Category Archives: German
The Blue Angel (1930)
“The films that von Sternberg made with me speak for themselves. There is nothing, and there will be nothing in the future, that could surpass them. Filmmakers are forever condemned to imitate them.” (Marlene Dietrich) Based on the novel by … Continue reading
Filed under German
The State I Am In (2000)
“You can’t love someone and live in hiding.” The State I Am In (Der Innere Sicherheit), a 2000 film from German director Christian Petzold is another title to add to the coterie of tales surrounding the Red Army Faction. Unfortunately, The Baader Meinhof Komplex (2008) … Continue reading
Filed under German
A Woman in Berlin (2008)
“Berlin is one big whorehouse.” A Woman in Berlin (Anonyma-Eine Frau in Berlin) is based on the anonymous diaries of a young German woman. The nameless woman (who’s given the name Anonyma and is played by the incredible German actress Nina Hoss) … Continue reading
Filed under German
Jerichow (2008)
“You can’t love if you don’t have money.” There are some situations you would never chose to become involved with, but desperation leads you there. The German film Jerichow begins with Thomas (Benno Furmann) attending his mother’s funeral. He has a past, an … Continue reading
Filed under German
I Was Nineteen (1968)
“Perhaps you underestimate the Nazi movement’s irresistibility. It was a continuation of German history. You quoted Kant, but you misunderstood him. The categorical imperative to obey any order an authority gives us was a trait of this people before Hitler. … Continue reading
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Cherry Blossoms (2008)
“Maybe there was another woman inside her that no one saw.” Grief and the impermanence of life is the theme in the thoughtful film Cherry Blossoms (aka Kirschbluten-Hanami) from German director, Doris Dorrie. The story begins with middle-aged Trudi Angermeier … Continue reading
A Virus Has No Morals (1986)
“Mother, what are you doing here? You were always a bit eccentric, but I didn’t realise that you were so perverse.” A son meets his mother in a public toilet. Nurses on the graveyard shift throw the dice to see … Continue reading
Filed under German, Rosa von Praunheim
The Kaiser’s Lackey (1951)
“If your political dilettantism continues, there will be an explosion.” Director Wolfgang Staudte’s marvelously understated satire, The Kaiser’s Lackey, a 1951 film, was recently released on DVD. Set mainly in the 1890s, the film is based on Heinrich Mann’s novel … Continue reading
Filed under German, Political/social films
Eight Miles High (2007)
“This is fucked up. I only meant a metaphorical bomb.” The interesting but ultimately unsatisfying and superficial biopic Eight Miles High (Das Wilden Life) from director Achim Bornhak covers just a portion of the life of German supermodel Uschi Obermaier–from … Continue reading
Filed under German
