Summer in the City

Summer in the City is the first full-length feature film by director Wim Wenders, released in 1970 and starring Hanns Zischler. Wenders' first full-length film was produced as his graduation project at the Academy of Film and Television in Munich ("Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film München") which he attended from 1967 to 1970. Shot in 16 mm black and white by subsequent long-time Wenders collaborator Robby Müller, the movie exhibited many of Wenders' later trademark themes of aimless searching, running from invisible demons, and persistent wandering toward an indeterminate goal. In this case the journey is that of protagonist Hans (Zischler) after he is released from prison. Searching through seedy West German streets and bars, he finally winds up visiting an old friend in Berlin. According to Wenders, the title of the film relates to the song from the band The Lovin' Spoonful, which was also included in the film, although a painting by Edward Hopper might have influenced Wenders as well. Wenders was a fan of both The Lovin' Spoonful and Hopper, references to whom he has included in several of his films.