1. Why is this considered a film? Is it any more of a film than the T.V. show "Lost" is? People do acknowledge that it aired on T.V. originally, but they still call it a film.
2. The Criterion DVD lists the running time as 940 minutes, which is the original German running time. I thought that the Criterion DVD was slowed down due to the frame rate difference. How can this be explained???
"Easy. You just don't lead them as much!"
-Full Metal Jacket
For your first question-From most of what I've seen of the film, Each part takes place at the exact place where it left off. As for a lot of tv shows (I couldn't say this about lost b/c I've never seen it) a lot of them begin with a start of a new story line and will eventually pick up ffrom where it left off in the previous episode.
As for the second, I couldn't tell you.
Who the *beep* is Creighton Duke?
A lot of television shows aren't shot on actual film but video. This is a film because it's written and directed by one person and the only median to show it on is television because not many people line up to go see a 15 and a half hour film.
share1. In a TV series every episode is designed to function independently with a very clear structure of its' own, while still relating to an ongoing narrative. Berlin A.platz 'episode's do have some sense of an hour long structural arc but would make little sense taken out of the full 15 hour narrative. It's more of a (very long!) TV drama than a series. Twin Peaks is probably the closest you can compare it to. It's a novel rendered very lovingly, on a huge scale, in film form (something no-one would probably dare attempt now for lots of reasons). Filming it for television in chunks was the best way for the project to be financed, and also for it to be seen!
2. Don't know. The UK DVD released last year is 900 mins if that's of any relevance.
2. Don't know. The UK DVD released last year is 900 mins if that's of any relevance.
I won't answer your first question because I believe that others on this board have answered it properly.
As for your second question I know that due to the PAL system in Europe the frame rate is 25 frames a second and our system is 24 frames a second unless it's on TV then it's 30fps. So if they're switching from 25 to 24 they do what's called frame-drop and exactly as it sounds that's what they do basically, but it ends up stretching the film out because they take that extra frame and play it in the next second. So everything switches over.
If they're switching it from 25 to 30fps and it's still called drop-frame only they use an interlacing frame stretching process that does stretch the film out. That's as best as I can answer it with the film school knowledge I have. Sorry if I'm not of better help.
Yes, they deserved to die and I hope they burn in hell! -Samuel L. Jackson
I purchased the Criterion DVD yesterday, and the booklet insert touches upon both points.
Aside from the previous points made here about TV being the only suitable medium for exhibiting a 15 and a half hour film, "He Who Lives in a Human Skin," an essay by German Filmmaker Tom Tykwer regarding the film, is telling, and may be viewed here:
http://criterion.com/asp/release.asp?id=411&eid=563§ion=essay
The first section regards Berlin Alexanderplatz as an "Anti-Television Film."
Regarding the second point, this excerpt is taken directly from Criterion's "About the Transfer" section, which may be found in the DVD booklet or on Criterion's online entry for the film.
"Originally made for German television, Berlin Alexanderplatz was shot for the PAL video format, at 25 frames per second. This format is incompatible with the NTSC format used in the United States. In order to provide a frame-accurate progressive transfer, the film was scanned at 24 frames per second and therefore is 4 percent longer than the original broadcast."