in time to the Roaring Twenties of the last century. High-value dramatic scenes combined with original footage from the era make this documentary a filmic trip to 1920's Berlin: A panoramic view of the life and times of one of the most important writers of the Weimar Republic. Writer/director Christoph Weinert is famed for his precise, detailed docudramas and biopics. His film biographies of Henry Steinway and Levi Strauss won the Special Jury Prize at the Houston International Film Festival 2011.

 

Kurt Tucholsky polarized the world even after his death. His famous quote "Soldiers are murderers" still evokes very divided reactions. The film captures the verve and spirit of the Roaring Twenties from Tucholsky's point of view, a wild whirlwind of entertainment, bars and brothels, vaudeville shows and cabarets that made Berlin the nightlife center of Europe in the 1920's, which Kurt Tucholsky was an important part of. His risqué chansons made him a star of the Berlin cabaret scene. Tucholsky's witty, jaunty style stands in stark contrast to his turbulent life, however. He was plagued by thoughts of suicide, his marriages never lasted and his many affairs are legendary. When Tucholsky goes to Paris as correspondent, he's cursed as a "traitor and dirty Jew" in his home town of Berlin and bombarded with threatening letters.