[AUFBLASE-AKT MIT LUFTPUMPEN] (Luftpumpen-Duell) [Inflating Act with Air Pumps] (DE, 1910s? 1920s?)
regia/dir, anim, artist: ?. prod, dist: Bing Werke A.G. Nürnberg?. uscita/rel: ?. copia/copy: DCP, 1’06” (da/from 35mm nitr. pos., 5 m., 22″, 16 fps; printed 3x); senza did./no titles. fonte/source: DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum, Frankfurt/Wiesbaden.

This monochrome loop film from the collection of the DFF is tentatively identified as an original production by Bing Werke A.G. Nürnberg. It was created by a lithographic printing process, and would have been sold for screening on hybrid magic lantern‒kinematograph projectors, mainly serving the home market. The surviving 35mm nitrate print has archival titles assigned by the DFF, yet it matches well with an entry in both the 1927 and 1930 editions of Bing’s catalogue. The catalogue title listing seems to fit the film’s action, and the length is also a perfect match. It is listed under series number 13/50/06, in the category “humoristische Trickfilme, endlos gegklebt ca. 5m” (humorous animation films, looped ca. 5 m.): Ein Amerikanisches Duell / Eine Luftpumpengeschichte. French, Spanish, and English translations are provided in the multi-lingual catalogue: Un Duel américain / Histoire d’une pompe de vélo; Un duelo americano / El quento de bicicleta; An American Duel / Airpump Tale.
The print depicts two men who take turns inflating each other by means of bicycle air pumps, until the man on the left explodes; a group of onlookers stands by in the background. The context and meaning of this animated short remain somewhat mysterious. What might have triggered the lithographic depiction of such a contest? Is this a fair competition, or a show-act involving accidental destruction? Is the competitor on the right cheating, taking two pump-strokes?
Perhaps the film was humorously referring to an actual event of an “American duel” carried out by means of human inflation? In general, the term “American duel” designates a suicide pact between two adversaries, a practice of suicide by agreement. The outcome – who dies – is to be determined by chance, not unlike “Russian roulette”. In the 1910s Germany was clearly intrigued by the concept, for at least three fiction films were titled Ein (Das) amerikanische Duell, dating 1911, 1914, and 1917/18 (the last was directed by Harry Piel).
The film’s death-defying, rather horrific topic seems in line with the zeitgeist of Imperial Germany and the Weimar Republic, with its preoccupation with progress and technological advances, especially in the realm of air travel. The depiction of the human body as an overextended blimp seems an apt allusion to the abundance of competitive spirit fuelling not only great feats, but also to the frequent airship catastrophes which kept the public enthralled. – Anke Mebold

[BALLONAUFSTIEG] [Ascesa in pallone/Balloon Ascent] (DE, 1911? 1913?)
regia/dir, photog: ?. prod: ?. uscita/rel: 1911? 1913? copia/copy: DCP, 1’26” (da/from 35mm nitr. pos., 13 m., 43″, 16 fps; printed 2x); senza did./no titles. fonte/source: DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum, Frankfurt/Wiesbaden.

The German public was fascinated by early air travel. In a spirit of intense international competition, underscored by patriotic and nationalist tendencies, the rapid advances made by balloons, zeppelins, and airplanes were front-page news in the early 20th century. Testing, pushing, and crossing the boundaries of the possible, and exploring and reaching the limits, were widely discussed, and the quest’s numerous successes, dramatic failures, and fatal accidents aroused keen interest.
This remarkable footage comes from a collection of nitrate films that arrived at the Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum (DFF) archive by post in short rolls tied with thread, with no sender’s address. Most likely it is a collection of “Theater Film Ausschnitte” (theatrical film excerpts): cuts of 35mm nitrate film taken from surplus theatrical prints at the end of their commercial life, which could be ordered from Bing Werke A.G. Nürnberg and other manufacturers of metal toys and optical equipment for home exhibition. Sold for home use in the 1910s or 1920s, such cuts usually came in two categories, with staggered pricing: “mit abgeschlossener Handlung” (with complete narrative) and “ohne abgeschlossene Handlung” (without complete narrative).
Our film begins and ends on a torn frame, and has survived without titles. While its original maker and context remain unknown, it was probably derived from a newsreel. Clues are provided by the images themselves, showing the gas balloons Münster and Bremen. Ballooning in Imperial Germany was organized by clubs which met regularly in competitions. Flight of all kinds was seen as emblematic of progress, taking on a particularly martial aspect in the years before World War I, which may explain the predominance of military officials in club directories and in the surviving footage.
We know from the history of the gas-balloon club Freiballonsport-Verein Münster und Münsterland e.V., founded in 1909, that their first balloon, the Münster, was christened on 1 May 1910. In the early days of sport ballooning in Germany, gas balloons outnumbered hot-air balloons, and hydrogen, helium, and leuchtgas (coal gas) were the main lifting agents, with leuchtgas especially easy to come by, since city gasworks at the time used it to fuel lighting fixtures on streets and in selected households.
Research in ballooning journals reveals that the Münster and Bremen were brought together on two documented occasions. The first was for the Bremen’s launch on 30 April 1911, when its club, Bremer Verein für Luftschiffahrt e.V., organized a so-called “fox hunt”, with the Bremen as the “fox” and the balloons Münster, Osnabrück, Nordsee, and Pelikan as its pursuers. The fir-tree branches decorating the Bremen’s basket indicate this festive occasion. The second event was a kriegsmäßige Verfolgung (warlike pursuit) that took place on 18 May 1913, with automobiles “hunting” the six participating balloons in an attempt to take them captive. The balloons were filled with enough gas to allow at least three hours of air travel, with the ability to stay airborne for a maximum of 100 km, provided they remained below the cloud cover.
In our cautious digital restoration at Haghefilm Digitaal, developing defects and other physical properties have been left visible. The decision was made to show this short action-packed film twice, in order to allow today’s audiences a better look not only at the preparation and actual take-off, but also at some of the image details: the countryside and its landmarks, the apparel and demeanor of the spectators surrounding the balloon baskets, and crew members carrying out their tasks. – Anke Mebold, Tobias Schoenrock

IN DEN DSCHUNGELN AFRIKAS [Nelle giungle dell’Africa/In the Jungles of Africa] (DE, c.1921-1924)
regia/dir: Ilka Schütze. prod: ?. dist: Deutsche Film-Industrie R. Glombeck, Berlin S.W. 68. uscita/rel: ?. copia/copy: DCP, 9’34” (da/from 35mm nitr. pos., 174 m., 16 fps; end-title stretched); did./titles: GER. fonte/source: DFF – Deutsches Filminstitut & Filmmuseum, Frankfurt/Wiesbaden.

Advisory warning: This animated short disturbingly reproduces the ethnic prejudices and gender inequalities prevalent a century ago. In the case of this Puppenkomödie (doll comedy) by the unknown woman director Ilka Schütze, ethnic and gender stereotypes typical of Weimar-era Germany abound and drive the narrative forward. The maker of this African adventure travelogue artfully employed stop-motion technique to animate dolls and stuffed animals, which are placed in naturalistic settings. The film’s green-tinted German intertitles are composed in rhyme, while the image sequences are tinted in rosé.
Girl-doll Mary, “courageous leader of the balloon excursion”, and boy-doll Paul, “our hero of the day”, set out at night, aided by their teddy bear, from their finely furnished bedroom on an adventurous air-balloon trip to Africa. Upon arrival in the jungle, the siblings encounter (stuffed) wild animals – a lion, a pair of monkeys, and a crocodile – and the indigenous dark-skinned doll population. The two native dolls are introduced as “Jaka Hoola, from Holalulu” and “Hicki Doola, from Samoa” – names obviously inspired by the hit song “Yaaka Hula Hickey Dula”, a Hawaiian number introduced by Al Jolson in the 1916 Broadway show Robinson Crusoe, Jr., and popularized in Germany by various artists in the early 1920s. They are, of course, engaged in music-making and tribal dancing, and presently both become cannibalistically minded after their dance routine. Put in a tight spot by this uncomfortable development and rather unhappy with the outlook of becoming the natives’ roast, Paul’s cunning saves the day: his calmness assuages his sister’s fears, and he successfully negotiates their escape. While it’s hard to fathom the extent of Ilka Schütze’s sense of humor, we can say for certain that this otherwise unknown animation pioneer fashioned this Traumreise or “dream-trip” as a comical-nightmare African travelogue, an aesthetically artful if simplistic riff on African adventure stereotypes steeped in racist clichés.
The main title of the 35mm nitrate print surviving at the DFF provides limited credit information. It declares Ilka Schütze as “Bearbeiter” (originator), based in Berlin-Tegel, and Deutsche Film-Industrie Robert Glombeck of Berlin as “Vertrieb” (distributor). Research is ongoing regarding the make of the dolls, stuffed animals, and the model train. It has been ruled out that the dolls and Teddy Bear are creations by the famous firms of Steiff or Schildkröt. Instead, the articulated porcelain dolls have been identified as probably having been made in Thuringia in the 1920s. It is still not known whether the production may actually have been sponsored by a toy manufacturer. If it were a sponsored film, In den Dschungeln Afrikas would most likely have been subject to a twofold exploitation strategy: an entertainment release – surviving at the DFF – and a lost version designed as an advertisement, perhaps framed by more or other titles, clearly displaying or spelling out the advertising message by identifying the toy manufacturer. – Anke Mebold