''Summer in the City'' is the first full-length

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

by director Wim Wenders, released in 1970 and starring

Hanns Zischler Hanns Zischler (born 18 June 1947) is a German actor known for his portrayal of Hans in Steven Spielberg's film ''Munich''. According to the Internet Movie Database, Zischler has appeared in 171 movies since 1968. He is known in Sweden for his r ...

. Wenders' first full-length film was produced as his graduation project at the University of Television and Film Munich ("Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München") which he attended from 1967 to 1970. Shot in

16 mm 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, edu ...

black and white by long-time Wenders collaborator

Robby Müller Robby Müller, NSC, BVK, (4 April 1940 – 3 July 2018) was a Dutch cinematographer. Known for his use of natural light and minimalist imagery, Müller first gained recognition for his contributions to West German cinema through his acclaimed c ...

, the movie exhibited many of Wenders' later trademark themes of aimless searching, running from invisible demons, and persistent wandering toward an indeterminate goal. In this case the journey is that of protagonist Hans (Zischler) after he is released from prison. Searching through seedy

West German West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

streets and bars, he finally winds up visiting an old friend in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...

. According to Wenders, the title of the film relates to the song from the band

The Lovin' Spoonful The Lovin' Spoonful is an American rock band popular during the mid- to late-1960s. Founded in New York City in 1965 by lead singer/songwriter John Sebastian and guitarist Zal Yanovsky, the band is widely known for a number of hits, including ...

, which was also included in the film, although a painting by

Edward Hopper Edward Hopper (July 22, 1882 – May 15, 1967) was an American realist painter and printmaker. While he is widely known for his oil paintings, he was equally proficient as a watercolorist and printmaker in etching. Hopper created subdued drama ...

may have influenced Wenders as well.Gerd Gemünden:
Framed visions: popular culture, Americanization, and the contemporary German and Austrian imagination
'. University of Michigan Press, 1998. Page 10 Wenders, an admirer of both The Lovin' Spoonful and Hopper, has included references to them in several of his films.

References

External links

* 1970 films 1970s drama road movies German black-and-white films Films directed by Wim Wenders Films produced by Wim Wenders Films set in Munich Films set in Berlin 1970s German-language films German drama road movies Student films West German films 1970 directorial debut films 1970 drama films 1970s German films {{1970s-Germany-film-stub