Film

Tom Tykwer: “The 1920s are in the Film unterbestelltes field”

For the first Time, turns Tom Tykwer for the television. The new series “Babylon Berlin” is a million-Budget. The challenge lies in the historic Zeitkolorit, the Director says in a DW Interview.

DW: the site of The press conference to her newest movie project, the television series “Babylon Berlin” (ARD/Degeto/Sky) have presented, is itself a historic site. The “Babylon” was established in 1929 as a silent movie Theater opened and is right around the corner from the infamous “Red castle”, the police headquarters of Berlin, in the series plays a Central role. You will also here turn?

Tom Tykwer: we definitely want to do, where you have to say, there are here in Berlin, of course, several such cinemas. The people are in the 1920s madly went to the cinema. This was a kinobesessene time at that time. It cost only a dime. And there was still no television and little radio, which were still not in everyday use. To this extent, cinema was the place where you went to messages to look at: weekly show and then a movie. So also in the series is a real meeting place.

Music in your films is always a high priority. It was at that time in Berlin many Musikrevuen in the city. The extent to which music is also in the series play an important role?

The city was then full of music, actually everywhere and even on the streets. And this is also the special feature of this Zeitkolorit, what we will be trying to capture. Of course, we cannot make a Film like “Cabaret” (musical film of 1972, the eight Oscars it got, op.d. Red.), the music in centre stage. This is more like we imagine ourselves: what are the people Like at that time in this vibrant metropolis of Berlin dealt with it? Where are you gone? How are you as a normal citizen in the Clubs got into it, if you are not in the music scene were on the road? This is, of course, in “Babylon Berlin” in detail described and shown.

You have just finished the famous movie “Cabaret” with Liza Minelli in the leading role, mentioned in the Berlin of 1931 plays. Tried to get there as a Director with blinders on the staging of his own script ranzugehen and all the Vorgängerfilme hide, if you’re dealing with such a fabric?

We are working in a Team, and we look at everything really like. There are a few great examples of a perfect Zeitkolorit. But there is not so much that you have to say. The 1920s in Berlin are in the Film unterbestelltes field, which is just quite simple to do, here you are always very hard to turn.

So if you are in Berlin from the time-out to reconstruct the wanted, then she is simply not there anymore. Or she is mad changed, in proportion to the historical era of the early 20. Century, because they later so niedergebombt. This is why, presumably, before that was spared, about this time before films.

“Cabaret” is not for nothing that the most famous movie out of time, but the plays almost only on the inside of the stage. But we want to make a Film that is also on the road. And you also have only time to deal construct. Intimidated I feel, because of nothing. “Cabarett” is a masterpiece and will always be one, no question. Our main focus lies elsewhere.

Babylon Berlin: Tom Tykwer presented his new TV series before

What that means for you as a Director “on the road”, so also crowd scenes? The further the books and the series in time to the late 1920s is to go in, it is also on the road los.

We simply can’t forget and you have also from the time out to understand: the city, the streets were filled with people. Cars there were, of course, a few for the Privileged and the Wealthy, but the average person had no car. And to this extent misled a lot of people on foot or in the Tram on the way. And we must also try to capture what is challenging is. The people, so the extras that you have to get all of the tightening, the need to have the correct hat to wear, and the need to be so versed in the era.

At the launch of the new TV show dropped the word “Sittengemälde”. To what extent do you try as a Director this time, this epoch of radical change in the 1920s, the Board?

This is the claim. We want to be happy, that one has the feeling that the a series is an epoch in all its facets close. And not only is it an exciting Thriller. Of course, stands in the centre, that one of the series-Plot and the story carried away, but we are moving very consciously and concretely in the political Zone of the epoch. Also with single figures, the key appearances I have, and as individuals play an important role and not only as a colour in the Background, therefore running. The political passage are very strong, the history of directing.

And if you say “Sittengemälde”, this means the story takes place in a city, a volcano was just a cultural Explosion, a moral decline and a total upheaval took place. In Berlin, came to different artists in the different Directions together and invented something New. This sparkling energy, this “world-New-Erfindungsgefühl”, coupled with the growing political tensions, the energy field in which we in the series “Babylon Berlin” want to move.

The Interview was conducted by Heike mouth after the press conference at the 10.2.2016 in Berlin.