German

  • Michael Hofmann – Eden (2006)

    Drama2001-2010GermanyMichael HofmannRomance

    Quote:
    A chef discovers that the old saw “the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” works for women as well in this romantic comedy from Germany. Gregor (Josef Ostendorf) is a gourmet chef who runs a small but highly regarded restaurant in Berlin. Gregor believes that food can awaken the erotic impulses and he revels in the sensual pleasures of his cooking; however, he hasn’t had much luck in finding someone to share the joy of cooking with him. One night, Gregor meets Eden (Charlotte Roche), a woman who works as a waitress at a nearby resort hotel, and he’s immediately smitten. However, Gregor soon discovers that Eden is married to Xaver (Devid Striesow), an older man who teaches dancercise to the elderly, and they have a young daughter with Down’s syndrome.Read More »

  • Edgar Reitz – Der Schneider von Ulm AKA The Tailor From Ulm (1978)

    1971-1980AdventureDramaEdgar ReitzGermany

    “The Tailor from Ulm was the last of Edgar Reitz’ pre-Heimat features and a far cry from Lust for Love in terms of style and setting. It was a biopic of Albrecht Ludwig Berbinger, who had created a flying contraption in the early nineteenth century akin to a hang glider. Handsomely mounted, The Tailor from Ulm recreates both the age and those contraptions exceedingly well; the budget is all up there on the screen. And the film itself is an engaging one, though far more conventional than the works which had preceded it. Nonetheless, audiences weren’t particularly interested and it came close to bankrupting both its director and his production company. As a result he took some time away from filmmaking to research his homeland – his Heimat – eventually returning with his masterpiece six years later. Perhaps Berbinger was the wrong subject for Reitz. In retrospect you’d imagine that his compatriot Werner Herzog would have done much more with this driven figure from their country’s past. “Read More »

  • Edgar Reitz – Stunde Null AKA Zero Hour (1977)

    1971-1980DramaEdgar ReitzGermany

    Zero Hour (German: Stunde Null) is a 1977 West German drama film directed by Edgar Reitz, starring Kai Taschner and Anette Jünger. The narrative is set in the summer of 1945 in a small village outside Leipzig, where the Americans have just pulled back and been replaced by Soviet troops. The film follows the inhabitants as they adjust to the new situation, in particular Joschi, a teenage Hitler Youth member who is fascinated by the Americans.Read More »

  • Michael Pfleghar – Die Tote von Beverly Hills AKA Dead Woman from Beverly Hills (1964)

    1961-1970ArthouseGermanyMichael PflegharMystery

    Synopsis:
    ‘[An accidental detective] begins to investigate the death of an attractive woman whose naked body was found in Beverly Hills. When he recovers her journal, he is taken into her past where he finds that she lead a sexually promiscuous life. Perhaps in the pages of the diary will be a clue to her killer’s identity.’
    – Kristie Hassen [Edited for inaccuracies]Read More »

  • Angela Schanelec – Ich war zuhause, aber AKA I Was at Home, But (2019) (HD)

    2011-2020Angela SchanelecArthouseDramaGermany

    Synopsis
    After a 13-year-old student disappears without a trace for a week and suddenly reappears, his mother and teachers are confronted with existential questions that change their whole view of life.Read More »

  • Kurt Maetzig – Der Rat der Götter AKA Council of the Gods (1950)

    1941-1950DramaGermanyKurt MaetzigPolitics

    1933, the bosses of a large German chemical concern pave the way for Hitler’s rise to power: Thus begins the story line of the feature film Der Rat der Götter (The Council of the Gods), which deals with the history of I.G. Farben. The film adheres throughout to the Communist theory of fascism. Hitler is largely unidimensional: a creature of capital. Thus the story continues: While the directors assist Germany’s military buildup, they continue to cultivate their business dealings with the U.S. company Standard Oil in order to have joint control of the world market.Read More »

  • Kurt Maetzig – Der Rat der Götter AKA Council of the Gods (1950)

    1941-1950DramaGermanyKurt MaetzigPolitics

    1933, the bosses of a large German chemical concern pave the way for Hitler’s rise to power: Thus begins the story line of the feature film Der Rat der Götter (The Council of the Gods), which deals with the history of I.G. Farben. The film adheres throughout to the Communist theory of fascism. Hitler is largely unidimensional: a creature of capital. Thus the story continues: While the directors assist Germany’s military buildup, they continue to cultivate their business dealings with the U.S. company Standard Oil in order to have joint control of the world market. Some directors now carve out careers with the Nazis, while the engineer Dr. Scholz, who comes from a working-class family, has nothing but scientific progress in mind. Read More »

  • Luis Trenker – Der Berg ruft! AKA The Mountain Calls (1938)

    1931-1940AdventureDramaGermanyLuis TrenkerThird Reich Cinema

    Synopsis:
    The Italian mountaineer Carel wants to be the first man to stand on the top of the Matterhorn. Since the climb is very difficult, he agrees to try it together with the British mountaineer Whymper. But due to an intrigue this agreement is dropped and the two men try it on the same day with two different teams and then disaster strikes.Read More »

  • Christina Ebelt – Die Sterne über uns (2019)

    2011-2020Christina EbelDramaGermany

    A homeless mother and son struggle to keep up appearances…

    Single mum Mellanie has a job, albeit a probationary one. She works as an air stewardess on short haul flights. She is confident, attractive and crisply turned out. But she and her son Ben are temporarily homeless, forced to sleep in a tent concealed in a patch of woodland scrub on the fringes of the city. It’s a precarious situation at the best of times, but one piece of bad luck can have far-reaching consequences when you are clinging to the appearance of a ‘normal’ life.Read More »

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