German Cinema
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'
Transit (2018)
7/10
Director: Christian Petzold
Starring: Franz Rogowski, Paula Beer
In an attempt to flee Nazi-occupied France, Georg assumes the identity of a dead author but soon finds himself stuck in Marseilles, where he falls in... Read more
Two Lives (2012)
7.1/10
Director: George Maas
Starring: Liv Ullmann, Juliane Kohler, Ken Duken, Rainer Bock, Julia Bache-Wiig, Klara Man...
Two Lives is a film whose setting, characters, themes, and texture all speak to a healing and grieving process that is still going on in Germany to th... Read more
Vampyr (1932)
7.6/10
Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer
Starring: Julian West, Maurice Schutz, Rena Mandel
With 'Vampyr', Danish filmmaker Carl Theodor Dreyer's brilliance at achieving mesmerizing atmosphere and austere, profoundly unsettling imagery ('The... Read more
Victor and the Secret of Crocodile Mansion (2012)
6.4/10
Director: Cyrill Boss, Philipp Stennert
Starring: Kristo Ferkic, Joanna Ferkic, Vijessna Ferkic, Gudrun Ritter, Waldemar Kobus, Uw...
A.k.a. "Das Haus der Krokodile". When the parents of little Victor leave for a business trip, he goes for an exploratory walk through the big, old man... Read more
Victoria (2015)
7.7/10
Director: Sebastian Schipper
Starring: Frederick Lau, Laia Costa, Franz Rogowski, Burak Yigit, Max Mauff
An after-midnight flirtation on the streets of Berlin gets thrillingly side-tracked by another chase entirely. Filmed in a single real-time take, its... Read more
Vincent Wants to Sea (2010)
7.1/10
Director: Ralf Huettner
Starring: Heino Ferch, Florian David Fitz, Karoline Herfurth, Katharina Muller-Elmau, Joha...
An Italian boy with Tourette's syndrome flees the clinic where he was sent by his father in order to fulfill his mother's dying wish in this tender co... Read more
Vitus (2006)
7.7/10
Director: Fredi M Murer
Starring: Teo Gheorghiu, Bruno Ganz, Fabrizio Borsani, Julika Jenkins, Urs Jucker
A compelling domestic drama showing the family dynamics and ambititions surrounding child prodigy Vitus. A piano master by age six, Vitus' future seem... Read more
Werner Herzog Collection ( Signs of Life / Even Dwarfs Started Small / The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser / Heart of Glass / Stroszek / Where the Green Ants Dream ) (1982)
Director: Werner Herzog
A collection of six early masterpieces from the director of "Aguirre, Wrath of God" and "Fitzcarraldo". Made during Werner Herzog's formative years be... Read more
Wetlands (2013)
5.8/10
Director: David Wnendt
Starring: Carla Juri
Get yourself ready for Helen. She likes to experiment with vegetables while masturbating and thinks that body hygiene is greatly overrated. She sho... Read more
Wim Wenders' Documentaries: Tokyo-Ga / Notebook on Cities and Clothes / Room 666 (1982)
Director: Wim Wenders
This collection of three documentaries from the iconic German filmmaker includes: 'Tokyo-Ga' (1985) - Using the work of acclaimed Japanese director Ya... Read more