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'
Klitschko (2011)
7.8/10
Director: Sebastian Dehnhardt
Documentary filmmaker Sebastian Dehnhardt offers an intimate look into the lives of Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko, two sibling boxers from the Ukraine... Read more
Kokowääh (2011)
6.3/10
Director: Til Schweiger
Starring: Numan Acar, Meret Becker, Til Schweiger
Henry is a handsome screenwriter who is trying to win the heart of the woman he truly loves. His plans are interrupted when he finds Magdalena, a litt... Read more
Krabat (2008)
6.1/10
Director: Marco Kreuzpaintner
Starring: Robert Stadlober, Christian Redl, David Kross, Daniel Bruhl
Sorcerer's apprentice Krabat (David Kross) rises up against his master after discovering an alarming secret in this finely crafted fable set in the 17... Read more
Labyrinth of Lies (2014)
7.3/10
Director: Giulio Ricciarelli
Starring: Johannes Krisch, Alexander Fehling, Andre Szymanski, Friederike Becht, Johann vo...
Germany, 1958: when young attorney Johann Radmann comes across sensitive documents that would bring members of the SS who served in Auschwitz to trial... Read more
Land of Mine (2015)
7.8/10
Director: Martin Zandvliet
Starring: Joel Basman, Roland Moller, Louis Hofmann
After the Nazi surrender in May 1945, a unit of young Germans most barely out of their teens are put to work by their Allied captors. With minimal... Read more
Leben fur Leben ( Life for Life ) (1991)
Director: Krzysztof Zanussi
In 1941, a young Silesian, Jan, manages to escape from Auschwitz. In retaliation, the camp commandant condemns 10 prisoners to the 'starvation bunker... Read more
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Lili Marleen (1981)
7.2/10
Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Starring: Hanna Schygulla, Giancarlo Giannini, Mel Ferrer
An extravagant story of love, war and propaganda in the shadows of Nazi Germany, Fassbinder's "Lili Marleen" is, ironically, one of his few English la... Read more
Longing for New Zealand (2009)
4.9/10
Director: Michael Keusch
Starring: Vicky Haughton, Dietrich Mattausch
Upon making a mysterious inheritance in New Zealand, New York publisher Paige Duvall travels to the Antipodes to learn what this is all about. There s... Read more
Lore (2012)
7.1/10
Director: Cate Shortland
Starring: Ursina Lardi, Nele Trebs, Saskia Rosendahl, Kai Malina, Hans-Jochen Wagner, Mika...
Stranded with her younger siblings after their Nazi parents are imprisoned, Lore (Saskia Rosendahl) leads the remains of her family across war-torn Ge... Read more
Love in Thoughts (2004)
7.1/10
Director: Achim von Borries
Starring: Thure Lindhardt, Daniel Bruhl, August Diehl
Inspired by a true story, this atmospheric German drama examines the unlikely friendship between working-class poet Paul and wealthy daredevil Guenthe... Read more