German Films at Ames Public Library
Today is 9/2/2010
The Harmonists (DVD FOREIGN HAR) 115 min. 1997.
Based on a true story, this tells of a German vocal group that disbanded in 1934 as Jewish persecution mounted. They did comic and romantic songs in intricate harmony and were extremely popular, but as the Nazi power rose, they were forbidden to sing songs by Jewish composers - and finally, because three of them were Jewish, they were banned from performing in public.
Head-On (DVD FOREIGN HEA) 118 min. 2004.
Two young Turkish-Germans are forced into a marriage of convenience which ultimately blossoms into a bond of mutual admiration.
Heart of Glass (DVD FOREIGN HEA) 94 min. 1974.
A German village looses the secret of making its unique ruby glass. The townspeople turn to madness, murder, and magic in an effort to recover the lost ingredient. During filming, the cast was hypnotized to convey hallucination, prophecy, and visions.
Heimat A Chronicle of Germany (DVD FOREIGN HEI) 925 min. 1984.
The saga of the German Simon family from the end of World War I to 1982 is an immersion in their lives, loves, and tragedies.
Jacob the Liar (DVD FOREIGN JAC) 96 min. 1974.
Trapped in a Polish ghetto, facing starvation or deportation to the death camps, Jacob is detained at Gestapo headquarters. Eavesdropping, he overhears a radio report about a Russian victory. At first he is silent, but circumstances compel him to pass on the news of hope. To be believed, he feigns access to a hidden, forbidden radio, becoming a bulwark against despair − a reluctant hero, but a tragic figure still, a man ultimately powerless to see or change the fate of his people.
Jerichow (DVD FOREIGN JER) 96 min. 2008.
A business relationship turns into a love triangle when an ex-soldier begins working for a store owner and his beautiful wife.
The Legend of Rita (DVD FOREIGN LEG) 101 min. 1999.
This political thriller, set during the Cold War, recounts the struggles of a young woman who is a member of a terrorist group (loosely based on the real Baader-Meinhof gang). When the group disbands, she goes into hiding with an invented identity in East Germany. She struggles with the realities of a Communist state while keeping the distant ideal of socialism.
The Lives of Others (DVD FOREIGN LIV) 137 min. 2006.
Set in 1984 East Berlin, a secret service agent assigned to monitor a playwright and his girlfriend questions his assignment and his loyalty to the government. Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film of 2006.
The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum (DVD FOREIGN LOS) 109 min. 1975.
A shy housekeeper has a spontaneous one-night stand with an enigmatic young man she’s met at a party. The next morning, the police raid her apartment and arrest them both for terrorism.
M (DVD FOREIGN M) 111 min. 1931.
This drama is based on an actual Düsseldorf murder, recounting the hunt by both law enforcement agents and the underworld for a psychopathic killer of young girls.
The Marriage of Maria Braun (VIDEO FOREIGN MAR) 120 min. 1978.
Rainer Werner Fassbinder's allegorical story of post-war Germany tells of a young woman striving for material wealth while ignoring human values.
Metropolis (DVD FOREIGN MET) Silent film with musical score and English captions. 115 min. 1926.
This classic silent film is a drama about authoritarianism and revolt in a mythical industrialized metropolis of the 21st century.
Moloch (DVD FOREIGN MEL) 108 min. 1999.
It is the spring of 1942 in Germany. In their mountain retreat, Eva Braun is the only voice that dares contradict Germany’s Fuhrer. Eva is caught up in the complexities of being the lover of a man incapable of human intimacy, making her as volcanic as he is.
Mostly Martha (DVD FOREIGN MOS) 107 min. 2001.
Martha is a chef who obsesses over each dish. When her sister dies, Martha adopts Lina, her eight-year-old niece. Martha gets help from Mario, her handsome new assistant, who is not only a whiz on the chopping block, but knows sundry magic tricks and jokes to keep Lina's spirits afloat. As Martha starts to grow fond of Lina, her erratic father arrives to take her back to Italy.
My Name Was Sabina Spielrein (DVD FOREIGN MY) 90 min. 2002.
This film is based on the letters and diaries that revealed a love affair between psychiatrist/writer Carl Jung and his first patient, Sabina Spielrein.
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