Long pan across the rubble of a building. Burned-out roof. Statue without a head. Insertion of the title: looking after our past, The end, a film by Wolfgang Esterer, camera: Georg Pahl, cut: Jutta Pernice, with a quote by Michel Butor. Pan across the ruins of the Reich Chancellery. The Brandenburg Gate. Debris. Fires, in the background the Brandenburg Gate. Guns fire. Impact in the houses. Fire guns in the streets of Berlin. Explosions and impacts. Burning house. Soldiers run through debris.
Today: S-Bahn station Friedrichstraße. Road signs Frederick Street, George Street. Cars and pedestrians on the road. Man speaks into microphone actuality: "on April 27, 1945 I came here from the Alexanderplatz here by the George Street to the Friedrichstrasse station. 2 German soldiers, without boots, without badges of rank, the bodies of the grenade splinters hung shot just above me. "One hung a sign around his neck: I'm here, because women and children were more important me than the victory."
Then: Woman running through debris with headscarf. Firing guns At night. Fires. Shots from the window of a House.
Today: Esterer stands next to wife before loading. Woman speaks interview: "I remember exactly my shop, I was while the cannon on the Stettiner station train showed the fire, where the Russians came, and we were looking for on time the air-raid shelter. Bring water as we arrived and wanted here early in the morning from the air-raid shelter. There wasn't but there is no water in the houses? We saw the first Russians are down on Garden Street in front of the hotel. Here we all are again zurück gerannt back gerannt'n basement, we didn't get scared? "But we are spared of everything, none has hurt us, no?"
Then: Old woman in the doorway of air-raid basement (still image). People with luggage coming from air-raid shelter. Old woman walks between ruins. Houses wall collapses. Women pull carts on the street. Woman running the length of houses wall and falls down (still image). Soldiers run into houses ruins. Ruins of the Reich Chancellery. German soldiers run with arms raised from ruins of houses. Russian soldier with mg snaps up German soldiers from the ground. Russian soldiers stormed red flag. Move over debris, totally. Barren tree branches in the foreground. Debris from homes. Man with AX when clean-up work. Facade collapses. People in a deep bomb craters on the road. Men in clean-up work. Rubble women of cleaning of brick. Rubble women pass stones in a chain.
Ruins of the Cathedral in East Berlin in 1945 and today. Ruins of the castle in 1945 and now empty space next to the State building. Boy stands hunched over on the pavement. Memorial Church in West Berlin in 1945 and today.
Then: Men when reconstruction of the tram network. Travellers crowded tram. Double decker bus. U Bahn train station. Cracked levees of an underground shaft. Alexandre square 1945 and today.
Then: Woman stands and distributed newsletter, surrounded by people. Two women reading going on the road. Russians take red flag on a military vehicle. Female Russian soldier regulates traffic.
Today: Man speaks in microphone actuality: "here a pump, a water pump stood outside the door. As the people came often for miles to pick up a bucket of water. That was also Very much close. He States, as you can actually not imagine they were ruled."
Then: People with buckets stand on the street and pump water. Russian vehicle passes. People surround the car. Arms oriented up and fight for bread. Soldier draws from soup. Old woman bends over barrel, wipes it with fingers and licks (still image). Horse carcasses has body silted up on the road. Man cuts meat from (still image) of the hind leg. Debris road. Camera photographed from moving train: exit from tunnel, bridge, ruins, rail against the bandwagon. Pan across the front of the Reich Chancellery.
Today: Swing about apartment block. Any women. Child in moving sports car. Vernageltes with cardboard window of a border House in Berlin. Debris. Staircase with zerbombtem monument. Large stone carved rose. Slung from the base fallen statue of a woman. Parkballustrade. Stone gardener. Empty road in the Park.
Title brand 7.6 m on the traces of our past: the end roll 1 camera: Pahl roll 2 origin: DEFA roll 3 origin: Sovkino, KLT: k 91 Wehrmachtbericht, KLT: from NDW 275 10 years later, KLT: from UFA 411 Miss wonder
