Stadt in Sicht (1923)

The story is set outdoors and takes place aboard a barge navigating a river. Three people live together in close quarters on an inland vessel. Until now, their life has been simple and happy. There is the elderly boat owner, Ullrich. Every evening he follows a set ritual and reads the Bible. His much younger wife, Anna, cooks and knits, looking after the two men aboard. The third member of their little group is Fritz. He is the deckhand, who secretly and unobtrusively adores the wife of the barge owner. One day, Fritz feels the urge for a change: he wants to leave the barge and go to sea as a sailor. But Ullrich cannot bring himself to accept the impending loss and wants to keep Fritz; in Ullrich’s eyes, they have got along so well and managed their ménage à trois without a hitch. Things change dramatically when a certain Fredy enters the lives of the three barge-dwellers. Fredy is a nasty piece of work, utterly unscrupulous and without a conscience. An acrobat and tap dancer by trade, he already has quite a criminal record from the crimes he has committed. Anna is soon in danger of succumbing to Fredy’s charms. He is brazen and energetic, a rough womanizer who takes what he wants. And he is neither as weary with age as Ullrich nor as simple-minded and guileless as the straightforward Fritz. The seemingly worldly Fredy promises an exciting alternative to the barge’s well-worn routines. Fredy hints at a wild, thrilling life; he represents the city coming into view—with all its temptations and dangers. For: “Here the dregs of humanity prowl about; here baseness reigns, triumphs, and destroys through brute force. CITY IN SIGHT means: danger is imminent, sin lies in wait, crime threatens, disaster is brewing…”