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'
The Nasty Girl (1990)
7.4/10
Director: Michael Verhoeven
Starring: Lena Stolze, Monica Baumgartner, Michael Gahr
Lena Stolze stars as Sonja, a young Bavarian woman whose submission to an essay contest explores her hometown's affiliation with the Third Reich. As s... Read more
Silent Light (2007)
7.3/10
Director: Carlos Reygadas
Starring: Cornelio Wall Fehr, Maria Pankratz, Miriam Toews, Peter Wall, Jacobo Klassen, El...
A transcendent meditation on love and religion, filmed in Northern Mexico by native auteur Carlos Reygadas ('Battle in Heaven'). The story revolves ar... Read more
Benny's Video (1992)
7.2/10
Director: Michael Haneke
Starring: Angela Winkler, Ulrich Muhe, Arno Frisch, Ingrid Stassner
Benny is a disaffected teen whose life has begun to revolve around the violent films he watches, but his obsession soon crosses the line between voyeu... Read more
Summerstorm (2004)
Director: Marco Kreuzpaintner
Starring: Robert Stadlober, Kostja Ullmann
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
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
The Lives of Others (2006)
8.4/10
Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
Starring: Martina Gedeck, Ulrich Muhe, Sebastian Koch, Ulrich Tukur, Thomas Thieme, Hans-U...
This skilfully-crafted thriller, deserving winner of the Oscar and the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Film, is an intelligent and potent blend of polit... Read more