German films

I love M and Metropolis, the visuals are stunning for their time and memorable now.

And I do like the Wim Wenders stuff I’ve seen
Wings of Desire - amazing to me that Columbo could be in such a film that really moved me, I’d only seen the crap meg Ryan remake. So I was surprised how great it was.
The American Friend - a bit ‘breaking bad’ish and again Bruno Ganz is fantastic in it.

And of course Paris Texas. I live in the area of West Texas the first part was filmed in - the Marathon Motel they stay in, the American Legion Hall in Terlingua, both are still there today. And I lived in Houston for 20 years where the last parts were filmed. The scene where they watch the home movies - that editing, the acting through their expressions, the song sung by Stanton - never fails to tear me up. That said, as a dad, I hate hate HATE the ending. Doesn’t stop me from rewatching it though.

 

Would all of Werner Herzog's films be considered German films? Or is he the German director of some German films and some not-German films? Just curious. I really like Fitzcarraldo and Aguirre: The Wrath of God and Rescue Dawn. None of them are set in Germany. Would the first two be considered German? Is Rescue Dawn considered a Hollywood film directed by a German? Anyways, I like them.

I also enjoy Der Golem, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Metropolis, M and Nosferatu.

 

I'll second this. Also, check Princess and the Warrior(Empress)

 

Any and all German-directed Film Noir (1940-1959).

Jeff

 

@wolfram

It's good to see someone from Germany commenting on this tread.
What are some other German films you like?

 

Not necessarily a 'movie' but a German masterpiece nonetheless....all of Fassbinder's movies are well worth a critical watch by film lovers.

Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) - Rainer Werner Fassbinder

 

Most have already been mentioned, but I'd like to add "Gegen die Wand" (Head-On) by Fatih Akin, a very intense film about Turks living in Germany and being torn between two cultures.



It was also Sibel Kekilli's debut, who has become quite big as an actress around here. She even had a role in "Game of Thrones".

 

The Edukators (2004) looks good. It is relevant in these times. Especially with the 'Yellow Vest Movement' in France.

 

Pandora’s Box
Diary of a Lost Girl
Faust

 

13 minutes (2015) (also known as Elser) Dir. Oliver Hirschbiegel

A great line in the film: "If humanity isn't free, everything dies with it"

 

I just got around to watching this one, I highly recommend it. The movie has a Clockwork Orange feel to it.

 

To me, the first two are definitely german movies - a german director, a german star, german companies producing/funding the stuff.

 

There are a lot of really great movies mentioned in this thread. I have seen quite a few from the old Lang films to some of Herzog's great movies, but The Lives of Others is one of the great movies made in the last 20 years (period). I kind of feel that everyone should see this movie because it's chilling and its true. Feel the same way about The Big Short, every American should see that movie.

 

The Wave (Die Welle) (2008) Dir. Dennis Gansel
This is a good film. I don't think anyone has mentioned it.

 

Great movie!

It's been a great week for me and my interest in german cinema: I bought three movies - Wings of Desire (4K restored), Until the End of the World and Run Lola Run. Watched Lola the other night, great stuff! Darkly hilarious and very well-executed. The other two films will be watched over the weekend - I need the time to completely sink into them.

 

The German films I have watched. All of them are very good.

1. Das Boot (1981) Dir. Wolfgang Peterson
2. Metropolis (1927) Dir. Fritz Lang
3. Downfall (2004) Dir. Oliver Hirschbiegel
4. 13 Minutes (2017) Dir. Oliver Hirschbiegel
5. M (1931) Dir. Fritz Lang
6. The Testament Of Dr. Mabuse (1933) Dir. Fritz Lang
7. Stroszek (1977) Dir. Werner Herzog
8. The Lives Of Others (2006) Dir. Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
9. The Wave (Die Welle) (2008) Dir. Dennis Gansel
10. Victoria (2015) Dir. Sebastian Schipper

 

I remember seeing "Run Lola Run" at a movie theatre when it was new. I was pretty blown away, since it was quite unique for a German movie back then.

 

Once you've seen the original M you should then see the remake Joseph Losey did in '51, shot in Bunker Hill-era (and area) Los Angeles and the Bradbury Building. The opening credit sequence always creeps me out to no end, every time I watch it.

 

Ballon (Balloon)
Never look away

 

Das Boot - good one, recently watched it again on TCM (Turner Classic Movies), still very suspenseful
Der Himmel über Berlin (Wings of Desire) - also saw it recently on TCM, good movie
Der Untergang (Downfall) - good movie
Der Hauptmann (The Captain) - interesting second World War story
Aus Dem Nichts (In the Fade)- nice drama with Diane Kruger

 

Toni Erdman (2016)
A German/Austrian film set in Bucharest about a man trying to win back the affection of his estranged adult daughter. Really strange at times but funny and ultimately very moving I thought.

Others have mentioned Victoria (2015), what an amazing technical feat to shoot a whole film in one take with no trickery but also to make it a great, exciting movie. Loved it.

 

Leni Riefenstahl's "Olympia" is my choice. The legitimate controversy regarding it as a cinematic piece of Nazi propaganda is a worthy argument I acknowledge but am not really equipped to address. Leaving that admittedly problematic element aside, the sole reason I love the film is that it's jam-packed with some of the most innovative and dazzling camerawork and editing I've ever seen, "documentary" or otherwise. I can't defend its reason for being in the first place but as an example of filmmaking craftsmanship, it has few peers.
As an example, here is the justly celebrated diving sequence which closes the film. I continue to find this astonishing, but YMMV.

Aaron

 

I was smitten by actress Paula Beer in Christian Petzold's Transit, then I followed up on two of her previous films.
both I 'd unreservedly recommend

Frantz 2016 german/french -- post ww1 drama
The Dark Valley 2014 - A high alps drifter.

And the other day I finally got around to viewing this superlative film.
North Face (Nordwand) 2010 about a nazi propagandist attempt to climb the Eiger, the mile high wall in the Alps, 1936.

 

Paula Beer was just given the award for best actress at the Berlinale (Berlin Film Festival) for her role in Petzold's latest film "Undine" (a variation on the story of the Little Mermaid). I haven't seen it yet, though.



She's getting quite popular now because she's the lead in the successful TV series "Bad Banks".

 

Maybe because it's not relevant. It's a movie made during the nazi era, but not a nazi propaganda film. Does that mean it's wrong to enjoy it? It's mostly harmless fun - except for the character "Brett" who apparently was written into the script as a propagandistic device. This should be pointed out and not ignored.