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by Various Authors
grade: 7
At a time when the consequences of the recent war were still quite evident, the image of a nation doing everything it could to start over was undoubtedly quite powerful. The documentary Leben am Wiener Naschmarkt, along with many other films of its kind, had precisely this aim. Restored by Filmarchiv Austria and presented on the Filmarchiv On channel.
At the legendary Viennese market
Vienna’s traditional Naschmarkt, situated right next to Karlsplatz, between the Linke Wienzeile and the Rechte Wienzeile, has long been part of the very identity of the city of Vienna itself. Established as early as 1780 and subsequently, in 1910 to be precise, permanently relocated to the aforementioned site, it is famous for its elegant, permanent Art Nouveau-style stalls, but also for its colours, its scents, the variety of products sold there every day and the large numbers of people who visit it (including, nowadays, tourists as well). In this regard, therefore, the documentary Leben am Wiener Naschmarkt, made in 1929 as part of the project Wiener Alltag II. Akt, recently restored by Filmarchiv Austria and shown on the Filmarchiv On channel, offers us an interesting insight into everyday life in this place around the late 1920s.
Leben am Wiener Naschmarkt, therefore, captures every detail of our Naschmarkt in just a few minutes. Initially, the camera shows us the city’s streets from above. Then, at last, we find ourselves right in the middle of the market. People are thronging about doing their shopping. Some stallholders are arranging their wares. And whilst a few market women in traditional dress are busy preparing their produce for customers, goods are still being transported by horse-drawn carts, which, as they pass alongside the more modern trams, create an interesting contrast.
And so, with a thoroughly classical staging and no particular directorial flourishes, this little, interesting Leben am Wiener Naschmarkt – by showing us brief moments of ordinary everyday life in the city of Vienna – fits perfectly within the conventions of most of the documentaries made in Austria at that time, right up until the early decades of the 20th century.
Yes, because, in fact, by showing us how life in a particular place unfolded peacefully and how every activity was organised to perfection, what was being conveyed to Austria and the whole world was, in fact, a very specific message. And at a time when the consequences of the recent war were still quite evident (when no one yet suspected that a second war would soon bring further disasters) the image of a nation doing everything in its power to start over was undoubtedly quite powerful. Leben am Wiener Naschmarkt, along with, of course, many other documentaries of its kind, had precisely this aim.
Original title: Wiener Alltag II. Akt
Directed by: Various Authors
Country/year: Austria / 1929
Running time: 3’
Genre: documentary
Screenplay: Various Authors
Cinematography: Various Authors
Produced by: Hans Kartak