The 100 Most Significant German Films
by lievebees | created - 02 Jul 2018 | updated - 02 Jul 2018 | PublicDie zweite Heimat - Chronik einer Jugend missing
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1. M (1931)
Passed | 99 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
When the police in a German city are unable to catch a child-murderer, other criminals join in the manhunt.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Peter Lorre, Ellen Widmann, Inge Landgut, Otto Wernicke
Votes: 168,385 | Gross: $0.03M
306
2. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Not Rated | 67 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Hypnotist Dr. Caligari uses a somnambulist, Cesare, to commit murders.
Director: Robert Wiene | Stars: Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher, Lil Dagover
Votes: 70,027
292
3. Berlin: Symphony of Metropolis (1927)
Not Rated | 65 min | Documentary
This movie shows us one day in Berlin, the rhythm of that time, starting at the earliest morning and ends in the deepest night.
Director: Walter Ruttmann | Star: Paul von Hindenburg
Votes: 4,792
290
4. Nosferatu (1922)
Not Rated | 94 min | Fantasy, Horror
Vampire Count Orlok expresses interest in a new residence and real estate agent Hutter's wife.
Director: F.W. Murnau | Stars: Max Schreck, Alexander Granach, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schröder
Votes: 105,385
287
5. People on Sunday (1930)
Not Rated | 73 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Two men and two women enjoy a pleasant Sunday at the beach amid the unending toil of the working week.
Directors: Robert Siodmak, Edgar G. Ulmer, Rochus Gliese, Curt Siodmak, Fred Zinnemann | Stars: Erwin Splettstößer, Brigitte Borchert, Wolfgang von Waltershausen, Christl Ehlers
Votes: 3,548
285
6. Murderers Among Us (1946)
Not Rated | 85 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
After returning from a concentration camp, Susanne finds an ex-soldier living in her apartment. Together the two try to move past their experiences during World War II.
Director: Wolfgang Staudte | Stars: Hildegard Knef, Elly Burgmer, Erna Sellmer, Hilde Adolphi
Votes: 2,547
280
7. Der blaue Engel (1930)
Passed | 104 min | Drama, Music, Romance
An elderly professor's ordered life spins dangerously out of control when he falls for a nightclub singer.
Director: Josef von Sternberg | Stars: Emil Jannings, Marlene Dietrich, Kurt Gerron, Rosa Valetti
Votes: 16,291 | Gross: $0.08M
278
8. Metropolis (1927)
Not Rated | 153 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
In a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city's mastermind falls in love with a working-class prophet who predicts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel, Gustav Fröhlich, Rudolf Klein-Rogge
Votes: 185,445 | Gross: $1.24M
273
9. The Joyless Street (1925)
125 min | Drama
In post-WWI Vienna, Greta (Greta Garbo), her kid sister, and retired dad try to make it through tough times.
Director: Georg Wilhelm Pabst | Stars: Asta Nielsen, Greta Garbo, Ágnes Eszterházy, Werner Krauss
Votes: 1,720
264
10. Der Untertan (1951)
109 min | Comedy, Drama
Diederich Heßling is scared of everything and everyone. But as he grows up, he comes to realize that he has to offer his services to the powers-that-be if he wants to wield power himself. ... See full summary »
Director: Wolfgang Staudte | Stars: Werner Peters, Paul Esser, Renate Fischer, Ernst Legal
Votes: 946
262
11. Kuhle Wampe or Who Owns the World? (1932)
71 min | Drama
During Great Depression, a family is evicted from their apartment and with no other option they move to a tent camp called Kuhle Wampe.
Director: Slatan Dudow | Stars: Hertha Thiele, Ernst Busch, Martha Wolter, Adolf Fischer
Votes: 817
260
12. The Student of Prague (1913)
Approved | 85 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
Balduin, a student of Prague, leaves his roystering companions in the beer garden, when he finds he has reached the end of his resources. He is scarcely seated in a quiet corner when a ... See full summary »
Directors: Hanns Heinz Ewers, Stellan Rye | Stars: Paul Wegener, Grete Berger, Lyda Salmonova, John Gottowt
Votes: 2,395
256
13. The Bridge (1959)
Not Rated | 103 min | Drama, History, War
In 1945, Germany is being overrun, and nobody is left to fight but teenagers.
Director: Bernhard Wicki | Stars: Volker Bohnet, Fritz Wepper, Michael Hinz, Frank Glaubrecht
Votes: 8,646
254
14. Abschied von gestern - (Anita G.) (1966)
88 min | Drama
The film tells the story of Anita G., a young East German migrant to West Germany and her struggle to adjust to her new life.
Director: Alexander Kluge | Stars: Alexandra Kluge, Günter Mack, Eva Maria Meineke, Hans Korte
Votes: 1,056
251
15. Mutter Krausens Fahrt ins Glück (1929)
121 min | Drama
Mutter Krause and her children live in the poorer section of Berlin's Wedding district. The film depicts the cruelty of poverty and communism as a rescuing force that reaches Mutter Krause and the child too late.
Director: Phil Jutzi | Stars: Alexandra Schmitt, Holmes Zimmermann, Ilse Trautschold, Gerhard Bienert
Votes: 321
246
16. The Golem (1920)
Unrated | 91 min | Fantasy, Horror
In 16th-century Prague, a rabbi creates the Golem - a giant creature made of clay. Using sorcery, he brings the creature to life in order to protect the Jews of Prague from persecution.
Directors: Paul Wegener, Carl Boese | Stars: Paul Wegener, Albert Steinrück, Ernst Deutsch, Lyda Salmonova
Votes: 8,534
239
17. Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922)
Not Rated | 242 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
Arch-criminal Dr. Mabuse sets out to make a fortune and run Berlin. Detective Wenk sets out to stop him.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Aud Egede-Nissen, Gertrude Welcker, Alfred Abel
Votes: 9,172
233
18. Under the Bridges (1946)
99 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Two barge skippers fall in love with the same woman.
Director: Helmut Käutner | Stars: Hannelore Schroth, Carl Raddatz, Gustav Knuth, Margarete Haagen
Votes: 862
230
19. The Last Laugh (1924)
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama
An aging doorman is forced to face the scorn of his friends, neighbors and society after being fired from his prestigious job at a luxurious hotel.
Director: F.W. Murnau | Stars: Emil Jannings, Maly Delschaft, Max Hiller, Emilie Kurz
Votes: 15,198 | Gross: $0.09M
228
20. Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild's Revenge (1924)
Not Rated | 129 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Princess Kriemhild vows to avenge her husband's murder but must overcome her brothers who swore allegiance to Hagen. She marries Etzel, King of the Huns, and persuades his army to attack Hagen, but she loses more than she bargained for.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Margarete Schön, Gertrud Arnold, Theodor Loos, Hans Carl Mueller
Votes: 4,992
21. Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924)
Not Rated | 100 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
Siegfried, son of King Siegmund of Xanten, sets off on a treacherous journey to the Kingdom of Burgundy to ask King Gunther for the hand of his sister, the beautiful Princess Kriemhild.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Paul Richter, Margarete Schön, Theodor Loos, Gertrud Arnold
Votes: 6,549
228
Also: Part 2
22. Destiny (1921)
Not Rated | 114 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
When a woman's fiancé disappears, Death gives her three chances to save him from his fate.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Bernhard Goetzke, Lil Dagover, Walter Janssen, Hans Sternberg
Votes: 6,688 | Gross: $0.01M
227
23. Playing at Love (1933)
Not Rated | 88 min | Drama, Romance
Vienna in the beginning of the twentieth century. Cavalry Lieutenant Fritz Lobheimer is about to end his affair with Baroness Eggerdorff when he meets the young Christine, the daughter of ... See full summary »
Director: Max Ophüls | Stars: Wolfgang Liebeneiner, Carl Esmond, Magda Schneider, Luise Ullrich
Votes: 1,541
227
24. Wintergartenprogramm (1895)
7 min | Short
The first cinema screening, consisting of the shorts "Italienischer Bauerntanz (1895)", "Komisches Reck (1895)", "Das boxende Känguruh (1895)", "Der Jongleur (1895)", "Akrobatisches Potpourri (1895)", "Kamarinskaja (1895)", "Die Serpentintänzerin (1895)", "Ringkämpfer (1895)" and "Apotheose (1895)".
Director: Max Skladanowsky | Stars: Emil Skladanowsky, Max Skladanowsky
Votes: 424
219
25. Trace of Stones (1966)
139 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A film about living and working conditions in the GDR of the 1960s, including a little love story, of course.
Director: Frank Beyer | Stars: Manfred Krug, Krystyna Stypulkowska, Jutta Hoffmann, Eberhard Esche
Votes: 981
224
26. Lola Montès (1955)
Not Rated | 116 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
When she is reduced to appearing in a circus, a notorious beauty thinks back on her past loves.
Director: Max Ophüls | Stars: Martine Carol, Peter Ustinov, Anton Walbrook, Henri Guisol
Votes: 6,046 | Gross: $0.11M
216
27. Faust (1926)
Not Rated | 107 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
The demon Mephisto wagers with God that he can corrupt a mortal man's soul.
Director: F.W. Murnau | Stars: Gösta Ekman, Emil Jannings, Camilla Horn, Frida Richard
Votes: 16,615
214
28. Heimat: A Chronicle of Germany (1984)
924 min | Drama, History, War
The village of Schabbach experiences the shifting fortunes of Germany from 1919 to 1982.
Stars: Marita Breuer, Rüdiger Weigang, Kurt Wagner, Gertrud Bredel
Votes: 3,332
211
53
29. Germany in Autumn (1978)
123 min | Documentary, Drama
Germany in Autumn has no typical plot; it mixes documentary footage with standard movie scenes to present the mood of Germany during the late 1970s. The film covers 2 months in 1977 when a ... See full summary »
Directors: Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Alf Brustellin, Hans Peter Cloos, Alexander Kluge, Maximiliane Mainka, Edgar Reitz, Katja Rupé, Volker Schlöndorff, Peter Schubert, Bernhard Sinkel | Stars: Wolfgang Bächler, Heinz Bennent, Wolf Biermann, Joachim Bißmeier
Votes: 1,413
209
30. Berlin-Alexanderplatz: The Story of Franz Biberkopf (1931)
90 min | Crime, Drama
Franz Biberkopf has served four years in prison. His return to normal life is not successful.
Director: Phil Jutzi | Stars: Heinrich George, Maria Bard, Margarete Schlegel, Bernhard Minetti
Votes: 783
205
31. Passion (1919)
Not Rated | 113 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
The story of Madame DuBarry, the mistress of Louis XV of France, and her loves in the time of the French revolution.
Director: Ernst Lubitsch | Stars: Pola Negri, Emil Jannings, Harry Liedtke, Eduard von Winterstein
Votes: 1,003
206
32. The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979)
R | 120 min | Drama
Maria marries Hermann Braun in the last days of World War II, only for him to go missing in the war. Alone, Maria puts to use her beauty and ambition in order to find prosperity during Germany's "economic miracle" of the 1950s.
Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder | Stars: Hanna Schygulla, Klaus Löwitsch, Ivan Desny, Gisela Uhlen
Votes: 14,908
204
33. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1943)
Not Rated | 110 min | Comedy, Adventure, Fantasy
This lavish, impudent, adult fairy tale takes the viewer from 18th-century Braunschweig to St. Petersburg, Constantinople, Venice, and then to the moon using ingenious special effects, stunning location shooting.
Director: Josef von Báky | Stars: Hans Albers, Wilhelm Bendow, Michael Bohnen, Hans Brausewetter
Votes: 2,183
200
34. Pandora's Box (1929)
Not Rated | 109 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
The rise and inevitable fall of an amoral but naive young woman whose insouciant eroticism inspires lust and violence in those around her.
Director: Georg Wilhelm Pabst | Stars: Louise Brooks, Fritz Kortner, Francis Lederer, Carl Goetz
Votes: 11,852 | Gross: $0.01M
198
35. The Tin Drum (1979)
R | 142 min | Drama, War
In 1924, Oskar Matzerath is born in the Free City of Danzig. At age three, he falls down a flight of stairs and stops growing. In 1939, World War II breaks out.
Director: Volker Schlöndorff | Stars: David Bennent, Mario Adorf, Angela Winkler, Katharina Thalbach
Votes: 25,747
197
36. The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1933)
Not Rated | 122 min | Crime, Mystery, Thriller
A criminal mastermind uses hypnosis to rule the rackets after death.
Director: Fritz Lang | Stars: Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Otto Wernicke, Thomy Bourdelle, Gustav Diessl
Votes: 13,587
196
37. Kings of the Road (1976)
Not Rated | 175 min | Drama
A traveling projection-equipment mechanic works in Western Germany along the East-German border, visiting worn-out theatres. He meets with a depressed young man whose marriage has just broken up, and the two decide to travel together.
Director: Wim Wenders | Stars: Rüdiger Vogler, Hanns Zischler, Lisa Kreuzer, Rudolf Schündler
Votes: 6,427
194
38. Triumph of the Will (1935)
Not Rated | 110 min | Documentary, History
The infamous propaganda film of the 1934 Nazi Party rally in Nuremberg, Germany.
Director: Leni Riefenstahl | Stars: Adolf Hitler, Hermann Göring, Max Amann, Martin Bormann
Votes: 18,318
191
39. Young Törless (1966)
Not Rated | 87 min | Drama
In a boarding school, a student observes in passive disgust as his two friends manipulate, humiliate and torture a fellow student, justifying their every act.
Director: Volker Schlöndorff | Stars: Mathieu Carrière, Marian Seidowsky, Bernd Tischer, Fred Dietz
Votes: 2,665
186
40. Katzelmacher (1969)
Not Rated | 88 min | Drama
Jorgos, a migrant worker from Greece, joins a group of young people in Munich usually hanging around. This foreigner incites hostility and jealousy among them, and he is insulted as a "... See full summary »
Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder | Stars: Hanna Schygulla, Lilith Ungerer, Rudolf Waldemar Brem, Elga Sorbas
Votes: 3,096
186
41. Great Freedom No. 7 (1944)
111 min | Drama, Music, Romance
The film tells the story of the blond "singing sailor" Hannes Kröger who works in a St. Pauli club on the Große Freiheit 7, and falls in love with a girl. But she prefers his rival Willem and Hannes returns to the sea.
Director: Helmut Käutner | Stars: Hans Albers, Ilse Werner, Hans Söhnker, Hilde Hildebrand
Votes: 1,042
183
42. Rotation (1949)
80 min | Drama, History
The life of the worker Hans Behnke and his family from 1925 to 1945 in Berlin. Hans ultimately does join the Nazi party, but still shows signs of disagreement with their ideology.
Director: Wolfgang Staudte | Stars: Paul Esser, Irene Korb, Karl Heinz Deickert, Reinhold Bernt
Votes: 385
183
43. Aren't We Wonderful? (1958)
107 min | Comedy
The movie explains Germany from 1913 until 1955 by example of two contrary characters: The idealistic journalist Hans (H.-J. Felmy) loses his work during the Third Reich, whereas ... See full summary »
Director: Kurt Hoffmann | Stars: Johanna von Koczian, Hansjörg Felmy, Wera Frydtberg, Robert Graf
Votes: 466
182
44. Waxworks (1924)
Not Rated | 107 min | Fantasy, Horror
A wax museum hires a writer to give the sculptures stories. The writer imagines himself and the museum owner's daughter in the stories.
Directors: Leo Birinsky, Paul Leni | Stars: Emil Jannings, Conrad Veidt, Werner Krauss, William Dieterle
Votes: 2,308
180
45. Mädchen in Uniform (1931)
Passed | 87 min | Drama, Romance
At an all-girls boarding school, Manuela falls in love with a teacher, to terrific consequences.
Directors: Leontine Sagan, Carl Froelich | Stars: Dorothea Wieck, Hertha Thiele, Emilia Unda, Hedy Krilla
Votes: 3,736
179
46. Variety (1925)
Passed | 72 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Prologue: The murderer "Boss" Huller - after having spent ten years in prison - breaks his silence to tell the warden his story. "Boss", a former trapeze artist, and his wife own a cheap ... See full summary »
Director: Ewald André Dupont | Stars: Emil Jannings, Maly Delschaft, Lya De Putti, Warwick Ward
Votes: 1,407 | Gross: $0.71M
177
47. Roses for the Prosecutor (1959)
92 min | Comedy, Drama
April 1945. Because he stole two boxes of chocolate, the soldier Rudi is sentenced to death by the court-martial judge Dr. Schramm. Rudi manages to escape from the firing squad at the last ... See full summary »
Director: Wolfgang Staudte | Stars: Martin Held, Walter Giller, Ingrid van Bergen, Camilla Spira
Votes: 622
175
48. Alice in the Cities (1974)
Not Rated | 113 min | Drama
A German journalist is saddled with a nine-year-old girl after encountering her mother at a New York airport.
Director: Wim Wenders | Stars: Yella Rottländer, Rüdiger Vogler, Lisa Kreuzer, Edda Köchl
Votes: 13,225
174
49. Teenage Wolfpack (1956)
89 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
"Think of a law, they've broken it. Think of a crime, they've committed it." A tense, tough story of teenage gangs committing acts of robbery, violence, and murder. The leader of the gang ... See full summary »
Director: Georg Tressler | Stars: Horst Buchholz, Karin Baal, Christian Doermer, Jo Herbst
Votes: 538
173
50. The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (1975)
R | 106 min | Crime, Drama
A young woman's life is scrutinized by police and tabloid press after she spends the night with a suspected terrorist.
Directors: Volker Schlöndorff, Margarethe von Trotta | Stars: Angela Winkler, Mario Adorf, Dieter Laser, Jürgen Prochnow
Votes: 4,880
173
51. Westfront 1918 (1930)
Not Rated | 75 min | Drama, Romance, War
A group of German solders fight on the front line in France at the end of World War I.
Director: Georg Wilhelm Pabst | Stars: Fritz Kampers, Gustav Diessl, Hans-Joachim Möbis, Claus Clausen
Votes: 2,419
169
52. The Threepenny Opera (1931)
Not Rated | 104 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
The Gangster Macheath secretly marries the daughter of beggar king Peachum. When Peachum finds out, he instructs the police chief Brown to arrest and hang Macheath. If not, all the beggars of Soho will disturb the upcoming coronation.
Director: Georg Wilhelm Pabst | Stars: Rudolf Forster, Lotte Lenya, Carola Neher, Reinhold Schünzel
Votes: 2,538
168
53. Solo Sunny (1980)
104 min | Drama, Music
Sunny is a singer in a band which is constantly on the road. She therefore leads a relatively restless life, which she cannot afford to give up, having to rely on the fee she gets paid..
Directors: Konrad Wolf, Wolfgang Kohlhaase | Stars: Renate Krößner, Alexander Lang, Heide Kipp, Dieter Montag
Votes: 823
166
54. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974)
Not Rated | 92 min | Drama, Romance
A lonely widow meets a much younger Moroccan worker in a bar during a rainstorm. They fall in love, to their own surprise and to the outright shock of their families, colleagues, and drinking buddies.
Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder | Stars: Brigitte Mira, El Hedi ben Salem, Barbara Valentin, Irm Hermann
Votes: 23,843
165
55. The Lost Man (1951)
98 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
German scientist murders his fiancée during World War II when he learns that she has been selling the results of his secret research to the enemy.
Director: Peter Lorre | Stars: Peter Lorre, Karl John, Helmuth Rudolph, Johanna Hofer
Votes: 1,159
163
56. Three from the Filling Station (1930)
99 min | Comedy, Musical, Romance
Willy, Kurt and Hans are broke, so they sell their car and open a filling station. Then they all fall in love with the same girl.
Director: Wilhelm Thiele | Stars: Willy Fritsch, Lilian Harvey, Heinz Rühmann, Oskar Karlweis
Votes: 878
160
57. Seven Journeys (1947)
111 min | Drama, War
A car tells its story and the story of its seven owners during the years of the Third Reich in Nazi Germany.
Director: Helmut Käutner | Stars: Gert Schäfer, Erich Schellow, Winnie Markus, Werner Hinz
Votes: 354
160
58. Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations (1938)
Not Rated | 111 min | Documentary, Sport
The document of the 1936 Olympics at Berlin.
Director: Leni Riefenstahl | Stars: David Albritton, Arvo Askola, Jack Beresford, Erwin Blask
Votes: 5,239
157
Also: Part 2
59. Olympia Part Two: Festival of Beauty (1938)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary, Sport
The document of the 1936 Olympics at Berlin, orchestrated as Nazi propaganda.
Director: Leni Riefenstahl | Stars: Sheigo Arai, Jack Beresford, Ralf Berzsenyi, Ferenc Csík
Votes: 4,324
60. Jud Süß (1940)
98 min | Drama
Infamous anti-Semitic Nazi propaganda historical drama about Duke Karl Alexander of Württemberg and his treasurer Süß Oppenheimer.
Director: Veit Harlan | Stars: Ferdinand Marian, Kristina Söderbaum, Heinrich George, Werner Krauss
Votes: 3,367
156
61. The Divided Heaven (1964)
116 min | Drama, Romance
In 1961, Rita returns to her childhood village after a breakdown. As she recovers, she remembers the past two years: her love for chemist Manfred, 10 years her senior; his enthusiasm about ... See full summary »
Director: Konrad Wolf | Stars: Renate Blume, Eberhard Esche, Hans Hardt-Hardtloff, Hilmar Thate
Votes: 392
155
62. Wings of Desire (1987)
PG-13 | 128 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
An angel tires of his purely ethereal life of merely overseeing the human activity of Berlin's residents, and longs for the tangible joys of physical existence when he falls in love with a mortal.
Director: Wim Wenders | Stars: Bruno Ganz, Solveig Dommartin, Otto Sander, Curt Bois
Votes: 76,951 | Gross: $3.33M
153
63. Not Reconciled (1965)
55 min | Drama, History
An entangled story which details the lives of a German family throughout their various generations.
Director: Jean-Marie Straub | Stars: Heinrich Hargesheimer, Carlheinz Hargesheimer, Martha Staendner, Danièle Huillet
Votes: 806
151
64. Vampyr (1932)
Not Rated | 75 min | Fantasy, Horror
A drifter obsessed with the supernatural stumbles upon an inn where a severely ill adolescent girl is slowly becoming a vampire.
Director: Carl Theodor Dreyer | Stars: Julian West, Maurice Schutz, Rena Mandel, Sybille Schmitz
Votes: 20,507
150
65. Diary of a Lost Girl (1929)
Not Rated | 79 min | Drama
After falling pregnant by a pharmacist and refusing to marry, a young woman is ejected from her home and sent to a strict girls' reform school.
Director: Georg Wilhelm Pabst | Stars: Louise Brooks, Josef Rovenský, Fritz Rasp, Edith Meinhard
Votes: 4,820
149
66. Der Prozeß - Eine Darstellung des Majdanek-Verfahrens in Düsseldorf (1984– )
270 min | Documentary
Between 1941 and 1944, at least one quarter of a million people were murdered in the Lublin/Majdanek concentration camp. Between 1975 and 1981, the longest trial in German legal history ... See full summary »
Votes: 30
148
67. The Merchant of Four Seasons (1972)
Not Rated | 88 min | Drama
Hans Epp is a self-destructive man who lives a dissatisfied life. He tries to find meaning as a fruit vendor, but a heart attack impedes his ability to work, which turns his dissatisfaction into despair.
Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder | Stars: Hans Hirschmüller, Irm Hermann, Hanna Schygulla, Klaus Löwitsch
Votes: 5,252
147
68. Romanze in Moll (1943)
98 min | Drama, Romance
A grieving husband tries to uncover the truth behind his wife's suicide, leading him to discover a tragic tale of infidelity and redemption.
Director: Helmut Käutner | Stars: Marianne Hoppe, Paul Dahlke, Ferdinand Marian, Siegfried Breuer
Votes: 380
146
69. Marriage in the Shadows (1947)
105 min | Drama
In Nazi Germany actor Hans refuses to divorce his Jewish wife Elisabeth. He is threatened to be drafted and sent to the front while she will be deported to a concentration camp. Desperate, Hans decides that suicide is their only way out.
Director: Kurt Maetzig | Stars: Paul Klinger, Ilse Steppat, Alfred Balthoff, Claus Holm
Votes: 196
146
70. The Legend of Paul and Paula (1973)
Not Rated | 105 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Paul and Paula have had bad experiences with love: Paul is financially well off but has lost all affection for his wife, and Paula leads a troublesome life raising two children on her own. ... See full summary »
Director: Heiner Carow | Stars: Angelica Domröse, Winfried Glatzeder, Heidemarie Wenzel, Fred Delmare
Votes: 1,224
146
71. The Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach (1968)
94 min | Biography, Drama, History
The life and music of Johann Sebastian Bach as presented by his wife, Anna.
Directors: Danièle Huillet, Jean-Marie Straub | Stars: Gustav Leonhardt, Christiane Lang, Paolo Carlini, Ernst Castelli
Votes: 1,584 | Gross: $0.02M
145
72. Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)
Not Rated | 95 min | Action, Adventure, Biography
In the 16th century, the ruthless and insane Don Lope de Aguirre leads a Spanish expedition in search of El Dorado.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Klaus Kinski, Ruy Guerra, Helena Rojo, Del Negro
Votes: 62,245
145
73. I Was Nineteen (1968)
115 min | Biography, Drama, War
Gregor Hecker, who fled Germany with his parents, returns to Germany as a lieutenant in the Red Army.
Director: Konrad Wolf | Stars: Jaecki Schwarz, Vasiliy Livanov, Aleksey Eybozhenko, Dieter Mann
Votes: 1,036
144
74. The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926)
Not Rated | 80 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
A handsome prince rides a flying horse to faraway lands and embarks on magical adventures, which include befriending a witch, meeting Aladdin, battling demons and falling in love with a princess.
Directors: Lotte Reiniger, Carl Koch
Votes: 6,887
143
75. Stars (1959)
91 min | War, Drama
The tragic love of a Jewish girl and a Nazi officer is presented as a symbol of human purity defeated by fascism and racial prejudice.
Director: Konrad Wolf | Stars: Sasha Krusharska, Jürgen Frohriep, Erik S. Klein, Stefan Pejchev
Votes: 466
143
76. Marianne & Juliane (1981)
106 min | Drama
Two sisters both fight for women's rights. Juliane is a journalist and Marianne a terrorist. When Marianne is jailed, Juliane feels obligated to help her despite their differing views on how to live.
Director: Margarethe von Trotta | Stars: Jutta Lampe, Barbara Sukowa, Rüdiger Vogler, Doris Schade
Votes: 2,621
141
77. The Street (1923)
74 min | Drama
Presents two distinct plot lines until the two eventually merge: the first is that of the bored middle-aged man seeking a departure from monotony in his life; the second is that of the ... See full summary »
Director: Karl Grune | Stars: Anton Edthofer, Aud Egede-Nissen, Leonhard Haskel, Lucie Höflich
Votes: 476
139
78. Germany Year Zero (1948)
Not Rated | 78 min | Drama
A young German boy faces the problems of the tough life in the immediate post-WWII Berlin.
Director: Roberto Rossellini | Stars: Edmund Moeschke, Ernst Pittschau, Ingetraud Hinze, Franz-Otto Krüger
Votes: 13,706
80
79. Comradeship (1931)
Not Rated | 93 min | Drama
Plea against war and for friendship between peoples, through the story of French miners rescued by German colleagues after a firedamp explosion.
Director: Georg Wilhelm Pabst | Stars: Alexander Granach, Fritz Kampers, Ernst Busch, Elisabeth Wendt
Votes: 1,746
76
80. Emil and the Detectives (1931)
75 min | Adventure, Family, Drama
Emil goes to Berlin to see his grandmother with a large amount of money and is offered sweets by a strange man that make him sleep. He wakes up at his stop with no money. It is up to him and a group of children to save the day.
Director: Gerhard Lamprecht | Stars: Rolf Wenkhaus, Käthe Haack, Fritz Rasp, Rudolf Biebrach
Votes: 715
73
81. Berlin - Ecke Schönhauser (1957)
81 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
The story of a group of rebellious teens in East Berlin.
Director: Gerhard Klein | Stars: Ilse Pagé, Ekkehard Schall, Harry Engel, Ernst-Georg Schwill
Votes: 388
71
82. Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980)
Not Rated | 931 min | Crime, Drama
In late-1920s Berlin, Franz Biberkopf is released from prison and vows to go straight. However, he soon finds himself embroiled in the city's criminal underworld.
Stars: Günter Lamprecht, Claus Holm, Hanna Schygulla, Franz Buchrieser
Votes: 4,897
70
83. Congress Dances (1931)
85 min | Comedy, History, Musical
Vienna glove-sales-lady Christl falls in love to Czar Alexander. Metternich tries to use this to keep him out of the conferences of the Vienna Congress from 1815.
Director: Erik Charell | Stars: Lilian Harvey, Willy Fritsch, Otto Wallburg, Conrad Veidt
Votes: 598
68
84. The Rabbit Is Me (1965)
110 min | Drama, Romance
The Rabbit Is Me was made in 1965 to encourage discussion of the democratization of East German society. In it, a young student has an affair with a judge who once sentenced her brother for... See full summary »
Director: Kurt Maetzig | Stars: Angelika Waller, Wolfgang Winkler, Alfred Müller, Irma Münch
Votes: 405
68
85. Artists Under the Big Top: Perplexed (1968)
103 min | Drama
"Neues Kino movie" about life in the circus dome narrated in Brechtian spirit; deceptively illusionist grip is broken violently by aloofness and sweeping subjective tracking shots.
Director: Alexander Kluge | Stars: Hannelore Hoger, Sigi Graue, Alfred Edel, Bernd Höltz
Votes: 462
67
86. Effi Briest (1974)
Not Rated | 135 min | Drama, History
In the nineteenth century, seventeen year old Effi Briest is married to the older Baron von Instetten and moves into a house, that she believes has a ghost, in a small isolated Baltic town.... See full summary »
Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder | Stars: Hanna Schygulla, Wolfgang Schenck, Ulli Lommel, Karlheinz Böhm
Votes: 2,695
65
87. The American Friend (1977)
Not Rated | 128 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Tom Ripley, who deals in forged art, suggests a picture framer he knows would make a good hit man.
Director: Wim Wenders | Stars: Dennis Hopper, Bruno Ganz, Lisa Kreuzer, Gérard Blain
Votes: 18,543
64
88. Asphalt (1929)
Not Rated | 94 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Joe May's sensual drama of life in the Berlin underworld is in many ways the perfect summation of German filmmaking in the silent era: a dazzling visual style, a psychological approach to ... See full summary »
Director: Joe May | Stars: Albert Steinrück, Else Heller, Gustav Fröhlich, Betty Amann
Votes: 1,687
62
89. Jacob the Liar (1974)
100 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A Jewish ghetto in central Europe, 1944. By coincidence, Jakob Heym eavesdrops on a German radio broadcast announcing the Soviet Army is making slow by steady progress towards central ... See full summary »
Director: Frank Beyer | Stars: Vlastimil Brodský, Erwin Geschonneck, Henry Hübchen, Blanche Kommerell
Votes: 1,377
60
90. The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1974)
Not Rated | 110 min | Biography, Drama, History
A young man named Kaspar Hauser suddenly appears in Nuremberg in 1828, barely able to talk or walk, and bearing a strange note.
Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Bruno S., Walter Ladengast, Brigitte Mira, Willy Semmelrogge
Votes: 18,895
60
91. The Devil Strikes at Night (1957)
97 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A serial killer strikes again during World War II in Germany. The wrong man is arrested and a detective hunts down the real killer, but justice in Nazi Germany is not so easily administered.
Director: Robert Siodmak | Stars: Claus Holm, Mario Adorf, Hannes Messemer, Peter Carsten
Votes: 1,580
59
92. The Mysteries of a Hairdresser's Shop (1923)
32 min | Short, Comedy
Karl Valentin plays a journeyman in a barber shop who prefers to stay in bed than to take care of his (already heavily bearded) customers. When he's at work, he removes boils with hammer, ... See full summary »
Directors: Bertolt Brecht, Erich Engel | Stars: Blandine Ebinger, Karl Valentin, Erwin Faber, Annemarie Hase
Votes: 227
58
93. The White Hell of Pitz Palu (1929)
75 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A man climbs a 12,000-foot mountain to search for his wife, who was lost on their honeymoon. Another couple makes the dangerous climb with him.
Directors: Arnold Fanck, Georg Wilhelm Pabst | Stars: Gustav Diessl, Leni Riefenstahl, Ernst Petersen, Ernst Udet
Votes: 1,111
57
94. Rosemary (1958)
105 min | Drama
West Germany in '50s is becoming an economic superpower. In such climate, Rosemarie is just one of many enterpreneurs who wants her piece of new fortune. She uses her charms to bring ... See full summary »
Director: Rolf Thiele | Stars: Nadja Tiller, Peter van Eyck, Carl Raddatz, Gert Fröbe
Votes: 511
57
95. Death Is My Trade (1977)
145 min | Biography, Drama
The disturbing biography of Auschwitz commander Rudolf Höss.
Director: Theodor Kotulla | Stars: Götz George, Elisabeth Schwarz, Kai Taschner, Hans Korte
Votes: 427
57
96. Victor and Victoria (1933)
84 min | Comedy, Musical
Aspiring singer Susanne takes over for ham actor Viktor at a small cabaret in Berlin where he works a woman impersonator and per chance she's discovered by an agent, who thinks that she ... See full summary »
Director: Reinhold Schünzel | Stars: Renate Müller, Hermann Thimig, Hilde Hildebrand, Friedel Pisetta
Votes: 589
56
97. Das Boot (1981)
R | 149 min | Drama, War
A German U-boat stalks the frigid waters of the North Atlantic as its young crew experience the sheer terror and claustrophobic life of a submariner in World War II.
Director: Wolfgang Petersen | Stars: Jürgen Prochnow, Herbert Grönemeyer, Klaus Wennemann, Hubertus Bengsch
Votes: 264,245 | Gross: $11.49M
56
98. Hunting Scenes from Bavaria (1969)
88 min | Drama, Horror
Abram returns to his small village and although his repairing skills are needed, people's suspicion about his sexual preferences make his life hard.
Director: Peter Fleischmann | Stars: Martin Sperr, Angela Winkler, Else Quecke, Michael Strixner
Votes: 752
55
99. Lebensläufe - Die Geschichte der Kinder von Golzow in einzelnen Porträts (1981)
257 min | Documentary
This long form documentary, an East German equivalent of the British Seven Up series, follows a first grade class in the town of Golzow ,from August 1961 (shortly after the Berlin Wall had gone up) through 2o years later.
Director: Winfried Junge
Votes: 58
55
100. The Ballad of Berlin (1948)
Passed | 80 min | Comedy, Musical
After he has luckily survived the war, Otto tries to build up his new life in the remains of Berlin.
Director: Robert A. Stemmle | Stars: Gert Fröbe, Tatjana Sais, Ute Sielisch, Aribert Wäscher
Votes: 227
54
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