Tag Archives: Germany

The Bridge / Die Brücke (1959) Bernhard Wickim, Folker Bohnet, Fritz Wepper, Michael Hinz, Drama, War

The Bridge (1959)
Bernhard Wicki’s astonishing The Bridge was the first major antiwar film to come out of Germany after World War II, as well as the nation’s first postwar film to be widely shown internationally, even securing an Oscar nomination. Set near the end of the conflict, it follows a group of teenage boys in a small town as they contend with everyday matters like school, girls, and parents, before enlisting as soldiers and being forced to defend their home turf in a confused, terrifying battle. This expressively shot, emotionally bruising drama dared to humanize young German soldiers at a historically tender moment, and proved influential for the coming generation of New German Cinema auteurs.
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Despair (1978) Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Dirk Bogarde, Andréa Ferréol, Klaus Löwitsch, Drama

Despair (1978)
Germany in the early 1930s. Against the backdrop of the Nazis’ rise, Hermann Hermann, a Russian émigré and chocolate magnate, goes slowly mad. It begins with his seating himself in a chair to observe himself making love to his wife, Lydia, a zaftig empty-headed siren who is also sleeping with her cousin. Hermann is soon given to intemperate outbursts at his workers, other businessmen, and strangers. Then, he meets Felix, an itinerant laborer, whom he delusionally believes looks exactly like himself. Armed with a new life insurance policy, he hatches an elaborate plot in the belief it will free him of all his worries.
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Premiers Desirs (1984) David Hamilton, Monica Broeke, Patrick Bauchau, Inge Maria Granzow, Drama, Romance, Erotic

Premiers-Desirs
Three young women on a holiday with friends decide to visit a nearby island, risking a dangerous night time trip by boat. As a storm moves in, the boat is dashed against a beach, and the girls separated. Lost and soaked through, they are saved by some local boys. Now safe, the girls decide to spend time basking on the beach and exploring the island. They experience the first stirrings of love during a Mediterranean vacation as each girl follows her own path with local boys
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A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence / En duva satt på en gren och funderade på tillvaron (2014) Roy Andersson, Holger Andersson, Nils Westblom, Viktor Gyllenberg, Art-house, Comedy, Drama

A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (2014)
Like modern times’ Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, Sam and Jonathan, two travelling salesmen peddling novelty items, take us on a kaleidoscopic wandering through human destinies. A trip that shows us the beauty of single moments, the pettiness of others, the humor and tragedy that is in us, life’s grandeur as well as frailty of humanity.
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Trapped (2002) Luis Mandoki, Kevin Bacon, Charlize Theron, Courtney Love, Crime, Thriller

Trapped (2002)
When their daughter is abducted and taken for ransom by a gang of serial kidnappers, a young doctor and his wife find themselves held hostage while a 24-hour plan to extort their money is set into motion. Now, with time running out and the health of their asthmatic daughter at serious risk, they find themselves in a life-and-death race against the clock as the “perfect crime” begins spiraling towards an unthinkable, terrifying and deadly conclusion.
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Filmperspektive – The Forecaster (2014) Marcus Vetter, Karin Steinberger, Martin Armstrong, Vicky Armstrong, Oliver Brown, Documentary

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Using his mysterious Economic Confidence Model, Martin Armstrong predicted financial market crises and global conflicts with incredible precision. When some big New York bankers asked him to join “The Club” to help them to take over Russia, he refused to join the manipulation. A few days later the FBI stormed his offices accusing him of a 3 billion dollar Ponzi Scheme and put him in prison for twelve years. Was it an attempt to silence him and prevent him from initiating a public discourse on the real Ponzi scheme of debts that the world has been building up for decades? Now he’s back—with his scariest prediction yet.
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The Devil Hunter / El caníbal (1980) Jesús Franco, Ursula Buchfellner, Al Cliver, Antonio Mayans, Horror, Sexploitation, Erotic

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The story is set amongst jungle tribes that live in fear of the devil. Laura Crawford is a model who gets kidnapped by a gang of thugs whilst working in South America. They take her into the jungle and demand a huge ransom. Laura is guarded by some ridiculous looking native who calls himself “The Devil” and has to go through all manner of unpleasantries until the gang get their ransom. Chained maidens are offered in supplication and the devil demonstrates eating pussy in a grossly excessive literal manner. Enter Peter Weston, the devil hunter, who goes into the jungle in true Indiana Jones style to try and rescue her.
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The City of Lost Children (1995) Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Ron Perlman, Daniel Emilfork, Judith Vittet, Art-house, Fantasy, Sci-fi

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With a mad scientist kidnapping children to steal their dreams, only brave young Miette (Judith Vittet) and a kindhearted circus strongman (Ron Perlman) can save them. Part fantasy, part nightmare, this production used more special effects than any other French film to date. Featuring stunning visuals from directors Jean-Pierre Jeunet and Marc Caro, the sci-fi fairy tale was nominated for a Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival.
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