On the recommendation of a friend, I started watching Babylon Berlin, a popular Neo-noir German detective drama currently playing on Netflix. Set in Weimar Germany between the World Wars (1918-1939), the show tells the story of Inspector Gereon Rath (Volker Bruch), a WWI veteran suffering from PTSD, and his ambitious associate Charlotte Ritter (Liv Lisa Fries), a part-time prostitute who dreams of becoming Berlin’s first female homicide detective. Transferred from his home town of Cologne to the Capital, Gereon soon uncovers a shadowy world of espionage and vice while dealing with his own personal demons (i.e. his ongoing affair with Helga, the wife of his late brother who he left to die on the battle field).
Based on the historical fiction novels by Volker Kutscher, Babylon Berlin portrays a decadent and corrupt society plagued with many cultural and political crises following Germany’s defeat in the Great War and the disastrous Treaty of Versailles (1919). Several interesting historical details were incorporated into the fictional storyline, such as the Blutmai riots of May 1-3 between the communists and the police, infighting between rival Stalinists and Trotskyists factions, the secret cooperation between the German Schwarze Reichswehr and the Soviet Red Army, and the financial collapse that led to the Great Depression.
Throughout the series Gereon and Charlotte face off against gangsters, communists, National Socialists, corrupt policemen, occultists (Fraterna Saturni), capitalists, monarchists, Conservative Revolutionaries, and even a mysterious tattooed priest called "Saint Joseph." Some historical figures, such as German President Paul von Hindenburg (1847-1934) and Chancellor Gustav Ernst Stresemann (1878-1929) make brief appearances, while others, like the Conservative Revolutionary warrior-writer Ernst Jünger (1895-1998), the German Jewish Marxist philosopher Walter Benjamin (1892-1940), and the inescapable Adolph Hitler (1889-1945), are only mentioned in passing.
I’d be lying if I said I was surprised, but the show is disproportionately sympathetic to the communist menace and the Fourth Estate. While every other group, including the main protagonists Gereon and Charlotte, are depicted as deeply flawed or corrupt, with few exceptions the members of these two privileged groups (e.g. Samuel Katelbach, Dr. Völcker, Hans Litten and Malu Seegers) are portrayed as heroic and principled champions of the downtrodden. Even the bad Reds, such as Fritz Hockert and Otto Wollenberg, turn out to be Brownshirts in disguise, or in the case with the pimp Ali Köhler (based on Albrecht Höhler), they are just useful idiots used to carry out the nefarious machinations of others, like assassinating the young SA stormtrooper Horst Kessler, who is loosely based on the Nazi martyr Horst Wessel.
Not for the squeamish, Babylon Berlin graphically broaches many unsavory issues, such as back-alley abortions, extreme poverty, pornography, prostitution, drugs, violence and other perversions. The fact that it was dubbed in English wasn’t an issue, though at times I felt some of the voices didn’t quite fit the characters. The scenery, old cars, and period costumes, especially the military uniforms and the flappers’ clothing, were impressive. I really enjoyed the soundtrack, particularly the German swing jazz performed by the crossdressing White Russian Countess Svetlana Sorokina and others at the Moka Efti cabaret (and brothel) in Season One. Despite the show's ubiquitous unpleasantries, I’m deeply invested and look forward to Season Four, which is slated to be released in 2021.
