Such is Life (1929) - Karl Junghans

A bit of an improvement this film is extremely European. Blending elements of German and Soviet cinemas Karl Junghans has created a remarkable film. The cutting in this film is extremely intricate. Junghans doesn't insert non-diegetic images, but he is frequently juxtaposing images, like a pepper grinder and a record player in one scene. The cutting is almost indistinguishable at times, with shots lasting literally one frame. Frequently during the film I thought my eyes might be playing tricks on me, and I was seeing superimpositions. Its structure however seems to originate more from Murnau. Each segment of the film is broken into a chapter title, and that is it. There is no dialogue in the film, and there is no burdensome exposition. This may take awhile for the story to really come together, but it can be followed. Now it may be a little hard to watch at times, and tragedy is abundant in the story, but its execution is done so well that a little melodrama isn't much of a problem.