1970s German Movies

Laura and Fabrizio have been meeting every summer in the forest by her parent's summer home. Fabrizio is a solitary boy with only his dog for company; Laura a sweet but unconfident child. This summer new aspects enter into their story as both are growing up. Laura is falling in love with Fabrizio, while he displays a new sexual awareness of her masked by his malice. Things develop further when they meet Sylvia who, unlike the innocent Laura, is confident and assertive. Fabrizio develops a fascination with her, eventually bribing Laura to fetch her to the forest to join them in play.

With sometimes painful directness, Valie Export conducts a psychological investigation of the body in this film performance, externalizes an internal state. In front of a police photo showing two children who were sexually abused by their parents, she tortuously cuts into her cuticles until blood drips into a bowl of milk on her lap. On top of the symbolic plane of blood and milk, the physical effect on the viewer of her destructive act of self-mutilation is extreme.

In 1924, Oskar Matzerath is born in the Free City of Danzig. At age three, he falls down a flight of stairs and stops growing. In 1939, World War II breaks out.

A real estate agent leaves behind his beautiful wife to go to Transylvania to visit the mysterious Count Dracula and formalize the purchase of a property in Wismar.

Schroeter's virtuosic staging of the Oscar Wilde tragedy is a complex montage of image and sound, filmed on the grand steps of Baalbeck, the ancient Roman temple in Lebanon, and interweaving Lebanese and German folk songs with the music of Verdi, Wagner, Strauss, Mozart, Bellini, and Donizetti. Elfi Mikesch, the cinematographer of Schroeter’s later films, designed the film’s sumptuous costumes. A contemporary critic for Le Monde wrote admiringly of Schroeter’s depiction of "the deadly struggle between dark Christian morality and luminous paganism.“

Young Jim Hawkins finds himself serving with pirate captain Long John Silver in search of a buccaneer's treasure, in this short adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's classic tale.

The story of two young lovers takes a tragic turn as the girl falls in love with the boy's father.

People meet and chat at Ridolfo's Coffeehouse; the conversations are mostly about money, but also about feelings, ideals, friendship, love, fidelity and respectability.

Set in contemporary Vienna, the film involves a photographer, Anna, who discovers that extraterrestrial beings are colonizing the minds of her fellow citizens by raising the human aggression quotient. The outer world immediately becomes disjointed, yet the inner world does too, as Anna and her lover, Peter, try to hang onto their deteriorating relationship.

Le Quang Vinh, a revolutionary student leader, was arrested in Saigon in August 1961. A show trial and death sentence followed. World-wide protests altered it to “life imprisonment” on Con Son, the Devil’s Island. The humiliating “Tiger-Cages” and the methods of torture are shown.

A few decades after the destruction of the Inca Empire, a Spanish expedition led by the infamous Aguirre leaves the mountains of Peru and goes down the Amazon River in search of the lost city of El Dorado. When great difficulties arise, Aguirre’s men start to wonder whether their quest will lead them to prosperity or certain death.

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A man who is dissatisfied with his senseless existence in his family-life and social status steals the uniform of a policeman and then enters the Oktoberfest. Now he is somebody, he is important, he can help, people respect him, etc. His wife, other relatives and some friends start to follow him while he gets some new acquaintances.

Once upon a time, a young princess set out for a distant kingdom with her maid and her faithful, talking horse, Fallada, to marry the young prince. But along the way, the deceitful maid turns against her mistress, steals her clothes and identity, and takes her place as the princess. Thus, the wicked maid arrives at the royal court as the supposed bride, while the true princess, dressed in a servant’s clothes, is forced to tend the geese. But Kürdchen, the young goose herder, soon notices something very special about his new companion: whenever she makes her hair, the goose girl can command the wind! When the old king learns of this, he sets out to uncover the truth! A short film produced by Ullstein AV for distribution through the Foto-Quelle catalog of the period, based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale.

Michael considers himself a genius criminal and plans the big coup. He forms three new gangs who know nothing about each other and each only know part of his plan. In the background Michael pulls the strings and mercilessly plays the actors on his stage against each other. This strategy also poses unsolvable problems for the police until something goes wrong and the house of cards collapses.

A chubby-born young capitalist goes to the Riviera with three bums and casual laborers to successfully use his grandfather's surefire system in French casinos.

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A mature, rich and bored woman called Elisabeth is taking a ride with the “Rheingold”, a first-class high-speed train of the seventies along the river Rhine. In the train she is meeting her old school mate and lover who is working as a waiter and falls in love with him again. Her husband, a busy politician, realizes what’s going on and tries to catch the train to face his wife and her lover in a fatal showdown.

In 1864, American soldiers massacre a Cheyenne village at Sand Creek. Disgusted by the massacre, Harmonika, one of the soldiers, deserts the army and is captured by the Indians. At first, the Cheyenne hold him responsible for the murder of the wife and the son of their chief Grauer Esel, but soon Harmonika obtains the tribe′s confidence.

Eva is the object of rich Sugar Daddy's affection. But while he showers her with gifts, she wants someone younger - namely Erich, who's more her style. Learning that Eva has left, the Sugar Daddy sends his chauffeur, Theo, to find her and Erich.

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A wealthy author's second wife begins to suspect that her 12-year old stepson may have murdered his mother, who mysteriously died in a bathtub accident.

The charm of the beautiful Jonny is of a frightening effectiveness on the women. He uses it to create his company which offers his talents to lonely ladies. His business is going great and he is getting rich. But will Jonny be able to provide quality services for a long time?

Mischa Gallé's first film was made in 1971, but not picked up and shown until 1975.

The story of a philanderer behind the wheel of a cab, who gets into a series of hilarious but also adventurous situations, was based on the actual experiences of Berlin cab drivers. It is an entertaining portrayal of how the main protagonist, Eddy, is to be cleverly dissuaded from his dashing bachelor life. Gaby and her grandpa come up with a few ideas. This is necessary, because Eddy may be a proper cab driver, but in his private life he knows no rules when it comes to winning over pretty girls.

Down-on-his-luck Hollywood producer Barry 'Dutch' Detweiler attempts to lure Fedora, a famous but reclusive film actress, out of retirement, only to discover the horrifying truth behind her success.

It is 1943, and the German army—ravaged and demoralised—is hastily retreating from the Russian front. In the midst of the madness, conflict brews between the aristocratic yet ultimately pusillanimous Captain Stransky and the courageous Corporal Steiner. Stransky is the only man who believes that the Third Reich is still vastly superior to the Russian army. However, within his pompous persona lies a quivering coward who longs for the Iron Cross so that he can return to Berlin a hero. Steiner, on the other hand is cynical, defiantly non-conformist and more concerned with the safety of his own men rather than the horde of military decorations offered to him by his superiors.

The German ambassador to a small republic is expecting the visit of his Minister of Development. When the visit is called off, the Ambassador persuades two tourists to take over the role of Ambassador.

A divorced thirtysomething woman fights a losing battle in Munich to attain belated self-fulfillment. The die is cast in a briskly impersonal society geared to male dominance and early training for career women.

Witty, fun, intoxicating film of Johann Strauss II's popular operetta, based on a stage production from Vienna State Opera; this is a showcase for the entire cast, but most especially Eberhard Wächter as the insufferably boorish Gabriel Eisenstein, and Gundula Janowitz as his long-suffering wife. Open the champagne, have yourself some torte, and enjoy this delectable comedy from Vienna.

Guests at a clubhouse talk about their erotic experiences.

A famous poet who hasn't written a word in two years unconsciously plagiarizes the work of Stefan George, while dealing with several mistresses, his dimwitted brother, and a murder investigation.

In search of happiness, a young man named Ferdinand does not flee from the countryside to the city, but in the opposite direction. He rents a room from the operators of a small gas station and discovers the scrap parts of an old airplane. From then on, he dreams of flying and enlists the help of his friend Ike. Together, they manage to get the wreck of the old biplane back into working order.

Once upon a time, a widow had two daughters: the lazy and wicked Blackmarie, her own beloved child, and the hardworking and kind Blondmarie, her despised stepdaughter. One day, Blondmarie—who was made to do all the housework—drops her spindle into the well, which had become stained with blood. When she leaps in after it, she finds herself in Mother Hulda’s otherworldly realm. There, Blondmarie diligently shakes out the old woman’s bedding, making it snow all over the world, and helps her with the housework. As a reward, Mother Hulda showers her with gold. Envious of her stepsister’s newfound wealth, Blackmarie then jumps into the well and enters Mother Hulda’s service. But laziness has its just reward! A short film produced by Ullstein AV for distribution through the Foto-Quelle catalog of the period, based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale.

The story of Ulzana, an Apache chief who has reached a rapprochement with the local Mexican population and generously extends it to whites who travel through the territory. His people have become inured to the treacherous ways of the white man, however, and are now reliant on them for booze, 'relief flour' and beef steak.

Recorded during a presentation of the "Performance Art Festival" in the Modern Art Galerie, Vienna. The presentation was officially put to an end by the police because of the infernal sound made by the accompanying noise orchestra. In this film short shots have been "mounted" in the camera. The film material is shown twice, whereas the sound is composed over the entire length of the film (out of elements of the real sound from the performance). (E.S.jr.)

Shot under extreme conditions and inspired by Mayan creation theory, the film contemplates the illusion of reality and the possibility of capturing for the camera something which is not there. It is about the mirages of nature—and the nature of mirage.

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In 1930s New York, Morris Bober runs a grocery store that barely keeps his head above water. When his store is robbed one day and the few takings from the till are stolen, his wife Ida and daughter Helen continue to run the store until one day a young man turns up...