Das Lied vom Leben

Summary

The Song of Life

Erika's family has fallen on hard times and she has agreed to marry a rich baron. But during the extravagant betrothal celebration, she realises that the class she’s marrying into is morally corrupt and doomed. In despair, she flees to the harbour, intending to kill herself. But the engineer Igor prevents her from jumping into the Elbe river. His belief in life gives Erika new heart; she is soon pregnant with his child. There are complications during the delivery, but thanks to a caesarean, all goes well ... The experimental sound film was inspired by the French surrealists and enriched with critical songs by Walter Mehring and Hanns Eisler. Originally only approved for viewing by "doctors and medical professionals", it sparked a battle with the censors, with Carl von Ossietzky becoming the film's greatest advocate. He called it "a lyrical rhapsody on the rise and fade of life, [...] a hymn to the world, which is so much better than the society that foolish humans have erected as their own prison" (Weltbühne, March 24, 1931). At least measured against the contemporary German sound films of the time, he saw "Das Lied vom Leben" as "indisputably the most progressive avant-garde".

Source: 68. Internationale Filmfestspiele Berlin (Catalogue)