German Films at Ames Public Library
Today is 2/4/2012
The North Face (DVD FOREIGN NOR) 121 min. 2009.
Based on a true story, this adventure tells of a competition to climb the most dangerous rock face in the Alps, the north face of the Eiger. Set in 1936, Nazi propaganda urges German alpinists to conquer the mountain. Two reluctant climbers, Toni and Andi, attempt an ascent, followed by two Austrian climbers. All goes well at first as both teams make headway, but then the climbers lose their advantage over the mountain and the race against time and the forces of nature begins.
Nosferatu (DVD FOREIGN NOS) Silent film with musical score and English captions. 81 min. 1922.
In the first film version of Bram Stoker's Dracula, Transylvanian vampire, Count Orlock (Nosferatu), leaves his Carpathian castle and travels by ship to Bremen, bringing coffins filled with dirt and plague-infected rats.
Nowhere in Africa (DVD FOREIGN NOW) 142 min. 2001.
Critically acclaimed, this is the award-winning true tale of a Jewish family who flees the Nazi regime in 1938 and learns to cope with their new life, and each other, on a remote farm in Kenya.
Pandora’s Box (DVD FOREIGN PAN) Silent film with musical score and English captions. 133 min. 1929.
Follows the downward spiral of a fiery, brash, yet naive showgirl, whose sexual vivacity has a devastating effect on everyone with whom she comes in contact.
The Princess and the Warrior (DVD FOREIGN PRI) 133 min. 2000.
When shy, beautiful Sissi is the victim of a car accident, a handsome small-time criminal saves her life. Once she recovers, she sets out to find him and discovers that he is a violent man with a conflicted past and a dangerous future. It doesn't take long for the two to meet again - during a deadly bank robbery. Now it is her turn to save his life.
Revanche (DVD FOREIGN REV) 122 min. 2008.
An ex-con falls in love with a hooker after becoming an assistant in a brothel, where the pair make plans to escape and start a new life together.
Run Lola Run (DVD FOREIGN RUN) 81 min. 1998.
Two star-crossed lovers have only minutes to change the course of their lives. Lola has just received a frantic call from her boyfriend Manni, who has accidentally lost a small fortune he was to deliver to his mobster boss. If they cannot replace the money within twenty minutes, Manni will suffer severe consequences.
Schultze Gets the Blues (DVD FOREIGN SCH) 109 min. 2003.
Schultze is a recently retired miner who, like his father, entertains polka audiences with his accordion. When he discovers the energy of zydeco music on his radio, the monotony of his routine takes a spicy turn. Schultze learns to play his accordion with a new snap and style. His fascination ultimately leads him on a life-changing journey to the Louisiana delta.
Silent Light (DVD FOREIGN SIL) 136 min. 2007.
In a Mexican Mennonite community, a man betrays his family in an affair with another woman, which changes the course of events with both his wife and his mistress.
Sophie Scholl: the Final Days (DVD FOREIGN SOP) 117 min. 2005.
The true story of Germany's famous anti-Nazi heroine, Sophie Scholl, of the underground student resistance group, The White Rose. The last six days of Sophie Scholl's life is dramatized, from arrest to interrogation, trial, and sentence in 1943 Munich. Unwavering in her convictions and loyalty, her cross-examination by the Gestapo quickly escalates into a searing test of wills as Scholl delivers a passionate call to freedom and personal responsibility.
Soul Kitchen (DVD FOREIGN SOU) 99min. 2009.
When Zinos hires a gourmet chef for his struggling restaurant, it drives away his low-life regulars. In the meantime, his girlfriend, Nadine, moves back to China, but a hip new clientele brings the restaurant back to life. When he goes to China to get Nadine back, he leaves the restaurant in the hands of his criminal brother. When Zinos discovers that Nadine has a new boyfriend, and his brother has gambled away his restaurant, he knows he must work with his brother if he is to get it back.
Stalingrad (DVD FOREIGN STA) 150 min. 1993.
This film features one of the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare - the legendary battle of Stalingrad.
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (DVD FOREIGN TES) 121 min. 1933.
A Berlin detective investigates a case where all clues lead to a man who has been in a mental hospital for many years.
The Tin Drum ( DVD FOREIGN TIN) 142 min. 1979.
At age three, Oskar Matzerath decides to stop growing. For two decades, during the Nazi reign, he remains frozen in size, suspended in the outraged innocence of childhood. Oskar has two weapons to see him through: his tin drum, which he bangs to drown out horror and hypocrisy, and his childish voice, which he raises in a shriek that can break glass.
3 Penny Opera (DVD FOREIGN THR) 105 min. 1933.
Mackie Messer, also known as Mack the Knife, tries to escape the police and woo Polly Peachum against her father's wishes.
The Unknown Soldier (DVD FOREIGN UNK) 97 min. 2007.
The crimes against humanity committed by the Nazi regime are often thought of as the work directed by leaders such as Himmler or Hitler. "Ordinary" German soldiers are not often seen as anything other than their pawns. Until now. This movie documents Germany's controversial Wehrmacht Exhibition, which for the first time ever reveals the personal letters, photographs and film footage implicating the common soldier of horrific acts.
Vision – From the Life of Hildegard von Bingen (DVD FOREIGN VIS) 100 min. 2009.
Hildegard von Bingen was truly a woman ahead of her time. A visionary in every sense of the word, this famed 12th century Benedictine nun was a Christian mystic, composer, philosopher, playwright, poet, naturalist, scientist, physician, herbalist and ecological activist. Hildegard is determined to expand the responsibilities of women within the order, even as she fends off outrage from some in the Church over the visions she claims to receive from God.
Vivere (DVD FOREIGN VIV) 97 min. 2008.
When Antoinetta runs off with her boyfriend, her older sister Francesca sets out on a journey to find her. But before the two can be reunited, Francesca crosses paths with Gerlinde, a heartbroken stranger desperate to leave behind her past.
When We Leave (DVD FOREIGN) 115 min. 2010.
A German-born woman flees from her oppressive marriage in Istanbul, taking her son with her. She hopes to find a better life with her family in Berlin, but her unexpected arrival creates intense conflicts. Her family is trapped in their conventions. They are torn between their love for her, and the traditional values of their community.
White Ribbon (DVD FOREIGN WHI) 144 min. 2009.
In a north German village prior to the outbreak of World War I, strange events, accidents, and deaths are occurring. The citizens are beside themselves with worry and confusion. After the school teacher starts to unravel the mystery, he discovers that the children of the town may be guilty of the crimes and have formed a secret society that the local pastor's daughter appears to lead.
Wings of Desire (DVD FOREIGN WIN) In German or English with English, French, or Spanish captions. 128 min. 1987.
This is a romantic fantasy about an angel who wishes he were mortal and is willing to fall from the sky for a chance to fall in love. It is based on poems by Rainer Maria Rilke.
A Woman in Berlin (DVD FOREIGN WOM) 127 min. 2009.
Women become the victim of the Red Army invasion of Berlin in 1945. One of them, Anonyma, an educated woman, decides to look for an officer who can protect her. A complex symbiotic relationship develops between her and the Russian officer Andrej that will force them to remain enemies until the bitter end.
