In a few short years after the release of February 1930's "People on Sunday," the handful of people involved in making the German-produced film would become some of Hollywood's premier filmmakers. These Germans and Austrians, on the heels of Adolf Hitler's rise in power in early 1933, emigrated to America and found jobs in film. At the time of production, "People On Sunday," was one of many experimental silents so popular in Europe and proved to be a resume project for those who knew each other and who aspired to break into the Berlin movie scene.
Securing funding from Heinrich Nebenzai and his Nero-Film Studios, a rather successful movie production company, the group set out to create a film showcasing their abilities to create a feature film. Set in the city of Berlin, "People On Sunday" has a simple plot of four friends, two males and two females, as well as one wife who remains at home, making plans to go to one of the spacious parks nearby with a beach on their day off. The interpersonal relationships of the four are displayed with bits of flirting, laughing, lounging, swimming, and everyday stuff (except for a brief encounter in the woods by one amorous couple). The movie's prologue states this is "A Film Without Actors. These five people had never appeared in front of a camera before. Today they're all back at their own jobs."
The lone veteran of filmmaking on the project was cinematographer Eugen Schufftan, a future Oscar winner for his camera work in 1961's "The Hustler" with Paul Newman. Working with German director Frtiz Lang on such films as 1924's "Die Nibelungen" and 1927's "Metropolis," Schufftan came up with his popular 'Schufftan Process' of special effects mirror painting. He also was an assistant to Abel Gance in 1927's "Napoleon," among other productions
Robert Siodmak, one of two directors for "People On Sunday,"was hired at Universal Studios to direct mostly lower-budgeted films, including classics such as 1944's "Phantom Lady" and 1946's "The Killers." Edgar G. Ulmer, the other director, also saw several notable movies in America under his direction, including 1934 "The Black Cat" with Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, and 1945 "Detour," both low budget affairs.
Fred Zinnemann, the assistant cameraman to Schufftan, a recent grad from film school, had picked up several small jobs in German movies before his involvement in "People on Sunday." In the United State, Zinnemann was one of Hollywood's most influential figures, directing 1952's "High Noon," 1953's "From Here to Eternity," and 1966's "A Man For All Seasons," among many other Oscar-winning films.
And Billy Wilder, a former newspaper reporter, and a film fanatic, was dipping his toes into scriptwriting. He's credited with writing the treatment of "People on Sunday," and went on to script several successful movies in the 1930s, including 1939's "Ninotchka," with Greta Garbo. He turned to directing in the late 1930s, and is one of the directors highlighted in the bestselling book, "The 15 Geniuses Behind The Lens: How the Greatest Film Directors Shaped the Movies We See Today." Films such as "Double Indemnity," "Sunset Boulevard," "Some Like It Hot," and "The Apartment" are just a few of his many important movies.
"People on Sunday" was a huge hit in German when first released. The movie was part of the "New Objectivity" genre introduced by G. W. Pabst's groundbreaking film, 1925's "Joyless Street." Although Pabst's movie was a dark yet realistic portrayal of city life and its residents, "People On Sunday" reflected a happier version of everyday life, heavily influencing later Italian Neorealism and French New Wave cinema on the Continent. As a 'city symphony' film, "People on Sunday" showed relatively happy Berliners at the sunset of freedom before the Nazification of that capital city as well as Germany. Just that alone makes this a valuable semi-documentary on Berliners on their lifestyle that would never be possible again for some generations.
Securing funding from Heinrich Nebenzai and his Nero-Film Studios, a rather successful movie production company, the group set out to create a film showcasing their abilities to create a feature film. Set in the city of Berlin, "People On Sunday" has a simple plot of four friends, two males and two females, as well as one wife who remains at home, making plans to go to one of the spacious parks nearby with a beach on their day off. The interpersonal relationships of the four are displayed with bits of flirting, laughing, lounging, swimming, and everyday stuff (except for a brief encounter in the woods by one amorous couple). The movie's prologue states this is "A Film Without Actors. These five people had never appeared in front of a camera before. Today they're all back at their own jobs."
The lone veteran of filmmaking on the project was cinematographer Eugen Schufftan, a future Oscar winner for his camera work in 1961's "The Hustler" with Paul Newman. Working with German director Frtiz Lang on such films as 1924's "Die Nibelungen" and 1927's "Metropolis," Schufftan came up with his popular 'Schufftan Process' of special effects mirror painting. He also was an assistant to Abel Gance in 1927's "Napoleon," among other productions
Robert Siodmak, one of two directors for "People On Sunday,"was hired at Universal Studios to direct mostly lower-budgeted films, including classics such as 1944's "Phantom Lady" and 1946's "The Killers." Edgar G. Ulmer, the other director, also saw several notable movies in America under his direction, including 1934 "The Black Cat" with Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff, and 1945 "Detour," both low budget affairs.
Fred Zinnemann, the assistant cameraman to Schufftan, a recent grad from film school, had picked up several small jobs in German movies before his involvement in "People on Sunday." In the United State, Zinnemann was one of Hollywood's most influential figures, directing 1952's "High Noon," 1953's "From Here to Eternity," and 1966's "A Man For All Seasons," among many other Oscar-winning films.
And Billy Wilder, a former newspaper reporter, and a film fanatic, was dipping his toes into scriptwriting. He's credited with writing the treatment of "People on Sunday," and went on to script several successful movies in the 1930s, including 1939's "Ninotchka," with Greta Garbo. He turned to directing in the late 1930s, and is one of the directors highlighted in the bestselling book, "The 15 Geniuses Behind The Lens: How the Greatest Film Directors Shaped the Movies We See Today." Films such as "Double Indemnity," "Sunset Boulevard," "Some Like It Hot," and "The Apartment" are just a few of his many important movies.
"People on Sunday" was a huge hit in German when first released. The movie was part of the "New Objectivity" genre introduced by G. W. Pabst's groundbreaking film, 1925's "Joyless Street." Although Pabst's movie was a dark yet realistic portrayal of city life and its residents, "People On Sunday" reflected a happier version of everyday life, heavily influencing later Italian Neorealism and French New Wave cinema on the Continent. As a 'city symphony' film, "People on Sunday" showed relatively happy Berliners at the sunset of freedom before the Nazification of that capital city as well as Germany. Just that alone makes this a valuable semi-documentary on Berliners on their lifestyle that would never be possible again for some generations.