Child of West Berlin

Year Published: 1971

Creator: Condor Films LTD.

Complete Record: Describes the life of a 10-year-old boy growing up in West Berlin. Deals with the Berlin Wall and politics as well as everyday life. Establishing stills of a bombed out, post World War II Berlin. The city lies in ruin. A shot of a map of Berlin pulls out to show a teacher demonstrating the occupation zones in Berlin and a diagram of the Berlin wall. Small school children sit at their desks and watch. A child climbs up a set of stairs and looks out over the city. After titles, the children run out of their classroom and into the cafeteria. The children eat lunch then play soccer outside. A boy drinks from a water pump and walks home past some billboards. The boy walks through the city streets and sees an elevated train and street traffic. Once home, the boy draws with the aid of a ruler. He leaves to ride a bike to the park with his friends. Old men play cards in the park. Other people watch ducks and go boating in a small lake. The boy and his family visit a Russian WWII memorial, which they look at through barbed wire. They also visit the Brandenburg Gate, the Victory Column and the Berlin Zoo, where they see lions and polar bears. The boy plays with a lion cub. They also see a penguin and an orangutan. The boy goes to an observation tower from which he can see the whole city. They ride the subway home and have a family meal. The boy does the dishes then draws in a notebook. The boy goes grocery shopping and explores the city. The boy goes to bed.