German Language, Literature & Culture

Directed by Werner Herzog. A band of Spanish conquistadors, led by Pizarro, go up the Amazon in search of gold. As the soldiers battle starvation, Indians, the forces of nature and each other, Don Lope de Aguirre (the self-styled "Wrath of God") is consumed by visions of conquering all of South America and leads a revolt. Will their expedition be doomed? In German or English, with optional English subtitles. Winner of several film awards.

Lonely widow Emmi Kurowski meets Arab worker Ali in a bar during a rainstorm. They fall in love--to their own surprise, and to the shock of family, colleagues, and drinking buddies. Director Rainer Werner Fassbinder expertly uses the emotional power of the melodrama to underscore the racial tensions threatening German culture. Originally released in 1974. In German with English subtitles.

Originally produced as a motion picture in 1981. The epic story of the patrol of the U-96, one of the famed German U-boats that sought to harass and destroy British ships during World War II. Portrays the crew as they struggle to maintain their professionalism as soldiers while trying to understand and obey the ideology of the German government which they served. Nominated for several Academy Awards.

Young German boys suffer senseless deaths during the final days of World War II. Betrayed and urged on by unenlightened leaders, they come to believe that a small and meaningless bridge is worth any risk to their lives. In German or English, with optional English subtitles.

Originally produced in German as motion pictures in 1919. A somnambulist commits murders under a hypnotist's influence. A classic silent film with English subtitles and musical accompaniment.

Germany, 1936. Salomon is the king of counterfeiters. Suddenly, he is arrested and thrown into the Mauthausen concentration camp. There, Salomon exhibits exceptional skills and is transferred to the upgraded camp of Sachsenhausen. He and a group of professionals are forced to produce fake foreign currency. As he attempts to weaken the economy of Germany's opponents, while others refuse to use their skills for Nazi profit, Salomon must decide whether his actions are ultimately the right ones. 2008 Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film. In German with English subtitles.

Documentary. Filmmaker Arnon Goldfinger travels to Tel Aviv to clean out the apartment of his recently-deceased German-born Jewish grandmother. Goldfinger begins an unsettling journey into his family's history and discovers that knowing the truth can be a terrible burden. Recipient of several film awards. In English, Hebrew, and German with English subtitles.

Set in Germany and France in the immediate aftermath of the First World War (1914-1918), the film recalls the mourning period that follows great national tragedies as seen through the eyes of the war's 'lost generation': Anna, a bereft young German woman whose fiancé, Frantz, was killed during trench warfare, and Adrien, a French veteran of the war who shows up mysteriously in her town, placing flowers on Frantz's grave. Award winning film from director François Ozon. In German and French with English subtitles.

Originally produced as motion picture in Germany in 1920. The story is set in medieval Prague. The Rabbi gives life to the Golem who falls in love with the Rabbi's daughter and brings fear to the emperor's court. He is destroyed by an innocent child. Based on the legend of the Golem, a popular figure in Jewish tradition. Silent with musical score and English subtitles.

Alex's proud, socialist mother falls into a coma for eight months. When she wakes, her heart is weak, so Alex has to keep the secret that the Berlin Wall has fallen and capitalism has triumphed. What begins as a little white lie turns into a major scam. Directed by Wolfgang Becker. Winner of numerous film awards. In German with English subtitles.

A dark and vibrant story of a Turkish man and woman living in Germany, torn between two cultures, tradition and modernity, survival and death. Winner of numerous film awards. In Turkish and German with English subtitles.

East Berlin, 1984. Capt. Gerd Wiesler, Stasi officer and surveillance specialist has a simple assignment: keep an eye on Georg Dreyman, a respected playwright, and his actress girlfriend, Christa-Maria Sieland. Wiesler discovers that Minister Hempf has an ulterior motive in spying on this seemingly upright citizen. In German with English subtitles. 2007 Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film.

Originally produced as a motion picture in 1927. In July 2008 a complete 16mm copy of the film was discovered with an additional 25 minutes of lost footage that had not been seen since the film's premiere in 1927. The story takes place in In 2026, when the rich rule over the poor, who live underground. One man tries to bridge the gap between the two classes. Silent film with English subtitles and music score.

Originally released as a motion picture in 1989. Based on the true story of Anja Rosmus. Sonja, "The Nasty Girl," undertakes a school project about her town entitled "My home town during the Third Reich." She begins to search for facts, but the town folk who have personal experience of that time are unwilling to provide her with information. Directed by Michael Verhoeven. In German with English subtitles

Originally produced as motion picture in Germany in 1922, the film, directed by F.W. Murnau, is based unofficially on Bram Stoker's Dracula. A classic silent film with musical score and English subtitles.
Also DVD: JPL 2nd Floor, DVD PN1995.75 .N67 2002

Originally released as a motion picture in 1998. In this award-winning thriller, time is running out. Lola has just received a frantic call from her boyfriend Manni, who's accidentally lost a small fortune he was to deliver to his mobster boss. If they cannot find a way to replace the money within 20 minutes, Manni will suffer severe consequences. In German with English subtitles.

During a visit to the cinema in West Berlin, high school students Theo and Kurt see dramatic newsreel footage of the Hungarian uprising in Budapest. Back at school in Stalinstadt, they spontaneously decide to hold a moment of silence in solidarity with the victims of the uprising. The gesture causes bigger ripples than expected.

In this award-winning film, strange events, accidents, and deaths are occurring in a German village prior to the outbreak of World War I. The village people are worried and can't figure out what to do. After the school teacher starts to unravel the mystery, he discovers that the children of the town have formed a secret society and may be guilty of the crimes. In German with English subtitles.

A good print source for information similar to that found in the IMDB, plus it includes analysis and reviews. Eight volumes cover the early 1900s to 1980.

For foreign films released from 1980 to the present

3 vols.
Information on silent films.

E-book in 4 vols.
Features thorough coverage of legendary films, actors, actresses, directors, writers, and other production artists through detailed essays and commentary by experts. Entries include biographies, filmographies, comprehensive credits, production information, major awards, and bibliographies.

E-book in 4 vols.