Other titles:NATO TELEVISION SHORTS [Allocated Series Title]
Summary:Short television documentary using the town of Stuttgart, and four of its residents, as a microcosm of West Germany (Federal Republic of Germany) and its people.
Description:An unnamed Italian immigrant serves as the narrator for the film, introducing his own story of arrival in Stuttgart, and the lives of several of his friends and acquaintances. Military personnel and installations appear throughout the film, but are seldom addressed in the commentary. The narrator reads a letter from his father back home. Scenes from Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof illustrate his own arrival to the city, where he initially socialises with his other Italians.
Other individuals are featured. The narrator introduces Klaus and his family, immigrants from East Germany (GDR/DDR). A section on the borders between East Germany and West Germany (FRG/BRD) includes views of Checkpoint Charlie. East German isolation is contrasted with West German integration and dynamism. West German productivity is attested to with views of a foundry and the Mercedes-Benz factory. A Mercedes-Benz coupé is shown on the test track. The narrator's wine-producing friend Zerweck is shown tending his grape crop (the film contains a sequence showing the name of the winegrower on a wall in the hills of Stuttgart). Artist Walter Wörn is shown at home, painting and singing. Modern housing and churches are shown, followed by examples of Christian artistic heritage.
A section on leisure presents open air swimming, musicians playing a gig and fireworks. Football is featured; specifically, the final of the German Championship at the Neckarstadion, 29 June 1963 (Borussia Dortmund beat 1. FC Köln to win the Championship 3:1, with 75,000 spectators in attendance). Radio commentary of the game is heard around West Germany, including; John Foster Dulles Village at Giessen [Gießen] Army Depot, Cologne, Berlin, the coast, etc. Prosperity in West Germany is attested to with views of the market and water fountains. Flora and fauna at Wilhelma Zoo and Botanical Garden are shown, as is a show jumping event. Stonemasons work outside what may be the Neues Schloss. Zerweck drinks and socialises, Klaus and his wife discuss current affairs, and Wörn leaves his pool. The film ends with elevated views over Stuttgart.
Alternative Title:NATO TELEVISION SHORTS [Allocated Series Title]
