and attire,Anni has alsolittle in common with her brother,the kind of slender,
sensitiveyoung man often depicted inWeimar films about the dangers of the big
city.Her wayofwalking,ofenteringand exiting the frame perfectlycaptures the
confidenceand determination thatinforms all of her actions, includinginthe
montagesequence about heragonizing decision in favorofabortion. Unlike
otherWeimar-erafemale protagonists confronted with an unwanted pregnancy,
includinginMartinBerger’sKreuzzug desWeibes(1926,Woman’sCrusade) and
FriedrichWolf’sCyankali(1931,Cyanide), Anni is never punished for her sexual
desires;onthe contrary,her experiences with an unsupportive boyfriend, family,
and public health system onlyend upradicalizing her.
How is thegestus of“not liking it”articulatedinfilmic terms in the opening
and closing sequences?Titled“One Unemployed Less,”the opening sequence
beginswith quick images of groups of men looking for work, and it ends with
an eerilysilent suicide scene and the recognitionthat the consequences of
mass unemployment are always suffered individually. Formallyreminiscent of
WalterRuttmann’sBerlin, die Sinfonie der Großstadt(1927,Berlin, Symphony of
aBig City), the sequence captures the legendary energy of labor and industry
in WeimarBerlin: large factory complexes,wide city streets,and endless tene-
mentswith inner courtyards.Yet inKuhleWampe,the youngmen do not rush
to their workplaces;they gather in the earlymorning to read the want ads and
then speedaway on their bicycles.Accompanied byadissonant,frantic musical
score, the closeups of peddling feet and turning wheels conveythe men’sgrow-
ing sense of desperation.“No hiring,”the notice at the factorygate says.The
transition from montagetonarrativecontinuity –and, concomitantly, from
what is presented as reality to what is known to be fiction–occurs when the
camerafollows oneyoung man as he arriveshome in his working-class neigh-
borhood. This is how Eisler,under the heading“Movement asaContrast to
Rest,”later describes his scorefor the openingsequence:
Aslumdistrict of drab, dilapidated suburban houses is shown in all its misery and filth.
The atmosphere is passive,hopeless,depressing. Providingcritical commentary,the
music is brisk, sharp,apolyphonic prelude of amarcatocharacter,and its strict form
and stem tone, contrasted with the loose structureofthe scenes, acts asashock deliber-
atel yaimed at arousingresistancerather than sentimental sympathy.”⁴TheodorW.Adorno and Hanns Eisler,Composing for the Films(London: Continuum,2007), 17.
On the role of music, seeBertolt Brecht,“Übergestische Musik,”inSchriftenzumTheater.Über
eine nicht-aristotelische Dramatik(Frankfurt am Main:Suhrkamp, 1993), 252 – 255. Foranover-
view of discussions on music andgestus,also seeFriedemannJ. Weidauer,BernadetteGrubner,
and Stephen Brockmann, eds.,Das BrechtJahrbuch/The BrechtYearbook 33: Gestus—musik—
324 Chapter 18