Montage, Architecture, and the Modern City

Constructing Cinematic Berlin in «Berlin, Symphony of a Great City» (1927)

Abstract

This article analyzes Berlin. Die Sinfonie der Großstadt  (Walter Ruttmann, 1927) from the perspective of architectural and urban history, proposing an interpretation of the film as a spatial construction device rather than a mere representation of the modern metropolis. In contrast to approaches focused on the aesthetics of modernity or the cinematic genealogy of urban symphonies, the study argues that montage operates as a mechanism capable of articulating a specific urban experience, situated between the real space of Weimar-era Berlin and an autonomous cinematic space. Through an analysis of rhythm, sequencing, and visual organization, the article examines how architecture and urban infrastructure function as spatial conditions for movement, labor, and everyday life. It contends that the film constructs a “cinematic city” assembled through montage, offering a relevant contribution to the study of the relationships between cinema, architecture, and urban culture in the interwar period