Melody of the World (German: Melodie der Welt) is a 1929 German film directed by Walter Ruttmann. It is also known as World Melody. The film is structured like a symphony and consists of documentary footage from all over the world, contrasted and juxtaposed to show a number of human activities as they take form in different cultures. There are also staged scenes with actors.

Melody of the World
Theatrical release poster
Directed byWalter Ruttmann
Written byWalter Ruttmann
Produced by
  • Guido Bagier
  • Heinrich Mutzenbecher
Cinematography
  • Reimar Kuntze
  • Wilhelm Lehne
  • Rudolph Rathmann
  • Paul Holzki
Edited by
  • Walter Ruttmann
  • Erna Hölzel
Music byWolfgang Zeller
Release dates
  • 27 July 1929 (1929-07-27) (Deutsches Kammermusikfest)
  • 10 May 1930 (1930-05-10)
Running time
48 minutes
CountryGermany
LanguageGerman

The film was produced by Tonbild-Syndikat AG as an assignment from Hapag. It has an original score by Wolfgang Zeller. It was advertised as Germany's first feature-length sound film.[1]

Cast

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  • Ivan Koval-Samborskij as sailor
  • Renée Stobrawa as sailor's wife
  • Grace Chiang as Japanese woman
  • O. Idris as Malayan temple dancer
  • Wilhelm Cuno as general director of Hapag

Release

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The world premiere took place on 27 July 1929 at the Deutsches Kammermusikfest in Baden-Baden. The film was released in regular German cinemas on 10 May 1930, distributed by Deutsches Lichtspiel-Syndikat AG.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Melodie der Welt". Filmportal.de (in German). Deutsches Filminstitut. Retrieved 20 May 2015.
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