Cinema - German films

German cinema: Fantasy

Fata Morgana (1971)

Werner Herzog

A barren desert landscape, a wilderness that looks as if it has been devoid of life for an eternity... Yet, there are signs of civilisation, signs that once life existed here. A wrecked aircraft, the decaying carcasses of dead animals, abandoned structures... It is impossible, unthinkable, but there are also people living in this wild desolation, this broken paradise..... [More...]

Faust (1926)

F.W. Murnau

The Devil persuades an archangel to agree to a bet: if he can corrupt one good man then the whole world will be his; if not, he will return to Hell forever. To snare his victim, the Prince of Darkness sends a plague down on a German town, a disease which kills people in their thousands. Brought to despair through his inability to counter the plague, the aged Dr Faust calls up the Devil in a moment of desperation - and he duly appears, in the guise of Mephisto... [More...]

Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam (1920)

Carl Boese

16th century Prague. Whilst studying the stars through his telescope, the aged Rabbi Loew foresees a troubled time ahead for his people. Sure enough, the Emperor Luhois issues a decree expelling all Jews from their ghetto. To save his people, the Rabbi summons up the demon Astaroth to bring to life a clay statue he has constructed... [More...]

Marianne, meine Jugendliebe (1955)

Julien Duvivier

Vincent Loringer’s arrival at a private school in Bavaria creates an immediate stir. The strangely charismatic adolescent who can draw wild animals towards him casts a spell over the other boys, who are enthralled by the stories he tells of his former life on a farm in Argentina. Vincent strikes up a close friendship with Manfred, whose love for him is surpassed only by that of Lise, the headmaster’s young ward... [More...]

Die Nibelungen: Kriemhilds Rache (1924)

Fritz Lang

After the death of her husband Siegfried, Kriemhild appeals to her brother Gunther to have his killer, Hagen, executed. When Gunther refuses, Kriemhild allows herself to be married to Etzel, the king of the Huns. After Kriemhild provides Etzel with a son and heir, she asks him to invite her brothers to his court... [More...]

Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924)

Fritz Lang

Having completed his apprenticeship to a blacksmith, Siegfried, son of Siegmund, king of the Netherlands, sets out for the court of King Gunther of Burgundy at Worms. On the way, he encounters a fearsome dragon, which he slays with his sword. Bathing in the blood of the dying dragon, Siegfried makes himself invincible – apart from one spot on his back which is covered by a leaf... [More...]

Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922)

F.W. Murnau

Real estate agent Herr Hutter lives with his young wife Ellen in the German town of Wisborg. At the request of his employer, the mysterious Herr Knock, Hutter travels to the Carpathian Mountains to conclude the purchase of a property with a certain Count Orlok. Ignoring the advice of the terrified locals, Hutter enters the Count’s remote castle and settles the business transaction... [More...]

Die Puppe (1919)

Ernst Lubitsch

Lancelot is a sensitive young man who enjoys the carefree life of a bachelor. Imagine then his undiluted horror when he is summoned to his uncle, the wealthy Baron of Chanterelle, and told that he must marry in order to preserve the family line. Forty eligible brides are assembled, all eager to tie the connubial knot with the man who is soon to inherit a fortune, but Lancelot would rather die a hundred deaths than get married once... [More...]

Quartier lointain (2010)

Sam Garbarski

Fifty-something Thomas finds himself in the town where he grew up. Taken ill, he falls asleep and awakes to find himself in the body of his adolescent former self. Propelled back in time nearly forty years, Thomas will not only be able to relive his first amorous experiences but he will also have the opportunity to discover the reason for his father’s mysterious departure... [More...]

Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse (1933)

Fritz Lang

Disgraced cop Hofmeister tries to redeem himself by uncovering a counterfeiting operation. Before he can pass his findings on to Inspector Lohmann, he is cornered by his enemies and driven mad. Lohmann’s investigation leads him to a lunatic asylum which is housing Dr Mabuse, a once notorious criminal mastermind... [More...]

Vampyr (1932)

Carl Theodor Dreyer

A student of the Occult, Allan Gray, is travelling in France when he arrives at the remote village of Courtempierre. Whilst staying at an inn, he is visited by an old man who gives him a parcel, not to be opened until after his death. Some mysterious shadows lead Gray to an isolated castle in which lives the old man he met at the inn, with his two young daughters, Gisèle and Léone... [More...]

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