The devastation of World War One left Germany's budding film industry, like much of Europe, in tatters. But necessity being the mother of invention, German Expressionism was born. Relying heavily on symbolism and shadow rather than elaborate and costly sets, films like 'The Cabinet of Dr Caligari' are still studied by film students the world over. By the mid-1920s, the industry was getting back on its feet and great directors like Fritz Lang and FW Murnau were making their early masterpieces. However the onset of Nazism and the impending war led many of Germany's artists, including filmmakers, to flee to the U.S. Fritz Lang, Billy Wilder, Douglas Sirk, Karl Freund and many more all continued their careers in America while the German film industry virtually disappeared. It was not unitl the '60s and '70s that new talents emerged. Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Werner Herzog, Viktor Schlondorff and Wim Wenders revitalised German cinema and today international hits such as 'Run Lola Run' and 'Goodbye Lenin!' assure us it is here to stay. Right: 'Run Lola Run'
This excellent German docu-drama series explores in detail the relationship between Hitler and his chief architect, Albert Speer. Combining re-enactme... Read more
Bruno S (Discovered by Herzog while working as a Toilet Attendant) gives a remarkable performance as a simple minded jailbird who abandons Berlin with... Read more
Tobi and Achim have been best friends for years. As cox and oarsman, they have helped their team win several rowing cups and are now looking forward t... Read more
Tobi and Achim, the pride of the local crew club, have been the best of friends for years and are convinced that nothing will ever stand in the way of... Read more
Famous German filmmaker FW Murnau's interpretation of Moliere's satirical play about a devious housekeeper who convinces her master to cut his son out... Read more
Set in post-WW2 Berlin, the two-part drama, The Airlift, encapsulates a sweeping love story between a German woman and an American soldier. After her... Read more
Using Patricia Highsmith's novel, 'Ripley's Game', Wenders has made a spellbinding existential thriller which moves from the docks of Hamburg to the s... Read more
Meticulous fact-based drama of the Red Army Faction. Germany in the 1970s: Murderous bomb attacks, the threat of terrorism and the fear of the enemy i... Read more
Meticulous fact-based drama of the Red Army Faction. Germany in the 1970s: Murderous bomb attacks, the threat of terrorism and the fear of the enemy i... Read more
A lurid and stylized account of the mangled web of domination, sado-masochism and jealousy among three lesbians. One of Fassbinder's most controversia... Read more