After World War II communist Russia slowly took over Berlin. In 1961 they made increasing advances to throw the western powers out of the Berlin. As Cold War tensions mounted people swarmed out of the eastern bloc, separating families until the Berlin wall was torn down in 1989. Scenes of the wall being built, supplies being airlifted to the city, the pulse of a dynamic society unbreakable in war, and Russians guarding the wall, create a look into the tensions of the 1960s Berlin.
Included Films:
Berlin - 1961
Berlin – 1961
Produced: 1961
Length: 38 Minutes
In 1961 the Berlin wall went up. “Berlin – 1961,” silently, but vividly, shows life during this volatile time. Large groups of people waiting for government paperwork, actual construction of the wall by laborers, Russians guarding the wall, and people flocking to Pan-America to fly out of the city highlight the turmoil and uncertainty of the times, often contradicting footage of families gathering with smiles and childish delight of games, oblivious to the tension the wall was causing in their city. The footage is from the American side of the wall.
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BERLIN AIR LIFT (OUTTAKES FROM ‘OPERATIONS VITTLES’)
Produced: 1960s
Length: 66 Minutes
Berlin Air Lift – Outtakes from Operation Vittles, silently documents British and American forces flying supplies into the blockaded eastern bloc to help citizens affected by the construction of the Berlin Wall on August 13, 1961.
Berlin Documentary
Berlin Documentary
Produced: 1961
Length: 26 Minutes
You Are Leaving the American Sector! Berlin Documentary, is a silent tour of 1961 Germany. An American soldier takes his family on a tour of Berlin showing the Berlin Wall, infamous Death Street, holiday shoppers in free Berlin, and American military operations.
Journey Across Berlin
Journey Across Berlin
Produced: 1961
Length: 20 Minutes
Berlin – center of Germany and home to culture, art, and scientific progress. But, in the 1960s it was a place of political turmoil as the city became divided by a great wall that marked the differences between communism and democracy. “Journey Across Berlin,” is a 1961 visit to the strong city of economic growth and factories where, “The jaunty spirit and pulse of a dynamic, forward moving society,” is evident. Covered, is the wartime destruction of the city, the ensuing rebuilding and reshaping of Berlin, and the significant political events that rocked the city – like the 1953 riots and elections in free Berlin.
