German Films

All films are in German with English subtitles unless otherwise indicated.

Aguirre, The Wrath Of God. 1972. (DVD 791.4372 Aguirre)

A band of Spanish conquistadors, led by Aguirre, self-styled "Wrath of God," go up the Amazon in search of gold, but Aguirre's megalomania turns the expedition into a death trip. Cast: Klaus Kinski, Helena Rojo, Del Negro, Ruy Guerra.

Das Boot. 1981. (DVD 791.4372 Boot)

Follows the daring patrol of the U-96, one of the famed German U-boats known as the "gray wolves." The crew is graphically portrayed in a life-and-death struggle, challenging the British Navy at every turn. Cast: Jurgen Prochnow, Herbert Gronemeyer, Klaus Wennemann, Hubertus Bengsch, Martin Semmelrogge.

Effi Briest. 1974. (DVD 791.4372 Effi)

Effi Briest, a radiant beauty, is married when very young to a much older Prussian diplomat and carried away to a remote Baltic port where she drifts into a brief, passionless affair with a local womanizer. The full effects are felt only later, in a chilling manifestation of the Prussian legal code. Cast: Hanna Schygulla, Wolfgang Schenck, Ulli Lommel, Karl-Heinz Bohm.

Europa Europa. 1991. (DVD 791.4372 Europa)

The true story of a Jewish teenager who survived World War II by concealing his identity and living as a Nazi for seven years. Cast: Marco Hofschneider, Julie Delpy, Hanns Zischler.

Fitzcarraldo. 1982. (DVD 791.4372 Fitzcar)

Story of a man obsessed with a dream to build his own personal opera house in a remote Peruvian town. Cast: Klaus Kinski, Claudia Cardinale.

The Forest For The Trees. 2003. (DVD 791.4372 Forest)

Melanie Pröschle, an idealistic young teacher from the countryside, starts her first job at a high school in the city. But things don?t go quite as well as she planned and soon Melanie is crossing borderlines and entangling herself in a spiral of lies. Cast: Eva Löbau, Daniela Holtz, Jan Neumann.

Good Bye Lenin!. 2003. (DVD 791.4372 Goodbye)

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. Cast: Daniel Brühl, Katrin Sass, Chulpan Khamatova, Maria Simon, Florian Lukas, Chulpan Khamatova, Alexander Beyer, Burghart Klaussner, Michael Gwisdek.

In July. 2000. (DVD 791.4372 In)

Daniel, a young teacher on summer break, decides to travel from Hamburg to Istanbul in search of his true love. Along the way he picks up a hitchhiker, Juli, who hopes that Daniel will fall for her. Cast: Ben Becker, Heino Ferfch, Ulrich Noethen, Heinrich Schafmeister, Max Tidof.

The Last Laugh. 1924. (DVD 791.4372 Last)

Chronicles the humiliation of an aging doorman at a posh hotel who is demoted to lavatory attendant. Silent film with music soundtrack added. Cast: Emil Jannings, Maly Delschaft, Kurt Hiller, Emilie Kurz, Hans Unterkirchen, Georg John.

The Lost Honor Of Katharina Blum. 1975. (DVD 791.4372 Lost)

In the period of several days, Katharina's privacy and her honor are destroyed, first by the police who terrorize her, and then by the yellow press, which creates in her name the image of a politicized Bonnie Parker. Cast: Angela Winkler, Mario Adorf, Heinz Bennent, Jürgen Prochnow, and Karl Heinz Vosgerau.

Metropolis. 1927. (DVD 791.4372 Metropo)

The story of a 21st-century city run by a "super trustee" and his collaborators who live in a paradise-like garden. Workers are totally enslaved by machines and condemned to live underground. In the midst of this misery, a young woman, Maria, arises and attempts to inspire the workers to throw off their oppressors. Silent with musical accompaniment. Cast: Brigitte Helm, Gustav Frohlich, Rudolph Klein-Rogge, Alfred Abel, Theodor Loos.

Mostly Martha. 2001. (DVD 791.4372 Mostly)

A 30-something gourmet chef at an upscale restaurant in Munich, Martha is lonely, obsessive-compulsive, and avoids personal relationships. Things change dramatically when her sister dies, her eight-year-old niece comes to live with her, and a charismatic and creative Italian chef joins the restaurant. Cast: Martina Gedeck, Maxime Foerste, August Zirner, Ulrich Thomsen, Sibylle Canonica, Katja Studt, Idil èUner, Sergio Castellitto.

Nowhere In Africa. 2002. (DVD 791.4372 Nowhere)

Critically acclaimed, this is the award winning true tale of a Jewish family who flee the Nazi regime in 1938 and learns to cope with their new life, and each other, on a remote farm in Kenya. Cast: Juliane Köhler, Merab Ninidze, Matthias Habich, Sidede Onyulo, Lea Kurka, Karoline Eckertz.

Pandora's Box. 1928. (Video 791.4372 Pandora)

Lulu is an effervescent chorus girl, who destroys everyone she comes in contact with before she is murdered by Jack the Ripper. Directed by G.W. Pabst. Based on the plays Die Büchse der Pandora and Erdgeist by F. Wedekind. Silent film with musical score. Cast: Louise Brooks, Fritz Kortner, Franz Lederer, Carl Goetz.

Run Lola Run. 1998. (DVD 791.4372 Run)

A thrilling rollercoaster ride about two lovers who have only minutes to change the course of their lives. 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. Cast: Franka Potente, Moritz Bleibtreu, Herbert Knaup, Nina Petri.

Schultze Gets The Blues. 2003. (DVD 791.4372 Schultz)

Schultze is a recently retired miner who, like his father before him, entertains polka audiences with his accordion. When he discovers the fiery energy of Zydeco music on his radio, the rigid monotony of his daily routine takes a spicy turn. His new-found fascination ultimately leads him on a life-changing journey to the Louisiana delta. Cast: Horst Krause, Harald Warmbrunn, Karl-Fred Müller, Rosemarie Deibel, Wilhelmine Horschig, Anne V. Angelle.

The Tin Drum. 1979. (DVD 791.4372 Tin)

Tells the story of Oskar, a boy who resolves to stop growing at the age of three in the same year the Nazis come to power. Based on the novel by Gunter Grass. Cast: David Bennent, Mario Adorf, Angela Winkler.

Triumph Of The Will. 1936. (DVD - 2001 - German)

A pictorial record of the sixth Nazi congress at Nuremberg and a controversial propaganda film on Nazi Germany. Shows troops of Hitler youth at play, ranks of laborers, parades of storm troopers, and close-ups of Hitler. Includes major policy speeches by Goebbels, Goering, Streicher, Himmler and Hess. Directed by Leni Reifenstahl.

Wings Of Desire. 1987. (DVD 791.4372 Wings)

Romantic fantasy about an angel who wishes he were mortal. Set in modern-day Berlin, the film is not only a love story, but also serves as a reminder of just how good it feels to live. Cast: Bruno Ganz, Solveig Dommart, Otto Sander, Peter Falk.