Babylon Berlin Psycho-Political Film Noir

#netflix #babylonberlin #filmnoir
What is the best show on netflix? Its the German-produced film noir series Babylon Berlin. Set in 1929 during the tumultuous years of the Weimar Republic Babylon Berlin traces the work of police detective Gereon Rath. Rath fights against and sometimes with organized crime to put a stop to the myriad elements on the extreme left and and right that want to crush democracy and institute authoritarian extremism. I got commies to the left of me Kaiser-lovers on the right and I'm stuck in the middle with the Social Democrats.

[@solokom]

I have to admit I am SO in love with the character of Charlotte Ritter. She is not only very pretty, but also quick-witted, cheeky, and smart and her Berlin Accent is just super charming to listen to as a Berliner. She also uses a lot of slang from that time. Something that sadly can`t be preserved in any subtitle.

[@michaelsnow1]

I feel the same about her. Charlotte is bright, brave and gorgeous!

[@wendyberentsen173]

Dr Volkher is not portrayed as evil. She is angry.

[@johgu92]

And she's absolutely right to be angry, her people were just shot down like animals in the streets and then they were blamed for everything.

[@iXanthous]

I was pleasantly surprised how sympathetically the communists were treated by the show

[@visorah9299]

@@iXanthous absolutely! i was scared that the narrative was going to be 'both extremes are bad and contributed to the rise of hitler', but the show really doesn't do that and even rejects that idea implicitly (benda assassination plot)

[@TheBarca1889]

@@visorah9299 You are completely deranged if this is what you got from this series.

[@visorah9299]

​@@TheBarca1889in my opinion you are the deranged one if you believe in the propaganda that 'left extremists are as bad as right extremists'. like one believes in infringing on the literal human rights of people while the other might smash in some car windows in order to express dissatisfaction with capitalism and the government. they are not the same in the slightest

[@Jayfretwell]

This outstanding Sky production pisses on so much of the US and UK tripe we get served. Fascinating historically. An utter treat for the ears and the eyes. Cannot wait for the next series.

[@gozerthegozarian9500]

The lead actor and the author of the source material novel both being named "Volker" may seem peculiar to non-Germans, but here in Germany, "Volker" is a reasonably common first name for boys, sort of on the level of "Kyle" or "Jeremy" in the USA.

[@raymondduprey9709]

Excellent overview and commentary. I do agree Dr. Volkher is not evil. She is a justifiably angry and compassionate woman.

[@solokom]

I have never seen a series with such complex characters. They are so incredibly well written that you can never be sure if you should root for someone or hate him. The protagonists, the "good guys" have weaknesses, flaws and sometimes behave in very unlikable ways that will make you go "WTF, I can't believe he actually did this! He's the good guy! ... is he?!". The "bad guys", the antagonists, on the other hand, have relatable motivations for their actions and also come across as likeable at times. They show gestures of love, selflessness, compassion, and loyalty. All noble traits that you usually do not see with the bad guys in a series. The characters in "Babylon Berlin" are as complex as the political situation in Berlin itself.

[@jorgosk.awgernos5694]

Babylon Berlin is perhaps the great series in the 21st Century so far. The comment about the flowed police officers versus the typical all-moral cop of the mainstream detective movies, with his wife always upset because he works so hard and he is so dedicated to his mission. Babylon Berlin depicts greatly the era and the analysis of Michael Snow was very explanatory to the last detail. Just one comment: Non-Nazi Far Right. They were not just right-wing, they were a loose umbrella of Non-Nazi Far Right, many of them working for the restoration of the monarchy. They were in all levels of government, public administration, business, and civil life, they even had paramilitary formations (which way later were absorbed by the Nazi Sturmabteilung) that's why the Republic was doomed from the beginning. One more comment Dr. Volkher was deeply compassionate, we can see her in prison when she is with Greta, but she has strong convictions about social justice understandable for the passions of the era and angry with the injustices and the establishment's accusations with the usual scapegoat: the communists. They were not terroristic, they were demonstrating and they had less terrorist and criminal activity than the Nazis- I am not a communist- I am just bringing up some facts.

[@LETMino85]

The middle ages / Köln joke is hilarious... It hints at how old Köln is. So in a way, she's right.

[@WW2-hist]

Köln is also deeply catholic. In this sense the middle ages comment fits also.

[@kidgforce1]

Köln is also the most gay city in Germany

[@frakkintoasterluvva7920]

Evil?! You see the communist doctor as "evil"? Really? She is one of the least evil people in the entire show, and the German communists are not portrayed as "terrorists" at all and are being framed and blamed for things they did not do throughout. I didn't see any "cesspool", I saw people going to nightclubs and dancing and having fun, with good music and performers who wore drag. Not everyone think that's a bad thing. Yes, there is also sex work, but when isn't there? And there is crime but again... when isn't there?

[@solokom]

I have to agree. While she comes across as hard and unforgiving, her motivations are noble. She is fighting for the people, for the weak, for the ones that are treated so unjustly. Her anger and aggressive behaviour is a reaction to the injustice she sees in the world. That's what I love about this series, the characters are so incredibly complex that we often don't know how to judge them because we are used to being told who the good and who the bad guys are.

[@dumfriesspearhead7398]

Yes, it's very much a personal view obviously and quite a moralistic one, esp re: the "cesspool", but Americans tend to have a very outwardly prudish attitude towards sex (whilst having the biggest porn industry in the world). The more political information is quite interesting.

[@arnodobler1096]

A very Anglo-American view, true

[@Tronipule]

I really liked your review... Babylon Berlin became one of my favorite shows ever. It's interesting to see an interpretation of the Weimar republic. You didn't mentioned the "anything goes" feeling of the night life in the 20s... excellent show

[@Clarence_Oddbody]

The Communists in Berlin are mainly anti-Stalinist Russian exiles, Leninists and Trotskyites, vying against each other as much as the right wing German factions are, but overall it’s true they were all after the Weimar Government. The poverty was deep and widespread, but Weimar Germany was a free and vibrant culture, which the Nazis destroyed in the process of taking control by 1933. The brilliance of the show is showing in a slow burn that the Nazis’ first atrocity was against Germany itself, as shown by example with the murders of Benda and Greta. The Nazi Short, as orchestrated by Nissen, exemplifies how fascists create problems just they can inject themselves as the solution and misdirect the blame on. The mission of the show is to show that the Nazis didn’t just fall out of the sky, but worked for over a decade to ruin a democracy and drag the world into dark ness.

[@arvaakuka8568]

What's the Nazi Short?

[@Clarence_Oddbody]

@@arvaakuka8568 Nissen’s short selling of stocks to cash in on the collapse of the market.

[@arvaakuka8568]

@@Clarence_Oddbody I know but I was asking if this has a real life parallel or if it's completely fictional.

[@TheSunderingSea]

@@Clarence_Oddbody Short Selling doesn't create the conditions for the crash, he just knew it would happen and moved to make money from it. There's nothing illegal or even immoral about what he did. He didn't create the crash, it was the rampant greed and criminality of everyone else in the banking sector that created the 1929 crash.

[@CharlotteSWeb-oh7ou]

@@TheSunderingSea "Or even immoral" He was an aristocrat on the stock market, so that's a big claim.

[@eclosion6940]

Gereon reminds me of Robert De Niro in his young years.

[@deaddropholiday]

Can we just agree that if this show isn't sponsored by the tobacco companies it should be. I've been quit for over twenty years and yet I felt the urge to light up every ten minutes.

[@niklas8348]

Enjoyed your rewiev !! As you are interested in the political background during that time, here some context for Gustav Stresemann. Although he was indeed (Reichs-)Chansellor, he only was for one year, 1923. After that he was foreign minister, trying desperately to hold together the increasingly radicalizing political situation in a progressive manner, and tried to de-escalate generally. He also was a driving force behind a multilateral politic towards the victorious countries of WW1 and tried to lead Germany out of its miserably and isolated political standpoint, while Germany as a whole felt extremely humiliated and unfairly treated after the war. In that way he also worked against the „stab-in-the-back myth“ that made many germans feed into the right-extrem movement, which blamed, social democrates, jews and communists for Germany losing WW1 in the first place, through them being „enemies in the own land“. So he was a major political figur, trying to lead Germany on a peaceful path after the war. A historic tragedy he died so early.

[@solokom]

Great additional Information. I assume you are also German? And a political well-educated one I might add? It's rare that non-Germans know that part of German history in such detail.

[@msaodsfo16]

Good commentary and helps put lots in context.. Stumbled upon this show after hearing about the orchestra on a public radio program. I’m hooked and find the history of Weimar so fascinating, esp. since we know how badly it turned out

[@davidphilipaitis1845]

Very spot on. I see lots of influences from the Godfather and Chinatown. Not, the Armenian, but the German Colonel who reminds me of Emilio Barzanni. Gereon is a lot like JJ GIttes, Charlotte, is like Clarice Starling with a little Aria Stark. Another analogy I see the German Colonel and his relationship with Marie LUise is very much Hannibal Lecter and Clarice Starling. The Moka Efti scenes are mixture of the Korova Milk Bar from A Clockork Orange and Buffalo Bills Basement in Silence of the Lambs. Lots of movies Foriegn and American, but mostly classic movies are way what makes it a great tale.

[@dumfriesspearhead7398]

Volker and his sister in law dancing in her imagination is very Dennis Potter. There are a lot of different influences here. It makes for interesting viewing, but also helps it to appeal to a wider international market.

[@jrneal1220]

Interesting parallel between Wendt and Barzini. Now that you mention it, they do share some degree of physical resemblance, as well as the impassive facial expression. And the one Vito told Michael to watch out for... Interesting as well that you see Charlotte as having some similarities with Clarice Starling. My initial thought was more like Dana Scully from the X-Files (and that character was very much inspired by Starling). The dynamic between Charlotte and Gereon definitely has a sexual tension akin to that of Mulder and Scully as well. I guess that's bound to happen when one investigates cases that lead one to find out about vast evil conspiracies. As for the Moka Efti, I thought of it as resembling Ken Adam's iconic set designs for the James Bond movies (especially the big aquarium at the restaurant level, which seemed reminiscent of Dr. No). But then, production designer Uli Hanisch apparently knew Adam, and as tribute, he placed the family's department store across the street from the Moka Efti. Unfortunately, Adam's family had to leave Germany in 1933 because they were Jewish

[@jrneal1220]

When I watched BB a third time, I also came to realize that Charlotte is basically a 1920s German version of Fiona Gallagher from Shameless: the sad, wryly bemused 1,000 yard stare from hustling, all while being the strength of a lower socioeconomic status, highly dysfunctional family. And of course, they both also get grief for being said strength. No good deed...

[@HerrFenrisWolf]

One of the best videos on the show. I've read the first novelle from Volker Kutscher and the series did a great job in making everything better by a fair bit (season 1 and 2 are roughly book 1).

[@claudermiller]

Weimar Republic. Weren't they the first ones to stop referring to potatoes as Mr and Mrs?

[@ergodoy7741]

I am also a fan of history, noire and the Weimar Republic in particular and your review was spot on except for the communist doctor. She was angry but not evil. Just look at how she later treated Greta in prison. One thing you did not address was the symbolism of Gereon and the saint he was named after. An early saint and martyr. His name is very rare and not arbitrarily chosen. You also made no mention of his brother and his role in manipulation of Gereon.

[@LETMino85]

I am so stunned in a very good way by this show. I usually don't like German productions (I am German) but this became my favorite show ever! I just recently found it, and I am surprised that I missed it!

[@kidd32888]

The impending doom just looms in my mind while I watch the show.

[@dasaggropop1244]

wow you made a video about one of my favourite tv shows AND a 3hr lorefest about the best dnd setting ever made? subbed.

[@cultfan5227]

Fantastic series ! Thanks for your great review. It helps , I miss things with the subtitles.

[@martinperry2663]

Excellent analysis. This was my introduction to your channel. Love your videos!

[@stephenkneller6435]

I loved this show. Even bought a copy of Der Nasse Fisch and read the first book.

[@tmcgill2219]

I hope that you will now do a follow up video describing and explaining some of he obscure details, particularly from Season 3, which I found to have a number of unresolved or at least difficult to follow aspects. Thanks.

[@stefanb6539]

One aspect of Charlotte Ritter, that maybe only other Germans may understand what I want to say: To me, apart from the Film noir trope, she also reminds me a lot of the writing of Erich Kästner, with her optimism, youth and upbeat and curious underdog instincts and her clear moral compass (OK, Erich Kästner's heroes never even considered the existence of sex and drugs, with him being a very family-friendly youth author, but apart from that)

[@gozerthegozarian9500]

Yeah, she's like a grown-up film noir Pünktchen!

[@kidgforce1]

Don´t miss Kästner´s "Fabian"

[@solokom]

@@gozerthegozarian9500 hahaha, that's a great description! :D

[@jackdemask4177]

Thanks for posting this. I am not a great historian and your analysis has been enlightening, giving me a better understanding of Germany in that time period. Subscribed.

[@royblack2395]

An excellently researched article. I am very impressed. There are very few Americans who know German history so well and in such detail, especially that Hitler was neither elected by the people, as is always claimed, nor did he coup himself into power, as is also claimed on the other hand, but became Chancellor through political tactics of the national conservatives and the influence of President Hindenburg, who was already seriously ill at the time.

[@kristjanvalgur8871]

It is sure that the Nazis did not couped themselves to power. The Nazis still assumed absolute power after the Reichstag Fire Decree by which the banning of other political forces started.

[@andreaerling7614]

A brilliant series. Very good review. Thank you. The series also touches on the involvement of rich capitalists which aided and abetted the rise of the Nazi Party. However, the involment of US capital is not hinted at. Too risky, I suppose. The Nazis, albeit despised by the German upper class (aristocrats and industrialists) were supported by this very same class - to fend off the threat of communism.

[@user-dy6fj4sv7p]

Man, I need to learn some history. This, after “The Defeated” post WW2 Berlin

[@chrisrosenkreuz23]

Yes it's slow burning AF which is why I love it, balancing character development and plot progression like a motherfucker. Great review, thank you for your work!

[@chrissoclone]

Whew, that was honestly a much better summary and analysis than what I read in most German media. :) As a German I have a hard time watching most German TV shows and movies, many have a... hard to describe, particulary "German" style that makes me cringe a bit. Babylon Berlin was awesome though. It's not free of some of the German TV clichées, and the title song (zu Asche, zu Staub) was so overplayed I must skip it, but other than that I really liked it. It helps that they used relatively new faces as main actors too, Gideon and Charlotte are genuinely likable and I haven't seen them in a dozen fast food TV movies before. As for the history part... let's just hope the comedy remains comedy. So far it's easy to laugh off that e.g. for the first time we have a strong extreme right party in our parliament again, but the Nazis weren't taken serious and often laughed off too. I'm honestly a bit scared when I look at our current society and this series is a reminder of how fragile it is.

[@dasaggropop1244]

i think i know what you mean by cringy, most german tv actors are classically trained with a theatre background, and it shows. most of the time you have this very sterile, overly dramatic delivery of lines and presentation. but this show is really good, i call it the german boardwalk empire although it is more focused on politics instead of crime.

[@BuggiEU]

I don't know if it's just one of the German things, but I think the show lacks emotional depth. For example I feel like the lake situation and actions taken there should have had some impact on the characters and I would like to see them address it, but they just go on with their lives and never mention it.

[@LETMino85]

I agree about fragileness. It's scary... I do not think anybody in the 20s or early 30s believed or thought that an extreme regime will take over everything soon... I love the title song though! Can't stop listening to it :D

[@Anna-zi7sx]

Omg this is zu Asche, zu Staub slander that i cannot stand for. Ernsthaft ich hab die Serie nur angefangen weil ich den Song mit Clips der Show vorher gesehen habe.

[@dumfriesspearhead7398]

@@dasaggropop1244 Oh that's interesting. I read that when Volker Bruch studied acting, he made the conscious decision to focus on film and TV, not theatre. Maybe this shows in his acting.

[@mencken8]

This review does a pretty good job of staying grounded in entertainment- which is what this is. At one point, I feared that the presenter was going to essay intermingling history with Babylon Berlin, which this series is not. The retrospective noir approach of the series makes for a very entertaining series. The end ramblings, which he freely admits it is, make the mistake of going down the rabbit hole that is historical parallels. History does NOT repeat itself; it can’t. But, human nature remaining the same, the same kinds of human fuckery persist. And what Marx said was not “comedy,” it was “farce.”

[@billyt.5385]

Don't really know if you can call Dr. Volcker evil, you may not agree with her perspective or the actions she takes to achieve her goals but she is a fundamentally principled woman trying to do what she truly believes is right. Even the characters that are straight-up NAZI's aren't evil, just look at the character of Otto, he may have a disgusting ideology however is still arguably the hero within his own storyline. The closest character in my opinion to a true human evil is Counsellor Wendt, a man who will do absolutely anything to further his personal ambitions including working with fascists and murdering innocents. Furthermore, I personally found Dr. Volcker to be a highly redeemable character, lets not forget that when we first meet this character it is in the context of volunteer aid for civilians who had been the victims of police atrocities, now considering some of the other doctors we get to see like the Optometrist Lottie takes her sister to (another arguably evil character, a very Hannah Arandt mundanity of evil sorta fella, the kinda guy that will go very far in the coming decade if you follow) I would say that Dr. Volcker is far from evil.

[@Skskskcr]

great video!

[@annepercival7814]

Absolutely brilliant show…but disappointed not on Netflix in UK……I don’t have Sky….got addicted after watching few episodes on friend’s Sky tv

[@LETMino85]

Whaaaaat!??? I didn't know Germans did the first Noir movie! What!? Also, the stock market crash in 1929 that was a topic in the 3rd season, essentially brought the Nazis to power. It put many people into misery, even more than before, and the Nazis were able to use that for themselves, unfortunately...

[@Freddy-Da-Freeloadah]

I was told this was a movie. I have gotten out of the habit of watching weekly TV shows. But maybe I will get back into it! It's been a long, long time! I can't even remember when I watched a regular drama of any kind... Maybe as long ago as the 1970s!?!?!?! And then it was mostly reruns... IMHO

[@aka99]

If anyone wonderd and havent figured out yet, the executer of Great Overbeck has to be Carl Gröpler.

[@geadkins966]

Is the English dubbed version different than the German sub titled version. I watched the English dubbed version and am currently watching the German subtitled version, it seems like there is more to the German subtitled version.

[@annepercival7814]

Agree it’s the best thing I’ve ever seen on tv

[@declanjones8888]

Netflix is removing this show and it makes me sad.

[@Barbarian646]

Is he saying that the period he described was NOT full of decadence and degeneracy??

[@arnodobler1096]

Only in parts of Berlin

[@kidd32888]

Prussian spirit said it all....

[@annepercival7814]

I was very surprised when I read the books that there is no mention of Charlotte Ritter’s background..and absolutely no reference to her engaging in part time prostitution.

[@michaelsnow1]

Really? I've been meaning to get the books but it seems like only a few have been translated into English and I wanted to wait until more were out. But maybe I should read them sooner if they differ in major ways. . .

[@zoetevka4653]

🖤🖤🖤

[@legoclonetrooper]

Where can I watch babylon without any age restrictions or region blocks EVEN THOUGH I LIVE IN GERMANY!?

[@edwardgoering1237]

Micheal love your review ! I finally see a truer portrayal of Berlin as far as commies dominated the streets until 23 at least ! Netflix has a winner here !

[@cmasseylynch]

Series 4 has been released in germany july 2022....watch this space

[@potdog1000]

Babylon berlin is superb

[@nikki3108]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@wotan58]

What I don't understand is why they changed Horst Wessel to Horst Kessler in season 3.

[@michaelsnow1]

I agree. I don't know why they thought they needed to thinly fictionalize certain things. Especially because its so clear what they are talking about.

[@lorensims4846]

Im Metropolis the woman is NOT turned into a machine, the machine was created and transformed into a likeness of her. I suspect that other details might also have slipped by your cursory view. The Nazi threat grew slowly, it's not the writers doing this. All the clips you show of the Communists show them to be quite sympathetic in spite of your attempt to characterize them as vicious. Those weren't the police gunning down Comminunists but a private paramilitary of the conservatives, the Freikorps. Likewise I don't buy your characterization of the way the Nazis came into power almost by accident. But perhaps that's because I have been doing a careful study of this time period in preparation of watching this series. I think I'm almost ready. I find the post-war '20s to be a completely fascinating time with boogiemen everywhere and serious attempts at modernization and the strong resistance against that attempt.

[@solokom]

I think it is in fact debatable how much of the Nazi raise to power was accidental. While they were acting strategically from early on, it needed some “happy accidents” and the support of other political groups to get them there. While these other political parties actually didn't plan to get the Nazis into power but thought they could use them to their advantage and as we know today they terribly underestimated the Nazis and Hitler.

[@ronaldsander5767]

TACK!!!

[@thomasjordan5578]

Plausible contrivances i reckon and appreciate the expansion of possible factors occurring before the emergence of the new National Socialist movement, were people asking for a clean up not knowing where that would be going ?

[@samspencer582]

The novel this is based on is better. They have changed so much in this TV series from the novel. Made many characters that don’t even exist in the novel, but this is the best TV series ever made. I am reading the fourth novel in this series. Sooo good!!!

[@jasonfenton8250]

You really think so? I love the show, read the first book and was unimpressed. Especially Charlotte's portrayal in the book. She's basically a non character that only exists as Gereon's love interest. Compare that to the show where she serves as full on deuteragonist.

[@annepercival7814]

I am reading the books…and think the film series is so much better…….the books miss out a lot

[@elebuyse7111]

)Tanke $

[@ulysses2921]

8:42 those aren’t police, that’s the Freikorps. This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to your misunderstanding of Weimar Germany.

[@TheBarca1889]

Freikorps were ex-soldiers used for police duties. You obviously don't know anything about weimar germany.

[@HassanSra]

Imagine being this confident and stupid. The friekorps were used after the Spartacist uprising in 1919. The May Day massacre (or Blutmai) was perpetrated by the Berlin police. He was correct.

[@lorensims4846]

Freikorps were a paramilitary connected with the conservatives. Used primarily to advance their position, for instance massacring Communists.

[@AdelantadoCL]

That's what you get for being a smart ass.

[@carbonfibercrypto2919]

lol pudgy marxist takes are kinda funny

[@shaftlamer]

Series is woke garbage