It's hard to think of a Hollywood equivalent to Gefharen der Grossstadt Strasse (1924). Written and directed by Toni Attenberger, it is essentially a guide to living in the big city, in this instance, Weimar Munich and presumably for viewing by the throngs of rural men and women who were flocking to the urban centers in search of a better lives. Framed at the start and finish by the Germanic precision of the Munich police, who just happened to be involved in the production of the film, in both traffic enforcement and the apprehension of criminals, it is genuinely perplexing as to just how this would be booked into theaters as it would have been seemingly more appropriate to city immigration portals, if such things existed.
Beginning with the dos and don'ts of walking on urban streets, mainly via the Goofus and Gallant approach to demonstration, it rather eerily moves on to protecting yourself from assorted criminals ranging from pre-"M" pedophiles, to bands of pickpockets,, to brutal mashers and muggers. There's nothing resembling a story line, this is strictly an instruction manual. No new cinematic ground is covered but it's a fascinating glimpse at the difficulties technological and social changes presented to the people at the time.
Beginning with the dos and don'ts of walking on urban streets, mainly via the Goofus and Gallant approach to demonstration, it rather eerily moves on to protecting yourself from assorted criminals ranging from pre-"M" pedophiles, to bands of pickpockets,, to brutal mashers and muggers. There's nothing resembling a story line, this is strictly an instruction manual. No new cinematic ground is covered but it's a fascinating glimpse at the difficulties technological and social changes presented to the people at the time.
