Billy Wilder released "One, Two, Three" (1961) long after he left his native Austria. The events (in the film) took place in Berlin before the Berlin Wall was erected. The director knew politics well enough, where capitalists thought that a brand like Coke could rescue Europe from the destruction (brought by the war) and communists insisted their system wasn't only good on paper. Politics would divide the land.
No one knew if Romans established a settlement in this part of Europe or the Vikings ransacked it. The earliest records described a medieval town, which was far from larger communities like London. Political events turned Berlin into a prominent metropolis in Northern Europe. It would be a main city after the establishment of the German Republic.
The places of interest in Berlin revealed its episodic past, each one describing a particular aspect of the capital. The same thing could be said of the movies that were set in Berlin. Let's take a look:
Cabaret (1972) by Bob Fosse. Anyone who knew Bob Fosse were certain that this musical was the right material for him. It was the last days of the Weimar Republic. Everyone was singing and dancing with abandon, aware that their moments in the spotlight were numbered. There was dread behind those cheerful faces, which could represent the hundreds of Germans (and Europeans). Berlin, the cultural center of Europe, would become the capital of Nazi Germany. So it was one encore after another.
The Lives of Others (2006) by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. The story happened in East Berlin, when agents of the Stasi monitored the residents. This was the first dramatic feature that depicted this particular episode in the city's history, and many didn't like Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's humanist approach to the secret police of the German Democratic Republic. But art never judge its subject.
Wings of Desire (1987) by Wim Wenders. This could be the best depiction of the German capital, where angels watched over the Berliners. There was anguish everywhere, which Wenders would allude to the Berlin Wall. Some viewers were overwhelmed, as the black-and-white images evoked nostalgia. (It might be the unification of the German states on January 18, 1871.) Wenders didn't foresee the Autumn of Nations, so he ended the movie on a bittersweet note.
Goodbye, Lenin! (2003) by Wolfgang Becker. Ronald McDonald conquered East Berlin, but its inhabitants chose to ignore him. Becker's comedy would get better through the years, as not a few wondered if their lives were better after embracing Western values. Many Germans would debate about it.
Run Lola Run (1998) by Tom Tykwer. It was an arresting picture, but Tom Tykwer would refer to the dynamic feature of a reunified Berlin. Those who failed to figure it out couldn't be blamed, though.
