Opus III

Ruttmann has the talent to show live in unexpected places.

A City will come to live in >>Symphony der Großstadt<< well als objects and forms like in the Opus series. Opus III especially fascinated me with its forms pulsing and beating like a heart. Opus II and IV are similar but lack the force of II.

The great music of the live band at Cinema film festival in 2025 made this an even greater watch and a once in a lifetime experience. If I reflect it now... the music was maybe crucial to my incredible experience of this short experimental film. But this shows that Ruttmanns Opus films are open to additional interpretations and benefit from other great artists.

Opus 3 is significantly busier than Opus 2, which I liked. Essentially, there's nothing entirely new here, but there's more of everything-new shapes, more motion, more objects-and the music's pace is faster. It's still a solid animated art piece, but Opus 2 felt more balanced and allowed the viewer some room to breathe. This one is like a rollercoaster with its busy tempo-you just have to sit down and hold on to your hat. Still, at the end of the day, it's not that far removed from Opus 2.