Asphalt details
| Format: | PG DVD |
|---|---|
| Starring: | Betty Amann |
| Director: | Joe May |
| Genres: | Drama - Comedy, Romance - Comedy |
| Studio: | SONY DADC |
| Name | Discs | |
|---|---|---|
Asphalt |
PG Feature |
DVD Information
| Run time: | 1 hour 34 minutes |
|---|---|
| Rental release: | 18 Apr 2005 |
| Main languages: | Silent |
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Most helpful review
Berlin noir?
By barbi (150 reviews) from Salisbury , 30 Dec 2005[Highly rated reviewer]
After an almost documentary style beginning – how much of the day-to-day traffic in the streets of Berlin do you actually want to see, unless you are interested in old vehicles? – this film develops into something very cunning, almost a proto-film noir.
Naive young traffic policeman Albert Holk(Gustav Fröhlich) falls in love with femme fatale (jewel thief Else played by Betty Amann) while her gangster boyfriend lurks in the distant background.
Albert’s crises of conscience and despair add to the dark atmosphere of the film; Else seems to have remarkably little conscience and, if Hollywood had remade it in the 30s or 40s, Joan Crawford would be a natural for the part.
Director Joe May did a good job with this piece, not as famous as other German silents, and deserves more attention- Was this review helpful to you?
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All reviews
(4)Rocky road
By Monochronic (6 reviews) from Nuneaton , 03 Feb 2007On the face of it a simple story, Asphalt manages to pack a punch by virtue of the acting performances of its stars. Betty Amann as the jewel thief, and Gustav Fröhlich as the naive young Traffic Cop she ensnares, are excellent.
Also notable are Albert Steinrück and Else Heller as the young chaps parents, who are particularly impressive in the scene where they begin to realise the sort of mess their son has got himself into.
If you are at all interested in where Hollywood got its Film Noir approach from (this film has plenty of impressive lighting and shadow effects), then watch this and other films by German Expressonist Directors of the 1920's, many of whom went on to infuse Hollywood with their ideas (Murnau, Lang et al).
As always, if you have never watched a 'silent' film before, then don't start with this one! Try something easier for starters, like one of the comedies by Chaplin or Keaton - maybe 'The Kid', which has its melodramatic moments. When you've seen a few of those, you may be ready for a 'silent' drama!
Not a classic then, but well worth watching.- Was this review helpful to you?
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Berlin noir?
By barbi (150 reviews) from Salisbury , 30 Dec 2005[Highly rated reviewer]
After an almost documentary style beginning – how much of the day-to-day traffic in the streets of Berlin do you actually want to see, unless you are interested in old vehicles? – this film develops into something very cunning, almost a proto-film noir.
Naive young traffic policeman Albert Holk(Gustav Fröhlich) falls in love with femme fatale (jewel thief Else played by Betty Amann) while her gangster boyfriend lurks in the distant background.
Albert’s crises of conscience and despair add to the dark atmosphere of the film; Else seems to have remarkably little conscience and, if Hollywood had remade it in the 30s or 40s, Joan Crawford would be a natural for the part.
Director Joe May did a good job with this piece, not as famous as other German silents, and deserves more attention- Was this review helpful to you?
- (2) Yes |
- No (0)
They don't make them like this any more
By Easyburgers from HULL , 24 Sep 2005You know, films have been going downhill recently, especially since they started doing them with sound.
This is one of the old school. A simple story, well told, and with an appropriate and pleasing soundtrack.- Was this review helpful to you?
- (2) Yes |
- No (1)
strange film
By a customer from rochester. england , 22 May 2005A very strange film, full of wooden acting with a predictable plot. Subtitles did not help- Was this review helpful to you?
- (5) Yes |
- No (5)
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