"A Mt Everest of modern cinema... it is not at all an arcane or obscure experience... it surpasses just about everything that has been done in the cinema this past two decades... Lamprecht’s Franz Biberkopf will be the measure by which all future screen acting will be judged, and Sukowa, Hanna Schygulla as Eva, and Gottfried John as Franz’s nemesis Reinhold are not to be left behind. All in all, the ensemble of Berlin Alexanderplatz is as seamless an expression of life-giving art as has ever graced the screen."
(Andrew Sarris, Village Voice)
"Some marvellous performances... Some new faces deserve a wider audience if someone can devise a way of showing it."
(John Gillett, Sunday Telegraph)
"Despite its length, the film's sense of composition is rich and the director commands our attention throughout."