I'm 4 episodes in, and it's stunning. It's the most expensive German series ever, it's hugely cinematic, and the characters, all drawn from the bestselling series of novels, are fascinating. It's kind of a German equivalent to The Untouchables.
There are 16 episodes so far, which confusingly all premiered at the same time last fall in Europe, and a then couple of weeks ago here on Netflix, as two "seasons". Hopefully the show will continue.
The directing duties appear to be split between three directors, Tykwer and two other German directors I'm not familiar with. Tykwer performed similarly split duties on the excellent Sense 8. Their work is uniformly exquisite, and the scale of the production is staggering, endless huge locations full of extras in period costume, gorgeous CG recreations of the 1920s Berlin cityscape that was pulverized in WWII.
I watched both series when they were shown on SKY Atlantic channel in the UK last year. Set during the later days of the Weimar Republic and both extremes doing their best to bring it to an end, I thought Series 1 was excellent and Series 2 perhaps not as good, though still enjoyable.
Other than the song already mentioned in the thread and one or 2 other musical highlights in both series, the score didn't make much of an impression on me. I understand a new series is already in development.
I also must highly recommend this series and its soundtrack. My wife and I binged it a few weeks ago and it is FANTASTIC! This is big budget movie quality TV. Stunning recreation of Weimar Berlin in all its seedy perverse glory and an engrossing mystery with damn good action sequences. Tremendous acting all around, but I was particularly struck with the lead actress, Liv Lisa Fries as Charlotte Ritter. The score has some excellent bits and it is not standard sound design background noise. I actually took notice of several sequences while watching the series...something that is increasingly less common these days with the preference for "don't call attention to the music" drone scores. The 2 CD album is a bargain. Besides the score you get some really top-notch jazz pieces. Some are period but several (including the above-mentioned "main theme" of the series) are original pieces designed to sound period.
"Zu Asche zu Staub" is really incredibly catchy - one of the rare instances where I bought the piece as a digital download to have it right away. It's very cleverly done, I think, and how it is set in the film just heightens its impact. I kept wondering what made it so appealing to me, apart from its interesting structure, and I found that the orchestral accompaniment sounds a bit like something Morricone might have written, and which transports this feeling of destiny, while being achingly beautiful at the same time.
Special thanks to Tall Guy and Thomas, respectively, for tipping me off to the show and to this thread.
Haven't had a chance to watch the series yet, but I've been reading up on it and have begun listening to the score and songs. I'm less interested in the plot and characters as I am in art direction and the recreation of the era.
I'm also in search of anything Weillian, as my other thread on Brecht-Weill will indicate.
The score thus far? Not bad, but not incredible, either. They'll no doubt "improve" once I've heard the cues alongside the series itself.
Bryan Ferry has (sort of) reinvented himself as a crooner in the 1920s style with this and his previous effort on Baz's The Great Gatsby. Never listened to Roxy Music, but I guess I am now! I'm not sure they were ever big here in the USA, or that I am just removed from the flow as is my wont.
While I enjoy the swing-sounding underscore, Bryan Ferry's contributions, and some of the underscore, I can't say the same about the music used in the trailer starting at the 1:30 mark; it's abysmal.
The show's visuals are (mostly) superb, with the recreations of how the city must have looked back then especially appealing.
"Zu Asche zu Staub" is really incredibly catchy - one of the rare instances where I bought the piece as a digital download to have it right away. It's very cleverly done, I think, and how it is set in the film just heightens its impact. I kept wondering what made it so appealing to me, apart from its interesting structure, and I found that the orchestral accompaniment sounds a bit like something Morricone might have written, and which transports this feeling of destiny, while being achingly beautiful at the same time.
Initially I ran hot and cold on "Zu Asche, zu Staub", but recent listens have yielded a consistently positive opinion on it. Going just by the video posted previously, the song ratchets up the excitement of the nightclub energy, though I will basely admit that hearing the song while viewing scantily-clad women wearing pasties and Josephine Baker "banana" costumes helps quite a bit. Film and TV music is meant to accompany visuals, and "Zu Asche..." does it effectively. I am starting to love the song. Hope the rest of the underscore follows.
Never listened to Roxy Music, but I guess I am now! I'm not sure they were ever big here in the USA, or that I am just removed from the flow as is my wont.
FYI, the designation of the "seasons" on the show is confusing, for contractual reasons, I suspect.
The first 16 episodes were one miniseries, shot at one time, broadcast in one block in Europe and released as one block in the US. They tell one linear story, beginning to end.
However, for some bizarre reason, the first 8 episodes have been officially (and arbitrarily) named "Season 1," while the second eight episodes have been named "Season 2." Make no mistake, they are one conventional season of television. If you only watch "Season 1" you'll leave all the plot strands in midair. If you only watch "Season 2" you'll get an incomprehensible mix of the finales of all the plot lines.
For this reason the new season, which is really the second season, is officially called "Season 3."
It's bewilderingly confusing.
However don't let this distract you from actually watching the show. The first miniseries was a masterpiece, and I can't wait to watch the second.
FYI, the designation of the "seasons" on the show is confusing, for contractual reasons, I suspect.
The first 16 episodes were one miniseries, shot at one time, broadcast in one block in Europe and released as one block in the US. They tell one linear story, beginning to end.
However, for some bizarre reason, the first 8 episodes have been officially (and arbitrarily) named "Season 1," while the second eight episodes have been named "Season 2." Make no mistake, they are one conventional season of television. If you only watch "Season 1" you'll leave all the plot strands in midair. If you only watch "Season 2" you'll get an incomprehensible mix of the finales of all the plot lines.
For this reason the new season, which is really the second season, is officially called "Season 3."
It's bewilderingly confusing.
But you explain it so well it seems straightforward!
I'm awaiting delivery of the CDs, which I'm looking forward to immensely. We have a long drive next weekend to visit family and we can play this in the car instead of the usual demand for pop radio...
Are there any plans to release this series on Region 1 DVD? I don't have the Netflix and am not inclined to subscribe.
Netflix's whole model is not releasing the programs they own or control onto physical media, with very few exceptions - Stranger Things, The Irishman.
I think the chances of this ever getting a physical media release in the US are astronomically low.
Indeed, it has only been released on physical media in two other places in the world with English subs - DVD sets in the UK and Australia, both of them PAL. Beyond that, it exists only as BD sets in Germany and France, both lacking English subs.
Netflix really wants you to watch this on their streaming service.
Honestly it's so brilliant, I'd recommend looking for some sort of 1-month trial and signing up just to watch it.
There are a couple of episodes on The 'Tube, but without English subtitles.
Liv Fries, the lead actress, bears a superficial resemblance to Kristen Stewart, except that Liv Fries is actually talented and much better looking than the wooden, inexplicably praised Stewart.
Volker Bruch is awesome, and I cannot wait to see more of his character.
I really don't want to get NetFlix, but I really like the visuals of this series.
Volker Bruch is awesome, and I cannot wait to see more of his character.
You might want to (if you haven't already) check out GENERATION WAR (Unsere Mütter, unsere Väter) from just few years back then. Bruch played one of the four lead characters then in a fictional account of German youngsters being drawn – one way or another – into the devastation of the Third Reich and WWII.
On the music, I can easily say that it's my most played soundtrack of the last 2-3 years. Zu Asche, zu Staub currently towers on my "most played" list in iTunes with 300+ spins (probably twice as much as the runner-up). I am usually not into song lyrics at all, but here I really dig the morbid, almost lebensmüde lyrics – but I'm aware probably all others posters in this thread cannot appreciate this as much. Musically, I'm especially fond of the trumpets in it. Among the purely instrumental tracks, Space Out is my favourite with Babylon Berlin and Eine Frau in Berlin runner-ups.
P.S.: I see there is an English translation of the Zu Asche, zu Staub lyrics floating online. It's not exactly a literal translation, so in case anyone is interested in my own quick attempt at a translation as close to the German original as possible, here it is:
Zu Asche, zu Staub | To ashes, to dust dem Licht geraubt | stolen from the light doch noch nicht jetzt | but not just yet Wunder warten bis zuletzt | Miracles wait until the end Ozean der Zeit | Sea of time ewiges Gesetz | eternal law zu Asche, zu Staub | To Ashes, to dust zu Asche | to ashes Doch noch nicht jetzt | but not just yet Zu Asche, zu Staub | To Ashes, to dust dem Licht geraubt | stolen from the light doch noch nicht jetzt | but not just yet Wunder warten | Miracles wait doch noch nicht jetzt | but not just yet Wunder warten bis zuletzt | Miracles wait until the end
Es ist doch (wohl?) nur ein Traum | It is yet just a dream das bloße Haschen nach dem Wind | the mere reaching for the wind Wer weiß es schon genau? | Just who knows it exactly? Die Uhr an deiner Wand | The clock on your wall sie ist gefüllt mit Sand | it is filled with sand leg deine Hand in mein' | Lay your hand into mine und lass uns ewig sein | and let us be eternally Du triffst nun deine Wahl | You are making your choice now und wirfst uns zwischen Glück und Qual | and throwing us between happiness and agony doch kann ich dir verzeih'n | and yet I can forgive you Du bist dem Tod so nah | You are so close to death und doch dein Blick so klar | and yet your gaze so clear erkenne mich | recognize me ich bin bereit | I am ready und such mir die Unsterblichkeit | and going for my immortality
[Percussion]
Es ist doch (wohl?) nur ein Traum | Yet it is just a dream das bloße Haschen nach dem Wind | the mere reaching for the wind Wer weiß es schon genau? | Just who knows it exactly? Die Uhr an deiner Wand | The clock on your wall sie ist gefüllt mit Sand | it is filled with sand leg deine Hand in mein' | Lay your hand into mine und lass uns ewig sein | and let us be eternally Du triffst nun deine Wahl | You are making your choice now und wirfst uns zwischen Glück und Qual | and throwing us between happiness and agony doch kann ich dir verzeih'n | and yet I can forgive you Du bist dem Tod so nah | You are so close to death und doch dein Blick so klar | and yet your gaze so clear erkenne mich | recognize me ich bin bereit | I am ready und such mir die Unsterblichkeit | and going for my immortality
There are a couple of episodes on The 'Tube, but without English subtitles.
Liv Fries, the lead actress, bears a superficial resemblance to Kristen Stewart, except that Liv Fries is actually talented and much better looking than the wooden, inexplicably praised Stewart.
Volker Bruch is awesome, and I cannot wait to see more of his character.
I really don't want to get NetFlix, but I really like the visuals of this series.
Is the new series to be shown only on Netflix? Pity that Sky didn't pick it up again (in the UK at least).
Liv Lisa Fries is indeed very attractive
Has anyone read any of the Gereon Rath books by Volker Kutscher?
Musically, I'm especially fond of the trumpets in it. Among the purely instrumental tracks, Space Out is my favourite with Babylon Berlin and Eine Frau in Berlin runner-ups.
Other than "Zu Asche, Zu Staub" and a couple of the Bryan Ferry songs, "Berliner Luft" has so far been the standout piece of music I've heard from this series.
