The historical RTL+ highlight series “Das Haus der Träume” transports viewers to the dazzling Berlin of the 1920s. And in order to bring this to life in a believable way, a lot was done behind the scenes.
The House of Dreams” is the lyrical title of a new history series based on Sybil Volks’ novel “Torstraße 1”, which will appear on the streaming service RTL+ in just a few days. It describes the famous Jonass department stores’, one of the first of its kind to be opened by a Jewish family in Berlin in 1929 – a time that was marked not only by a spirit of cultural optimism but also by dramatic political developments a few years before the Nazis seized power.
Against this historical backdrop, the series introduces us to the young Vicky Maler (Naemi Florez), who has left the provinces for the big city with big dreams in her luggage. Here she quickly gets a job as a saleswoman in the aforementioned department stores’ and thus comes into contact with the world of the rich and beautiful – especially through the supposedly penniless pianist Harry (Ludwig Simon). He soon turns out to be the son of the department stores’ owner – and yet a love develops between the two of them that transcends class boundaries and is also put to the test in the face of burgeoning currents in the country…
HISTORICAL PLACE
The team from X Filme Creative Pool has already impressively revived the 1920s in the hit series “Babylon Berlin”. In “Das Haus der Träume” (The House of Dreams), the renowned production company once again takes a journey into the turbulent decade, even if the colourful goings-on of the time focus primarily on one Berlin location this time: Here, the Jonass department stores’, as a lively and colossal main setting, almost becomes a character in its own right in the plot, bringing together the most diverse personalities.
In order to do justice to the historical building, the creative team around the directing duo Sherry Hormann (“3096 Days”) and Umut Dağ (“The Power of Offending”) have put in a lot of effort. This began with the search for a suitable real-life setting. Although the former department stores’ is still standing today, the interior in particular is now far removed from its former appearance. After the expropriation of the Jewish owners by the Nazis, the building first served as the headquarters of the Hitler Youth and then housed the SED Central Committee in the GDR era.
REBIRTH OF A LEGENDARY DEPARTMENT STORE
For this reason, the opulent Görlitz department stores’, which also served as a backdrop for Wes Anderson’s “Grand Budapest Hotel”, was used for the filming of “The House of Dreams”. Built in 1913 in Art Nouveau style, the once Jewish building is the only department stores’ of its era that still exists today in its original structural form. Nevertheless, another eight weeks were spent on constructing an interior true to the original. In addition, there was a complete replica of the magnificent roof terrace on which the scenes were filmed in front of green screen so that the Berlin of 1929 could be digitally inserted in post-production.
During this construction period of several weeks, up to 80 people were busy transforming the Görlitz department stores’ into the Jonass department stores’ – and not only for the interior shots. When filming from the outside, however, computer effects were used to bring the façade and surroundings into line with the real thing.
The result can soon be admired: “Das Haus der Träume” starts on 18 September 2022 on RTL+. The first six episodes will then be available for viewing. The remaining six episodes will follow at a later date. A free TV broadcast on RTL is also planned for the end of the year.
