German Films at Ames Public Library
Today is 2/4/2012
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 incredible saga of a German family from the end of World War I to 1982 - an immersion in the lives, loves, and tragedies of the extended Simon family.
Heimat 2: Chronicle of a Generation (DVD FOREIGN HEI) 1580 min. 1992.
Filmmaker Edgar Reitz's saga chronicles one German family from 1919 to 1982. In part two, set in the 1960s, a native son studies music in Munich.
Heimat 3: A Chronicle of Endings/Beginnings (DVD FOREIGN HEI) 680 min. 2004.
Hermann and Clarissa, the star-crossed lovers of Heimat 2 meet in a hotel on the evening of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Caught up in the euphoria over the reunification of their country, the couple reunites as well.
I Only Want You to Love Me (DVD FOREIGN I) 104 min. 2011.
An ordinary man seemingly has a perfect life. He just got married to a beautiful girl, moved to the city and has a family to look after and love. During his childhood, his parents constantly made him feel rejected and worthless. Those issues slowly creep into his family life, resulting in a nervous breakdown and violence.
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.
John Rabe (DVD FOREIGN JOH) 134 min. 2009.
Tells the story of a German businessman who rescued more than 200,000 Chinese during the Nanking Massacre in China by courageously negotiating a safety zone to protect innocent civilians from the Japanese Army. Drawing from John Rabe's 1937 diaries as source material, this film has crafted a portrait of a man revered as a saint in China to this day and yet never rewarded for his
courage during his lifetime.
The Last Laugh (DVD FOREIGN LAS) Silent film with musical score and English captions. 91 min. 1924.
An aging doorman's happiness crumbles when he is relieved of the duties and uniform which had for years been the foundation of his happiness and pride.
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.
Menschenfrauen (DVD FOREIGN MEN) 100 min. 2010.
Journalist Franz dallies with four women who think only they are the apple of Franz's eye. Each girlfriend represents a different female archetype: Petra is a sweet kindergarten nurse; Gertrud is an intelligent teacher; Elisabeth the barmaid is always ready for a party; and poor Anna is the long-suffering wife. Eventually, the women want more from life than Franz's attention and use different means to undermine his game.
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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