Von 6 bis 6 - 1958
ABOUT THE FILM : Von 6 bis 6
Deutsche KinemathekFrom 6 am to 6 pm
Year: 1958
The church bells ring: it’s 6 a.m. A town emerges from its sleep little by little; it’s market day in Munich. Thus starts the impressive unpacking of the stalls, each better stocked than the others. The florist waters her flowers, the market farmer adjusts his fruit and vegetables and the onlookers start their waltz. The rhythm speeds up and things get heated with the half-day sun. Purse strings are untied and tongues start wagging; the market becomes the beating heart of the town. The town only sinks back into peace and quiet at the end of the afternoon. With the ringing out of the church bells, Haro Senft finishes this trip to the heart of daily life reinvented in his cinema.
Nationality: German
Length: 12' 19"
Genre: documentary
Sound: sound
Original elements: black & white
Composer: Hans Loeper
Original language: German
A BRIEF HISTORY : Von 6 bis 6
Born in Czechoslovakia in 1928, Haro Senft became devoted to his first passion, painting, at a very young age. At the beginning of the 60's, he signed the New German Cinema Manifesto (Oberhausen Manifesto) with other film directors like Edgar Reitz (1932) and Alexander Kluge (1932), thus affirming his desire for visual and narrative innovations to renew the German film industry away from commercial restraints.
With Von 6 bis 6, Haro Senft delivers an impressive vision of Munich's provisions market. With successive close-ups of faces, gestures and certain street details, he captures the town that comes into being when the bells ring out. The picturesque quality of the market, its clientele and atmosphere come to life. Respecting the chronological unfolding of the day, the film captures the essence of this ballet with a staccato rhythm that will end with the familiar sound of the church bells at 6 in the evening.
The point of view adopted by the film maker gives this ordinary day a fascinating personality. Just like impressionist painters, he sketches out the street scenes with quick, successive strokes. Hans Loeper's music combined with street noises highlights certain details thus creating the effect of being detached from everyday life.
While Auto Auto is a head-on criticism of a consumer society, Von 6 bis 6 attracts attention regarding the practical relationship that deals with the consumer society. From his singular point of view with regards shared scenes, Haro Senft breaks the monotony of everyday life and reveals its poetry.
