PRATER

Vienna’s Prater is an amusement park and a desire machine. No mechanical invention, novel idea, or sensational innovation could escape incorporation into the Prater. The unique history of its attractions—and their contribution to the rise and fall of the world’s oldest amusement park—is explored.

Awestruck by uncanny animatronics and dizzying rides, this kaleidoscopic documentary by Ulrike Ottinger is a loving tribute to a storied fairground. Recently restored in close collaboration with the filmmaker, it swirls with characteristic affection for outsider communities and kitsch spectacle.