And this movie by Curt and the Academy Award nominated Robert Siodmak is too, at least to some extent. It is a fairly chilly watch as we witness how a couple young Germans spend their weekend at the lake and enjoy their free time. In the end, the weekend is over and people head back to work. But 4 million people are waiting for the next Sunday. The Siodmak brothers made this 75-minute film extremely early in their careers. As many other times with silent black-and-white films from Germany, the action takes place in/around Berlin. Unfortunately, it is not a compelling watch at all. It is basically just watching people chill out and have a good time at the weekend. Nothing really happens. It's not really boring, maybe at a longer runtime it would have been, but never ever an engaging watch either. Very slow-moving picture, even if the people in there are moving fairly quickly. Overall, not a great film, the people in there are also all playing themselves, so it's probably almost a documentary, no idea how much was scripted. And even if, especially at the end, the characters look like taken out of a Film Noir, this 85-year-old film is not an exciting watch at all. Not recommended.

Edwin, a taxi driver, lives with Annie, a neurasthenic model. They plan to spend Sunday at the Nikolassee beach with Wolfgang, an officer, gentleman, antiquarian, gigolo, at the moment a wine salesman.

This film is something scripted and something of a documentary, mixed together. In a way, it is sort of like "Berlin: Symphony of a Great City", only with a plot added. And that is not a bad thing.

Most impressive is just how many big names worked on this. The Siodmak brothers (Curt and Robert),Billy Wilder (writer),Edgar G. Ulmer (producer),Fred Zinnemann (cinematography) and Eugen Schüfftan. These are some of the biggest names of their time, and most came to America and changed it for the better. The credits in some way overshadow the actual film.

Recently having seen Michael Powell's Peeping Tom (1960-also reviewed) at the cinema,and viewing Akira Kurosawa's first 15 films in a row, (all also reviewed) I decided to explore the third major auteur whose works I've been wanting to see: Robert Siodmak. Recently seeing his solo sound debut Abschied (1930-also reviewed) I decided to go back to the Sunday morning where it all began.

View on the film:

Revealed later that the film makers decided to set the title on Sunday,due to that being the day filming could take place whilst they were continuing with other weekday jobs, the distinctive visions of debut co- directors/co-writers Robert Siodmak (here joined by his brother Curt) Edgar G. Ulmer, Fred Zinnemann & Rochus Gliese (who quit during production) incredibly bind together for balancing act between a highly stylised surrealist atmosphere, with the shot on location,slice of life in the moment earthiness that pre-dates Neo- Realism and the French New Wave.

Filmed in the summer of 1929 with non-professional actors, (whose real day jobs were added to the background detail of the characters they played) Robert Siodmak unveils the beginning of his contrasting high and low lighting motif, via poking the sun from out of the branches and leaves onto the friends lounging round, capturing the push-pull romanticism they share,with a lingering melancholy of the sun slowly setting on this joyful day.

Each later trying to take sole credit for the praise the film got by downplaying the role of their fellow director such as "He only worked on it for an hour"- being the snarky comment Robert Siodmak made about co-writer Billy Wilder's involvement.

The directors dip into the bond shared between the friends and lovers (played by a bubbly,infectiously enthusiastic ensemble cast) with gorgeous superimpositions and gliding panning shots across the lake during a pedal boat ride bringing a dreamy quality from out of the water,which splashes over in elegant, glittering extreme close-ups on the waves of love and jealousy that the care-free group swim through,as they go in search for other people on Sunday.