German Films at Ames Public Library
Today is 3/14/2010
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Hanussen (VIDEO FOREIGN HAN) 117 min. 1989.
In 1920s Berlin, Erik Jan Hanussen is a magician and clairvoyant whose compelling stage show turns him into a star. His uncannily accurate predictions make him a celebrity. Soon, when he looks into the future, he can see a rising storm of hate, destruction, and war. When the Nazis seize power, he is forced to choose between joining them and standing alone.
The Harmonists (DVD FOREIGN HAR) In German or French with English captions. 115 min. 1997.
Based on a true story, this tells of a German vocal group that disbanded in 1934 as part of the mounting persecution of Jews. They did comic and romantic songs in intricate harmony and were extremely popular, but as the Nazis became more powerful, they were forbidden to sing songs by Jewish composers - and finally, because three of their members were Jewish, they were banned from performing in public.
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.
Jacob the Liar (VIDEO 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.
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. 2007.
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. This film won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
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.
Marianne & Juliane (VIDEO FOREIGN MAR) 103 min. 1981.
Based on a true story, this film relates the relationship between two sisters. The story parallels the personal history of the Ensslin sisters: Gudrun (Marianne in the film) was imprisoned as a terrorist in the Stammheim prison, where she died, supposedly of suicide, in the fall of 1977. Christiane (Julianne in the film) worked as an editor of the women's magazine "Emma," and was determined to prove that her sister did not kill herself.
The Marriage of Maria Braun (VIDEO FOREIGN MAR) 120 min. 1978.
Fassbinder's allegorical story of post-war Germany tells of a young woman as she strives for material wealth while ignoring human values.
Metropolis (DVD FOREIGN MET) Silent with 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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