Melody of the World

Melody of the World (Melodie der Welt) is a 1929 German film directed by Walter Ruttmann. It is also known as World Melody. The film is structured like a symphony and consists of documentary footage from all over the world, contrasted and juxtaposed to show a number of human activities as they take form in different cultures. There are also staged scenes with actors.

The film was produced by Tonbild-Syndikat AG as an assignment from Hapag. It has an original score by Wolfgang Zeller. It was advertised as Germany's first feature-length sound film.

Cast

 * Ivan Koval-Samborskij as sailor
 * Renée Stobrawa as sailor's wife
 * Grace Chiang as Japanese woman
 * O. Idris as Malayan temple dancer
 * Wilhelm Cuno as general director of Hapag

Release
The world premiere took place on 27 July 1929 at the Deutsches Kammermusikfest in Baden-Baden. The film was released in regular German cinemas on 10 May 1930, distributed by Deutsches Lichtspiel-Syndikat AG.