German Films

Advertising Rules!
Lars Kraume
Viktor Vogel is a young, new marketing man who seems to have it all: a dream job and a beautiful girlfriend. But those two entities collide when he pitches his girlfriend's fine art concept for a multi-million dollar ad campaign. Will his first big job be his last? This quirky comedy was also released as Viktor Vogel: Commercial Man. In German with English subtitles. The DVD is letterboxed, and includes optional English and French audio, multilingual subtitle options, "making of" documentary, deleted scenes, trailers, and more. Germany, 2001, 108 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Aimee & Jaguar
Max Farberbock
A Jewish woman, active in the resistance movement and working as a spy at a Nazi Newspaper, begins a passionate lesbian affair with an upper class German housewife in this erotic drama based on a true story. Maria Schrader and Juliane Kohler shared the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival for their performances as the daring couple. "Schrader and Kohler feed off each other beautifully, the intensity of their dynamic growing with every scene" (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times). In German with English subtitles. Germany, 1999, 125 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

As Far as My Feet Will Carry Me
Hardy Martins
Based on a true story and a bestselling novel, this exciting adventure recounts the incredible journey of WWII German soldier Clemens Forell, who escaped from a Siberian labor camp and traveled 8000 miles over three years in a quest to be reunited with his family. Hardy Martins directed this epic tale of the untiring spirit of survival. In German and Russian with English subtitles. Germany, 2001, 158 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

The Architects
Peter Kahane
Peter Kahane's sobering snapshot of life on the east side of the Berlin wall depicts the trials of a young architect (Kurt Naumann) who is hired to design a miniature city on the fringes of Berlin. Diving headfirst into the project, Daniel (Naumann) alienates himself from his family and friends. Kahane crafted The Architects in the waning days of East Berlin's existence, and his film--which captures a "pervasive, soul-deadening dreariness" (Stephen Holden, The New York Times)--is a vital and telling artifact from the era. The DVD includes short film (A Regular DEFA Film?) about Peter Kahane, director interview, text interview with screenwriter Thomas Knauf, introductory essay, trailer, set design sketches, photo gallery, biographies and filmographies, and more. In German with English subtitles. East Germany, 1990, 97 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Beyond Silence
Caroline Link
Winner for Best Picture honors at the 1997 Tokyo International Film Festival and nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the 1998 Academy Awards, this inspiring film tells the story of a child of deaf parents who discovers her gift for music. Given a clarinet as a young girl, Lara grows up divided between worlds of sound and silence and tries to find a place for herself in both. "Beyond Silence is one of those films that helps us escape our box of time and space and understand what it might be like to live in someone else's" (Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times). German with English subtitles. Germany, 1996, 107 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

The Blue Angel (German)
Josef von Sternberg
Josef von Sternberg's classic adaptation of Heinrich Mann's novel about a repressed school teacher (Emil Jannings) who is seduced and destroyed by his demonic obsession for nightclub singer Lola Lola (Marlene Dietrich). "The film echoes the cynicism and hopelessness of the times. As a result, the story is extremely caustic and unforgiving: the desperate voice of a country in turmoil" (Strictly Film School). The DVD includes the definitive, restored German (106 mins.) and English (94 mins.) versions; audio commentary by Werner Sudendorf of the Berlin Film Museum; Marlene Dietrich's original screen test; original and reissue theatrical trailers; Dietrich concert and interview footage; photo gallery and more. In German with English subtitles. Germany, 1930, 106 mins.
DVD | $54.95  

The Blue Hour
Marcel Gisler
The third feature by Swiss-born Marcel Gisler looks at male prostitution and at gay men who sleep with women. Gisler tells the story of an odd affair between two Berliners: Theo, a hip young callboy, and Marie, his French neighbor. With Andreas Herder, Dina Leipzig and Cyrill Rey-Coquais. In German with English subtitles. Germany, 1991, 87 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

The Boat Is Full
Markus Imhoof
A raw but potent tale of courage in the face of adversity, Markus Imhoof's period drama follows a group of Jewish refugees desperately seeking asylum in Switzerland during WWII. As families with small children pile into a boat commissioned for the trip, the group is forced to reckon with cramped quarters, suspicious authorities, and the threat of death. Nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film. "Something of a revelation... fresh, purposeful, and surprising at every turn" (Janet Maslin, The New York Times). In German with English subtitles. Germany, 1981, 100 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Bungalow
Ulrich Kohler
In Ulrich Kohler's first feature film, the director perfectly captures the angst and alienation of youth in this droll German drama. Paul (Lennie Burmeister)--more slacker than soldier--goes AWOL from the German army and returns to his parents' summer home. There he falls for his brother's girlfriend, a Danish B-movie actress. As offbeat as it is low key, Bungalow offers a window into the restless yet idle world of modern youth. "The moving and minimalistic film of Ulrich Kohler is a throwback to the New Wave of the 60's...a genuine discovery" (Cahiers du Cinema). Includes Kohler's short Rakete (1999), interviews with director and cast, trailer, and more. In German with English subtitles. Germany, 2002, 82 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

The Child I Never Was
Kai S. Pieck
Sebastian Urzendowsky plays Jurgen Bartsch, a real-life figure who abused, tortured, and killed four German schoolboys before he turned 19. After he was apprehended and found guilty, Bartsch recounted his childhood and crimes in a series of comprehensive and dispassionate essays which frame the narrative of the film. Through narration and dramatization, Urzendowsky recounts the grim details of Bartsch's heinous crimes and the motivation behind them. "A constructive look at a lonely boy's damaged logic and its hideous results" (Ned Martel, New York Times). In German with English subtitles. Germany, 2004, 83 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Christiane F.
Uli Edel
Based on a true story that touched a collective nerve with the German public, this is a convincingly grim portrait of a 14-year-old girl who loses herself in the dangerous drug scene of West Berlin in the 1970s. A harrowing look at the lifestyle of self-destruction, this was the debut feature of Uli Edel (Last Exit to Brooklyn). David Bowie appears as himself and performs "Heroes," "Stay," "TVC15" and other songs. In German with English subtitles. West Germany, 1981, 130 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach
Jean-Marie Straub/Daniele Huillet
Christiane Lang plays Anna Magdalena Bach, the impoverished widow of the brilliant composer Johann Sebastian Bach (Gustav Leonhardt) in this austere biographical film. Narrated from Anna Magdalena's point of view, the film recounts the couple's tumultuous relationship and the musician's rampant discontent with their marriage. The highlights, naturally, are performances of some of Bach's finest works. "A masterpiece. This film is music" (Richard Roud, Sight and Sound). In German with English subtitles. Germany 1968 93 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

College Girl Murders
Alfred Vohrer
An eerie entry in the German krimi series, this murder mystery unfolds at a female boarding school where the pretty co-eds are dropping like flies. A whip-wielding monk, a Bible filled with poison gas, and a mysterious man who loves to feed alligators are just a few of the eyebrow-raising discoveries that investigators find as they attempt to piece together the puzzle. Based on a short story by Edgar Wallace. In German with English subtitles. West Germany 1968 87 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Das Boot:
Wolfgang Petersen Wolfgang Petersen's riveting, claustrophobic, German U-Boat warfare drama is presented in its original widescreen theatrical release ratio. This version also includes a newly redesigned digital soundtrack. With Juergen Prochnow, Herbert Gruenemeyer and Klaus Wennemann. The Original Uncut Version is a two-disc set (293 mins.), and includes a behind-the-scenes featurette. German with English subtitles. West Germany, 1981, 209 mins.
DVD - The Director's Cut
Letterboxed, DD5.1/DSS. English, French & Spanish subtitles.
$37.95  
DVD - The Original Uncut Version
The Original Uncut Version (293 mins.). Two-DVD set. Letterboxed. Includes a behind-the-scenes featurette.
$59.95  

December Kisses
Gabriel Bornstein
A passionate love story drives this intense tale of a desperate man on the lam (Freddy) taken in by his old friend (Thomas), a kindhearted clergyman. Freddy is secretly nursed back to health in the bell tower of Thomas' church by the innocent, beautiful daughter of the priest, who is immediately drawn to this dark stranger. While Thomas fends off investigators, a tender, burgeoning relationship grows above him. Upon discovering his daughter's plan to leave with Freddy once he is fully recovered, Thomas must confront his own beliefs; does his compassion for his injured friend extend to his own daughter's love? In German with English subtitles. Germany, 2003, 88 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Dog Days
Ulrich Seidl
In his first fiction film, controversial documentarian Ulrich Seidl (Models, Animal Love) provides a harsh critique on the complacency and emptiness of suburbia. With an unsettlingly voyeurism, Dog Days weaves together six stories of devastated lives in a Vienna suburb during a harsh summer heat wave. As the "dog days" wear on, the lives sink deeper into despair, aggression and abuse. Winner of the Golden Lion at the 2001 Venice Film Festival. "An engrossing and disturbing film" (Elvis Mitchell, The New York Times). Uncut version. The DVD is letterboxed, and includes an interview with Ulrich Seidel, the theatrical trailer, and optional English subtitles. In German with English subtitles. Austria, 2001, 121 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Don't Look for Me
Tilman Zens
A noir-tinged German thriller about a female assassin (Lea Mornar) on the verge of retiring after one to many brush-ups with death. Her boss is willing to let her go if she takes care of one final hit. "The flashing-eyed Mornar carries the movie with a cool sense of style" (Variety). Also known as Such Mich Nicht. In German with English subtitles. Germany, 2004, 84 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Downfall
Oliver Hirschbiegel
Oliver Hirschbiegel's dramatization of the final days of Adolf Hitler's life was met at first with skepticism and criticism, then embraced as a riveting tour-de-force of historical and psychological filmmaking. Bruno Ganz (Wings of Desire) plays Hitler in a convincing, harrowing fashion--his performance captures the Fuhrer's mix of twisted logic, gnawing frustration, and raving anger as he hunkers down in his Berlin bunker and awaits the inevitable end of the Third Reich. An Academy Award Nominee for Best Foreign Language Film (2004). DVD includes director commentary, making-of featurette, cast and crew interviews, and more. In German with English subtitles. Germany 2004 110 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

The Farewell
Jan Schutte
A dark, moody examination of playwright Bertolt Brecht (Josef Bierbichler) and his inner circle of friends on the final day of their 1956 summer vacation in Brecht's East German country house. Director Jan Schutte looks at the lovers in Brecht's life (who comprise most of the cottage's guest list) and the deep love and hate he inspired in them, against the backdrop of the Stasi's plan to arrest one of Brect's guests, political dissent Wolfgang Harich. The DVD is letterboxed and includes biographies of Brecht and his wife Helene Weigel, trailer, and more. In German with English subtitles. Germany 2000 93 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Four Minutes
Chris Kraus
In Four Minutes, or Vier Minuten, Monica Bleibtreu has been numbed by decades of teaching piano to the inmates of a women's prison. Her creative juices start flowing again when Hannah Herzsprung arrives at her bench. Though incarcerated for murder, this young, beautiful, and prodigious inmate has the requisite skills and the stern mentor needed to get her out of lock-up, if temporarily, to play in competition. However, the girl's violent streak repeatedly sabotages this goal. The Night Porter-esque sexual overtones aren't helping much, either. "This is a blood on the keys piano psychodrama" (LA Weekly). Winner of two Lola Awards, including Best Picture. In German with English subtitles. Germany, 2006, 112 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Francisca
Eva Lopez-Sanchez
A former informant for the German secret police moves to Mexico and assumes a new identity. When apprehended by the Mexican government, the fugitive is forced to infiltrate a militant political group to avoid deportation. While undercover, he falls in love with a young activist and puts his mission in danger. Starring Ulrich Noethen, Fabiola Campomanes, Arcelia Ramirez and Julio Bracho. In Spanish with English subtitles. Germany/Mexico/Spain, 2002, 88 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Fratricide (Brudermord)
Yilmaz Arslan
Turkish filmmaker Yilmaz Arslan (Yara) directs this violent, controversial picture about four young Turkish and Kurdish exiles who meet in Germany, setting off a chain of explosive events. "Well-wrought, beautifully lensed...veers between moments of sensitive humanism and horrifying brutality" (Village Voice). With Xevat Gectan, Erdal Celik, Nurretin Celik, and Bulent Buyukasik. In Turkish, Kurdish, and German with English subtitles. Luxembourg/Germany/France, 2005, 92 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Free Radicals (Bose Zellen)
Barbara Albert
Barbara Albert's ensemble drama explores the seemingly random interactions that occur between individuals connected to Manu, an Austrian woman who miraculously survives a plane crash to die years later in a banal and unexpected auto accident. Engrossed by questions of fate and chance, Albert crafts a rich character mosaic in the tradition of Robert Altman and P.T. Anderson's Magnolia. An intelligent, viscerally intellectual exercise in ensemble acting and associative montage, enlivened with some terrific visual and dramatic ideas" (J. Hoberman, Village Voice). DVD ncludes interview with Barbara Albert, "making-of" featurette, trailers, and stills gallery. In German with English subtitles. Austria, 2003, 120 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

The Free Will
Matthias Glasner
Winner of a Silver Berlin Bear at the 2006 Berlin Film Festival, this challenging and dark German drama deals with the fragile relationship that develops between a "reformed" rapist (Juergen Vogel) and a younger female victim of abuse (Sabine Timoteo) he meets while on parole. "Strong, powerful, and disturbing...a critique of a sexualized society" (Ian Johnston, Bright Lights Film Journal). Directed, co-written, co-produced, co-photographed, and co-edited by Matthias Glasner. In German with optional English subtitles. Includes filmmaker commentary, original theatrical trailer, and a new essay by film critic David Fear. Germany, 2006, 163 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Fuehrer Ex
Winfried Bonengel
Winifred Bonengel's film takes a harrowing look at neo-Nazism in 1980s East Berlin. Based on the experiences of co-screenwriter Ingo Hasselbach, the plot centers on a pair of friends, Heiko (Christian Blumel) and Tommy (Aaron Hildebrand), whose failed plan to escape the Iron Curtain lands them in prison and fuels their hatred. A compelling and unflinching examination of how personal and political forces work to shape friendships and lives. In German with English subtitles. Germany 2002 105 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Funny Games
Michael Haneke
An unnerving, controversial exploration of violence from the director of The Seventh Continent and Benny's Video. A wealthy couple and their young son arrive at their seemingly peaceful summer home and soon find themselves at the mercy of a pair of inexplicably calm and cruel young men, who torment them with their "funny games." The perspective of the film shifts to suggest second-hand audience participation in the horror. "It's an uncomfortable, distressing, and altogether provocative take on the global culture of media violence that not only draws the hapless viewer in, but also forces them into the role of fait accompli, like it or not" (Marc Savlov, The Austin Chronicle). Winner for Best Director at the 1997 Chicago International Film Festival. German with English subtitles. Letterboxed. Austria, 1997, 103 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Geburtig
Lukas Stepanik/Robert Schindel
The past catches up with two men, a Jewish emigrant composer Hermann Geburtig and the German journalist Konrad Sachs, in this award-winning tale. While Geburtig is being persuaded by a Viennese journalist to return to his hometown and give evidence in court against a former concentration camp supervisor, Sachs is forced to finally face the agonizing reality that he is the son of a high-ranking SS doctor. In German with English subtitles. Austria, 2002, 100 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Germany, Pale Mother
Helma Sanders-Brahms
A beautiful, painfully moving account of writer-director Helma Sanders-Brahms' childhood, made to show her own daughter a Germany beyond Hitler and the Holocaust. Deutschland Bleiche Mutter traces the history of Germany from an extremely personal and distinctly feminist point of view. The film begins on the eve of the German invasion of Poland, as a newly-married young woman (Eva Mattes) sees her husband (Ernst Jacobi) sent off to the Eastern front. She and her daughter (Elisabeth Stepanek) struggle for survival throughout the war, only to face a husband who, when he returns, wreaks emotional havoc on the family. "Sanders-Brahms records life experiences which are gender-specific and typically absent from the male version of history" (Anton Kaes, The Oxford History of World Cinema. In German with English subtitles. West Germany, 1980, 123 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Gloomy Sunday
Rolf Schubel
Rolf Schubel's melodrama is loosely based on the true story of a haunting song that's said to have caused a rash of suicides in pre-WWII Hungary. Stefano Dionisi stars as Andras Aradi, an enigmatic pianist who's hired on to play at a classy Budapest restaurant. The brooding musician quickly sparks the interest of the restaurant's hostess (Erika Marozsan), and the pair embarks on a menage-a-trois with the establishment's Jewish owner (Joachim Krol). The tune Andras pens for his new lover is the one that causes more than 150 Hungarians to take their lives. "...has a mood and magic about it that elicit emotion from the beginning and make an audience follow it down its curving path" (San Francisco Chronicle). Includes 5.1 sound and English, French, and Spanish subtitle options. In English, German, and Hungarian with English subtitles. Germany/Hungary, 1999, 112 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Go For Zucker
Dani Levy
Winner of six German Film Awards, this screwball comedy hearkens back to the days of Lubitsch and Wilder. Pool shark and relentless hustler Jaeckie Zucker (Henry Hubchen) is up to his neck in debt, so the news that his deceased mother has left him a sizable inheritance comes as a pleasant surprise. In order to cash in, however, the godless Zucker and his gentile wife must pass as observant Jews for his ultra-Orthodox brother. "Peppered with wacky spunk and delicate panache" (Boston Herald). In German with English subtitles. Germany, 2004, 91 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Gunshy (Schussangst)
Dito Tsintsadze
Fabian Hinrichs plays the "gunshy" loner at the center of this terrific German thriller. A withdrawn loner with pacifist convictions, Lukas (Hinrichs) finds his world turned upside down by a mysterious note dropped into his lap by a stranger. After dropping the note, Isabella (Lavina Wilson) leads Lukas on a trip through the city's red light district, detailing her troubled relationship with her abusive stepfather. It's a journey that starts Lukas on a chilling descent into violence. "Provocative and poignant, it's a film that bristles in the mind long after the inevitable conclusion hits the mark" (Jamie Russell, BBC). In German with English subtitles. Germany, 2003, 105 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

The Harmonists
Joseph Vilsmaier
A dramatization of the rise and fall of a wildly popular German vocal group that was disbanded as the Nazi's persecution of Jews escalated. The Comedian Harmonists were beloved for their comic and romantic songs performed in intricate harmony and they were on the brink of international superstardom when fate intervened. Winner of five German Film Awards, including Outstanding Feature Film. In German with English subtitles. Germany, 1997, 115 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Head-On
Fatih Akin
Fatih Akin's award-winner is an energized story of love, regret and redemption that follows the mismatched marriage between two Turks that stretches from Hamburg to Istanbul. Meeting in a psychiatric clinic, the self-destructive leads, Cahit and Sibil, decide to dive into a marriage of convenience, with each free to live an independent life filled with drink, drug and anonymous sex. The platonic nature of their relationship is tested, though, as they spend more time together and apart. With a punk rock heart that pumps both violently and amorously, Head On signals the arrival of a significant talent in Akin. Winner of the Golden Bear at the 2004 Berlin International Film Festival. The DVD is letterboxed and includes deleted scene, making-of featurette, trailer, and outtakes. Germany/Turkey 2003 122 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Heimat
Edgar Reitz
While America watched Roots, Germany watched Heimat with the same mixture of pride and shame that held a nation spellbound. The riveting 16-hour film was the sensation of the Munich, London and Venice Film Festivals and a huge hit in France and Germany. It is the incredible interlocking saga of a German family from the end of World War I to 1982. Ambitious, grand, yet very intimate, Heimat is an incredible motion picture chronicle--an immersion in the lives, loves and tragedies of the extended Simon family. Shot over two years, the film features 28 leading performers, 140 speaking roles and a cast of 5,000 non-professional actors. 6-DVD set. Includes video introduction by film scholar Marc Silberman and Facets Cine-Notes collectible booklet. In German with English subtitles. West Germany 1984 924 mins.
DVD | $129.95  

Heimat 2
Edgar Reitz
"Staggeringly rich...The Second Heimat, which runs 25 hours, forms, with its predecessor, a magnificent, nearly unprecedented 'film novel': a portrait of Germany in the 20th century with few equals in either film or literature...outlandishly ambitious...an often dazzling success. That [Edgar] Reitz is able to sustain growth and tension, inexorable flow and translucent clarity through the entire vast length, and hold audiences rapt...seems something of a miracle. The story is of Maria's son, Herrmann Simon, and his life in Munich from 1960 to 1970. There, a brilliant young modernist musician and composer, he falls in with an incandescent circle of young students, artists, rebels and lovers--all brought shatteringly to life by Reitz and a splendid cast of actors and musicians...The Second Heimat may be the screen's finest portrayal of youth in the '60s" (Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune). 7-DVD set. Includes TV spots, introduction by film scholar Marc Silberman, and Facets Cine-Notes booklet. In German with English subtitles. Germany, 1994, 1416 mins.
DVD | $179  

I Am Guilty (Falscher Bekenner)
Christoph Hochhausler
The coproducer of Dogville and the producer of The Syrian Bride backed this darkly comical festival favorite about a fresh out of college teenager, Armin, with no job in sight and two nagging parents. Disaffected, he takes it upon himself to send an anonymous confession to a newspaper for a crime he didn't commit. There, the line between Armin's acts of rebellion and his violent fantasies becomes impenetrably blurred. Un Certain Regard at Cannes. In German with English subtitles. Germany, 2005, 87 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

The Inheritors
Walter Bannert
Walter Bannert exposes the terrifying resurgence of neo-fascist groups as 16-year-old Thomas is drawn into a neo-Nazi youth group in contemporary Austria. Winner of numerous festival prizes, The Inheritors is a terrifying psychological study. "Extraordinary, strong and perceptive" (New York Post). Austria, 1984, 89 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

In July
Fatih Akin
Love hits the road in this charming romantic comedy that stretches from Hamburg, Germany to Istanbul, Turkey. Daniel (Moritz Bleibtreu, Run Lola Run) is a mild school teacher whose life drastically changes when he falls madly in love with a beautiful Turkish woman and spontaneously decides to follow her to Istanbul. En route, he spots a hitchhiker who turns out to be his old friend, Juli (Christiane Paul), who has harbored a life-long crush on Daniel. When she learns of his mission, she takes a chance on what could be her last chance at love and attempts to win his heart. In German with English subtitles. Germany, 2000, 96 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Jacob the Liar
Frank Beyer
Facing starvation or deportation to the Nazi death camps, the residents of a Polish ghetto during World War II live without hope until Jacob begins to pass on good, though mostly false, news. His gift for storytelling, however, cannot change the heartbreaking fate of his neighbors. A touching blend of humor and tragedy. Vlastimil Brodsky won Best Actor honors at the Berlin International Film Festival and the film was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Foreign Language Film. With Armin Mueller-Stahl in a supporting role. The film was remade in 1999 with Robin Williams in the title role. DVD comes with documentary on Frank Beyer, theatrical trailer, biographies, photos, multi-language subtitles. German with English subtitles. East Germany, 1974, 96 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Jargo
Maria Solrun
Udo Kier stars in this unusual coming-of-age drama by Icelandic director Maria Solrun. After learning of his father's sudden suicide, Jargo (Constantin von Jascheroff) moves with his mother from their home in Saudi Arabia to Berlin. The young man has trouble adjusting to his new surroundings, although he gets some help from his father's ghost (Kier), who occasionally pops in for a late-night chat. Solrun brings a flare for magical realism to a lively, bittersweet, fish-out-of-water tale. With Oktay Ozdemir, Josefine Preuss, Marc Hosemann, and Nora von Waldstatten. In German with English subtitles. Germany/Iceland, 2004, 90 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Journey to Kafiristan
Fosco Dubini/Donatello Dubini
This beautifully photographed film tells the true story of two women who traveled from Switzerland to Afghanistan while Europe was on the brink of WWII. One woman is searching for a tribe of nomads in the Kafiristan Valley, while the other is trying to run away from her morphine addiction. Along the way, the two are drawn together in a passionate affair. Stars Jeanette Hain and Nina Petri (Run Lola Run). In German with English subtitles. Germany/Switzerland/Denmark, 2001, 100 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Kaspar Hauser
Peter Sehr
One of the greatest mysteries of his age: a 16-year-old youth was found abandoned in Nuremberg, Germany, unable to walk, write or speak. He became renowned as "a wild child," and as the object of scientific study. The case inspired over 2,000 books as well as the acclaimed film by Werner Herzog, Every Man for Himself and God Against All. Now filmmaker Peter Sehr makes a compelling film which looks at Kaspar Hauser in a social and historical context: as the crown prince of Baden, abducted as a child in the name of political intrigue, and raised in a dungeon. "A tour de force of wit, originality and poignancy" (Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times). German with English subtitles. Germany, 1994, 137 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Kebab Connection
Sinan Akkus/Anno Saul
Written by Head-On director Fatih Akin, this German genre-splicer shares with the frenetic plotlines of Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob movies while mixing kung-fu, ethnic comedy, and a little bit of Romeo & Juliet-style romance into what amounts to a highly enjoyable, cohesive film. The story revolves around Ibo, a young Turk with a pregnant German girlfriend, a pair of disapproving parents, his dreams of directing kung-fu films, and a one-way ticket to trouble in between two rival kebab impresarios. "Cheery slapstick . . . Timing is immaculate" (The Chicago Reader). Official selection at the Berlin Film Festival. In German with English subtitles. Germany, 2005, 96 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Killer Condom
Martin Walz
You'll never look at your Trojans in the same way after seeing this off-the-wall German comedy about a carnivorous condom that chomps its way through several victims before a gay detective uncovers the cult of supervillains who designed it. Based on Ralph Konig's best-selling comic book. "...a bizarre, touching, provocative, and funny piece of work" (Andrea Chase, Movie Magazine International). DVD includes audio commentary by director and special effects artist, production stills, Troma studio tour and more. German with English subtitles. Germany 1996 81 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

The Kommissar X Collection
Gianfranco Parolini/Rudolf Zehetgruber
The Kommissar X novels were a popular series of German paperbacks that became the basis for several successful, low-budget action films starring Brad Harris as Interpol agent Captain Rowland, and Tony Kendall as private eye Joe Walker. In Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill (Gianfranco Parolini, West Germany/Italy/Yugoslavia, 1966, 92 mins.), the duo are out to find who's killing powerful businessmen. In Death Is Nimble, Death Is Quick (Rudolf Zehetgruber, Austria/France/Italy, 1966, 95 mins.), the two heroes are called to investigate a murder, which they trace to a sinister criminal group called "Three Yellow Cats." In So Darling, So Deadly (Gianfranco Parolini, Yugoslavia/Italy/Austria/West Germany, 1966, 88 mins.), Rowland and Walker find themselves in Singapore trying to stop an evil crime organization from getting their grimy hands on a death ray! In German with English subtitles. 1966, 270 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Lea
Ivan Fila
After witnessing her father murder her mother, a young Slovak girl named Lea (Lenka Vlasakova) is stricken mute, communicating only through writing and poetry. She is again thrust into a strange world when her foster parents arrange her marriage to a much older gentleman (Christian Redl) who also suffers a traumatic past. Their relationship seems doomed, but a bond soon grows as they learn more about each other. Also stars Hanna Schygulla, Udo Kier and Miroslav Donutil. "...the film has the awful radiance of a bittersweet fable, the timeless kind that rings psychologically true and feels emotionally uplifting without once striking a false or sentimental note" (Rick Groen, Globe and Mail). In German and Slovak with English subtitles. Germany, 1996, 96 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

The Legend of Paul and Paula
Heiner Carow
One of the most popular of all East German films, The Legend of Paul and Paula is both a romantic and an ironic view of love, with an underlying plea for individual freedom that resulted in the film being banned in certain districts of the country. Nonetheless, audiences flocked to the film, which features the music of German rock group The Puhdys to propel the story of a single saleswoman who has an affair with a married and complacent bureaucrat. A landmark film that remains beloved by German audiences today. In German with English subtitles. East Germany, 1973, 106 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Liberated Zone
Norbert Baumgarten
An economically depressed town in eastern Germany finds its collective fortune and libido rejuvenated upon the arrival of a superstar footballer. Micha is in a serious relationship with local beauty Sylvia, but while they profess to love each other and dream of their future together, secret affairs abound. As the championship soccer game approaches, tensions mount to a combustible level, leading to an unexpected climax. Johanna Klante and Florian Lukas star in "a very likeable comedy" (Variety). In German with English subtitles. Germany 2004 91 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

A Little Bit of Freedom (Kleine Freiheit)
Yuksel Yavuz
In this spirited drama from Turkish-born, German-based filmmaker Yuksel Yavuz, our hero, Baran (Cagdas Bozkurt), is a Kurdish teen who makes bicycle deliveries for a kebab shop while trying to outwit the German authorities that denied him political asylum after leaving Turkey. He strikes up a friendship with another outsider, an illegal African immigrant who deals drugs, and becomes the object of desire for his employer's daughter. Neither help him maintain a low profile. "Gritty yet never sordid, lively and affecting" (Lisa Nesselson, Variety). Nominated for the Max Ophuls Award at the Max Ophuls Festival. In German, Kurdish and Turkish with English subtitles. Germany, 2003, 97 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

The Lives of Others
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck
An Academy Award winner for Best Foreign Language Film, Das Leben der Anderen is writer-director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck's seductive and suspenseful recreation of an East Berlin under heavy government surveillance. The Stasi, a secret police and intelligence agency, is trying to create computer files on every citizen, most importantly opponents of the ruling party. It's customary for Wiesler (Ulrich Muehe), a stoic Stasi operative, to collect information on artists, intellectuals, and, in this case, playwright Dreyman (Sebastian Koch) and his actress-girlfriend (Martina Gedeck). However, in documenting their passionate lives, Wiesler's objectivity is irrevocably compromised. "Supremely intelligent, unfailingly honest movie" (A.O. Scott, The New York Times). Features the handsome, desaturated photography of Hagen Bogdanski. In German with English subtitles. Germany, 2006, 137 mins.
DVD | $24.95     Blu-Ray | $44.95  

Love in Thoughts
Achim von Borries
Set in 1927 Berlin, this poetic period romance is based on the real life Steglitz Student tragedy. While away at school, Paul (Daniel Bruhl), a shy, artistic boy from a working class family, finds himself drawn to the wealthy and charismatic Guenther (August Diehl). Their shared affinity for rebellion and passion causes them to form a tight-knit bond with dangerous implications. Achim von Borries (Goodbye, Lenin!) writes and directs a languid coming-of-age tale of doomed love. In German with English subtitles. Germany 2005 89 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Mostly Martha
Sandra Nettelbeck
A perfectionist German chef seems to have everything under control until a tragic accident leaves her 8-year-old niece in her care. Then the arrival of a passionate Italian assistant chef opens her heart to some of life's other recipes. "...a minor miracle...a literally and figuratively delicious entertainment of prodigious charm, warmth and decency" (Andrew Sarris, New York Observer). German with English subtitles. Germany/Italy, 2002, 106 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Munchhausen
Josef von Baky
Only the fourth color film made in Germany, Munchhausen employs a wide range of sensational special effects which amaze and amuse in the recounting of the adventures of the legendary hero Baron von Munchhausen. The action ranges from Venice to St. Petersburg to the moon and back, as the Baron (Hans Albers) travels by horse, balloon and cannonball. DVD includes a 1944 animated short on Munchhausen, "Die Abenteuer des Baron Munchhausen - eine Winterreise", the original trailer, a photo gallery, a gallery of Munchhausen images, two examples of Agfacolor films, and a behind-the-scenes documentary. German with English subtitles. Germany 1943 119 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Murderers Are Among Us
Wolfgang Staudte
The first feature film produced in post-war Germany addresses the troubled state of a nation coming to terms with its dark recent history. A woman returns from her internment in a concentration camp only to find her Berlin apartment occupied by a young doctor who served as an officer in the German army. Both end up living there, leading to a complicated series of attachments. The doctor is especially problematic. Traumatized by his wartime experiences, he decides to seek revenge against a former superior. Hildegard Knef and Ernst Wilhelm Borchert star. In German with English subtitles. Germany, 1946, 81 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

My Mother's Courage
Michael Verhoeven
Michael Verhoeven brings a peculiar, darkly humorous touch to this adaptation of Hungarian author George Tabori's autobiographical play and novel about his mother's close brush with fate during the Holocaust. Pauline Collins (Shirley Valentine) stars in the lead role of a Budapest housewife who is arrested and placed onboard a train bound for the concentration camps. At first convinced that her essential good nature will protect her, she learns some hard truths about human cruelty on her journey, even after she is spared from the camps. Author Tabori appears as himself, an unobserved narrator to the events on the screen. "My Mother's Courage shows that blue skies and sunshine can be as devastating as night and fog" (J. Hoberman, The Village Voice). In German with English subtitles. Germany, 1995, 88 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Nosferatu
Friedrich W. Murnau
The definitive vampire movie, and one of the most famous silent films of all time. One of Murnau's best known films, Nosferatu's eerie telling of the Dracula story was filmed on location in the mountains, towns, and castles of Bavaria. This German Expressionist "symphony of horror" is brilliantly infused with the subtle tones of nature: both pure and fresh, as well as twisted and sinister. Restored and color tinted, this version was remastered from a 35mm negative and includes inter-titles freshly translated from the original German script. Speed corrected. The DVD comes in two editions: 1) the Image DVD edition includes a new music score by The Silent Orchestra in 5.1 Dolby Digital audio with commentary by German silent film connoisseur Lokke Heiss; 2) the Kino DVD edition includes lengthy excerpts from six other Murnau films, a choice of two musical scores, scene comparison (novel, screenplay and film), and a photo gallery. Germany, 1922, 93 mins.
DVD - Image DVD edition
$44.95  
DVD - Kino DVD edition
$37.95  

November Moon
Alexandra von Grote
A Jewish woman flees her native Germany and tries to find safety in Paris. There, she finds refuge and romance in the home of a beautiful young French woman. Their already risky relationship becomes a matter of life and death when the Germans occupy the city. Keeping her lover in hiding, the determined Parisian takes a job with a Nazi newspaper in order to keep her lesbianism and Jewish sympathies a secret. An AGLA (Alliance for Gay and Lesbian Artists) Award winner. In German with English subtitles. West Germany/France, 1985, 106 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Nowhere in Africa
Caroline Link
Based on a Stefanie Zweig's autobiographical novel, this beautiful film by Caroline Link (Beyond Silence) follows an affluent Jewish family who flees Germany to escape the Holocaust, moving to a remote farm in Kenya. As the years go by and war ravages Europe, each family member uniquely adjusts to life away from the homeland. Winner of five German Film Awards and the 2002 Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award. "...an emotionally complex scenario laced with poignancy and conflict, urgency and compassion" (Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times). In German with English subtitles. The DVD is a two-disc set that comes with documentary interviews with the actors, director Carol Link, and novelist Stefanie Zweig. Germany, 2002, 138 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Otomo
Frieder Schlaich
A powerful, true story of a West African refugee's fight to survive in a German city that does not welcome him is told in this fictionalized reconstruction of the actual events. Frederic Otomo (Isaac de Bankole), an immigrant lacking the papers that would allow him to find proper employment, gets by with the aid of a Catholic charity. The target of verbal abuse and institutionalized racism, Otomo finally reaches his breaking point and physically assaults an intolerant subway attendant. Fleeing from the scene, he becomes the target of a city-wide manhunt. "A tough exploration of intolerance and dislocation" (A.O. Scott,The New York Times). In German with English subtitles. Germany, 1999, 84 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Our Hitler: A Film from Germany
Hans Jurgen Syberberg
"The most extraordinary film I have ever seen," says Susan Sontag of director Hans-Jurgen Syberberg's epic nightmare rumination on Adolf Hitler, the cultural mechanisms underlying his mythic rise, and the effect he continues to wield over Germany. In a series of 22 tableaux set on a soundstage, Syberberg makes use of puppets, props, a thundering Wagnerian soundtrack, and rear-screen projection to evoke the origins of the Third Reich, Nazi Germany, and the disturbing aftermath. Neither a feature film nor a conventional documentary, Hitler: Ein Film aus Deutschland is a seven-hour avant-garde fever dream on coming to terms with Nazism. Originally distributed by Francis Coppola's Zoetrope Studios, this notorious film was hailed by Coppola as a work that rendered all other films of the time obsolete. 2-DVD set. Fullscreen. B&W and color. Includes Facets Cine-Notes booklet with essays by Susan Sontag and others. In English and German with English subtitles. West Germany, 1977, 450 mins.
DVD | $99  

Punish Me
Angelina Maccarone
A 50-year-old social worker (Maren Kroymann) takes on the case of a teenage boy (Kostja Ullmann) with strong criminal record. Sensing he may be attracted to her, she persuades her husband, an auto repair shop owner, to give him a job so that she can keep a better eye on his whereabouts. Unfortunately, the attraction takes an unexpected turn with the young man taking on a fierce masochistic relationship with her. B&W. In German with English subtitles. Germany, 2006, 87 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

The Raspberry Reich
Bruce La Bruce
Sexploitation filmmaker Bruce LaBruce's inspired satire is "a lovingly overblown piece of terrorist-chic trashfilm" (Ed Halter, Village Voice). Susanne Sachsse plays an East German dominatrix in a revolutionary organization akin to the Baader-Meinhof gang. Mixing politics with sexuality, she forces her male minions to have sex with one another in order to subvert the heterosexual hegemony. A lewd and slyly effective lampoon of sexual and political norms. In German with English subtitles. Germany, 2004, 90 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Regular Guys (Echte Kerle)
Rolf Silber
After being dumped and thrown out by his girlfriend, Christoph, a straight policeman, goes on an all-night drinking binge and wakes up the next day in the arms of Edgar, a gay auto mechanic. Confused about what occurred during the drunken night, the now homeless Christoph moves in with Edgar, which puts a damper on his love life and leads to all kinds of gossip at the police station. "...a happily mixed-up romantic farce" (Philadelphia CityPaper). In German with English subtitles. Germany, 1996, 102 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

Requiem
Hans-Christian Schmid
Earning official selections at the Toronto, Berlin, and Seattle international film festivals, this striking Hans-Christian Schmid picture is a more suspenseful version of the true story behind The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Forsaking repelling horror for compelling drama, Requiem grabs hold of the viewer from the moment Michaela (Sandra Huller), a troubled epileptic, is introduced in her strictly religious small town. When she finally achieves some level of freedom while at university, however, she suffers an epileptic seizure and starts hearing voices and seeing grotesque faces, which her priest believes to be signs of possession. "Just as haunting as a horror film, and far more heartrending" (Newsday). In German with English subtitles. Germany, 2006, 89 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Salmonberries
Percy Adlon
German director Percy Adlon's haunting film features k.d. lang in her film debut. The story concerns a repressed East German librarian who escapes her oppressive surroundings after her lover is killed trying to scale the Berlin Wall. Devastated and grief stricken, Roswitha (Rosel Zech) travels to Alaska. Trapped in a grim, remote Eskimo outpost, she finds comfort and emotional fulfillment with the sexually ambiguous lang. "The most moving, unexpected love story of the year" (Hal Hinson, Washington Post). The DVD is letterboxed, and includes a k.d. lang music video, interview with lang and Adlon, and behind-the-scenes photo gallery. In English. Canada/Germany, 1991, 94 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Schoolgirl Report: Volume 1 - What Parents Don't Think is Possible
Ernst Hofbauer
Cleverly "disguised" as a filmed documentary report on the sexual habits of teens, this box-office smash hit from 1970 is simply one of the more successful of international sexploitation films during the Sexual Revolution. A German "Parent's Association" is shocked when a teenage girl seduces someone during a field trip. This leads to other examples of strudel-sweet seduction being exposed (and dramatized) including trysts between a gymnast and her coach, a girl and her stepfather, and playful girls "saving" a lifeguard. AKA: The School Girls. In German with English subtitles. West Germany, 1970, 84 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Schultze Gets the Blues
Michael Schorr
A wonderfully endearing German comedy, starring Horst Krause as a staid, middle-aged accordionist whose life is turned upside-down when he hears a few bars of Cajun zydeco wafting from the radio. Before long the portly salt miner is cooking jambalaya, surprising the residents of his hamlet with his new musical chops, and planning a trip to the Louisiana bayou. Director Michael Schorr wrings wonderful, deadpan humor from his characters in "an intricate, becalmed take on a soul adrift" (Village Voice). In German with English subtitles. Germany 2005 107 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Sonja
Kirsi Liimatainen
A "sincere nostalgia trip" says The Village Voice about this autobiographical German drama directed by Finnish actress Kirsi Liimatainen. Sonja is your typical 16-year-old girl, dealing with angst and boys. When she meets Julia one summer day, though, their playful conversations about sex with boys lead to something wholly different. In German with English subtitles. Germany, 2006, 75 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Sophie Scholl: The Final Days
Marc Rothemund
Julia Jentsch (The Edukators) stars as the courageous protagonist of this real-life drama, set during the waning days of the Nazi regime. As a member of the White Rose resistance group, Scholl and her brother risk their lives to distribute subversive pamphlets to students at Munich University. Director Marc Rothemund uses an even-handed, semi-documentary style to chronicle Scholl's courageous effort, as well as her apprehension, trial, and conviction. "A gripping true story... [it] challenges you to gauge your own courage and strength of character should you find yourself in similar circumstances" (Stephen Holden, New York Times). Includes making-of featurette, 13 deleted and alternate scenes, historical interviews including archival footage, trailer, and more. In German with English subtitles. Germany, 2005, 117 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Soundless
Mennan Yapo
A ruthless assassin (Joachim Krol) finds his effectiveness sapped when a beautiful, enigmatic woman (Nadja Uhl) causes him to question his work. Tom Tykwer (Run Lola Run) produced this sleek, high-tech German thriller. In German with English subtitles. Germany, 2004, 96 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Stalingrad
Joseph Vilsmaier
From the same production team that brought the world Das Boot, this film brings the bloodiest battle in the history of warfare to the screen: the legendary battle of Stalingrad. With German forces following Hitler's orders to neither retreat nor surrender, over two million Russians and Germans lost their lives in what came to be a turning point in the defeat of Germany in the Second World War. One of the most unflinchingly realistic war films ever made, Stalingrad stands alone in its searing, unforgettable imagery, "powerfully underscoring the adage that war is hell" (The New York Times). German with English subtitles. Germany, 1996, 150 mins.
DVD | $54.95  

Sun Seekers
Konrad Wolf
A barroom brawl gets Lutz and Emmi in trouble with the law. Instead of prison, they are sentenced to work at a chaotic uranium mine, where they labor shoulder-to-shoulder with old anarchists, former SS members and Russian officers. Emotions and fists collide in this provocative movie with hard-edged humor, set in the fall of 1950 as East-West German relations were becoming increasingly hostile. Because the Soviet government did not want people to see how uranium was being mined for atom bombs in East Germany, Sun Seekers was banned shortly after its premiere and not given a full theatrical release until 1971. DVD includes essay, short film portrait (Wismut Today), The Eyewitnesses: Three Short Films about Director Konrad Wolf featurette, The Eyewitnesses: Fourteen Short Films about various cast members featurette, photo gallery, biographies and filmographies, and more. In German with English subtitles. East Germany, 1958, 116 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Summer '04
Stefan Krohmer
An Official Selection at the Berlin Film Festival, Summer 04, or Sommer '04 in its native German, is an intelligent, suspense film with sensuality, tragedy, and comedy sprinkled throughout the guileless script. Martina Gedeck stars as Miriam, a beautiful, confident matriarch who takes her family away for an peaceful retreat at their summer home on the German coast. However, her 15-year-old son has invited his minxish girlfriend, Livia (Svea Lohde), and her brazen sexuality lights a fire under Miriam. A fire that leads her to stray from her husband (Peter Davor) towards a strapping young lad (Robert Seeliger) vacationing nearby. "Elements of L'Avventura, Swimming Pool, and even A Place in the Sun materialize in the film's sophisticated layering of theme and counter- theme" (Michelle Orange, The Village Voice). In German with English subtitles. Germany, 2006, 97 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

The Testament of Dr. Mabuse (1962) / The Crimes of Dr. Mabuse (1965)
Werner Klingler/Fritz Lang
This Cold War era remake of the 1933 Fritz Lang classic updated the storyline for contemporary audiences. The criminal mastermind Dr. Mabuse returns with a sinister new plot to organize the world's most notorious thieves and murderers into a secret society he will direct from his cell in a Berlin insane asylum. It's not Lang, but this is a pretty decent thriller, lifted by the performances of Wolfgang Preiss and Gert Frobe. Also released as The Last Will of Dr. Mabuse, The Terror of Dr. Mabuse and Terror of the Mad Doctor. The DVD is letterboxed, with German and English soundtracks, optional English subtitles. Includes audio commentary, trailers, photo archive, and the complete feature, The Crimes of Dr. Mabuse, which is the edited and English-dubbed American release version of Lang's original Testament of Dr. Mabuse. West Germany, 1962, 85 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

The Threepenny Opera (1931)
G.W. Pabst
Lotte Lenya plays Jenny in this famous adaptation of Bertolt Brecht/Kurt Weill's play, freely based on John Gay's Beggar's Opera. In London at the turn of the century the best friend of a police chief, the bandit Mack the Knife, marries Polly without the knowledge of her father, Peachum, the king of the beggars, and thus starts a conflict between the beggars and the thieves. A newly remastered version. German with English subtitles. Germany 1931 114 mins.
Videocassette | $44.95  

Titanic
Herbert Selpin/Werner Klingler
The anti-British propaganda film that Goebbels banned from Germany to avoid a panic. A spectacular depiction of the Titanic's disastrous voyage, depicting the stories of many passengers, including the British shipowner whose greed is responsible for the disaster, and the ship's German first officer, who tries to forestall it. Scenes of the sinking were used uncredited in the 1958 British film, A Night to Remember. Includes the original trailer, a 1921 newsreel and more. In German with English subtitles. Germany, 1943, 119 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

The Tunnel
Roland Suso Richter
A gripping suspense thriller based on real events, Roland Suso Richter's film is like The Great Escape set twenty five years later and turned on its head. Heino Ferch stars as champion swimmer Harry Melchoir, an East Berliner who arranges to escape to the West with his family. The shrewd swimmer assembles a crackpot team of experts and volunteers to burrow to freedom on the other side of the Berlin Wall. Working in claustrophobic conditions and with the threat of discovery close at hand, the group's determination is a testament to the fierceness of their convictions. "Richter's brisk direction keeps us riveted through the suspenseful finish of his vivid history lesson" (Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News). The DVD is letterboxed and includes making-of featurette, 5.1 sound, trailer, and liner notes by film critic Maitland McDonagh. In German with English subtitles. Germany 2001 167 mins.
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DVD | $44.95  

Tuvalu
Veit Helmer
Veit Helmer's inspired, visually imaginative debut is "...the kind of movie that might one day find itself in the hall of fame of surreal movie weirdness alongside cult favorites like Eraserhead, Delicatessen and the avant-garde frolics of Guy Maddin" (Stephen Holden, New York Times). Denis Lavant (Lovers on the Bridge, Beau Travail) stars as a swimming pool attendant constantly making repairs to the decaying structure. There he meets a beautiful woman and leads an effort to save the quirky, watery refuge. Filmed in black and white and tinted in different color shades, this whimsical fairy tale is told almost entirely in mime. Shot in an abandoned Bulgarian indoor pool, it shows the influence of the silent cinema but never feels less than fresh and exciting. The DVD is letterboxed. Includes additional short films by Veit Helmer, director's bio, photo gallery, and trailers. Germany, 2000, 86 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

The Wedding Party
Dominique Deruddere
Anyone who's attended a wedding gone wrong can relate to this satirical farce about a wedding reception gone to hell. The owner of a chateau (Uwe Ochsenknecht) and the groom's father (Armin Rohde) argue over an appetizer and allow tensions to explode (literally) in a hail of gunfire and carnage. Cult director Dominique Deruddere (Crazy Love, Everybody's Famous) directed this over-the-top black comedy. In German with English subtitles. Germany, 2005, 92 mins.
DVD | $44.95  

Wet Asphalt
Frank Wisbar
Lost for decades, this 1958 West German thriller is a potent dose of film noir. Martin Held stars as Cesar Boyd, an eccentric newspaperman who tells a sensational story about a Nazi who's survived years of being buried alive. As Boyd's assistant (Horzt Bucholz) struggles to disprove the claims, the hysteria over the story grows to feverish proportions. With Gert Frobe (Goldfinger). In German with English subtitles. West Germany 1958 89 mins.
DVD | $37.95  

The Wonderful, Horrible Life of Leni Riefenstahl
Ray Mueller
In this remarkable, exhaustive, infuriating and unforgettable documentary, Leni Riefenstahl at age 91 - actress, filmmaker (Olympia, Triumph of the Will), propagandist, personal friend of Goebbels and Hitler, photographer, explorer, the woman best known as Hitler's moviemaker - addresses her past for the first time on camera. Creator of the single most effective propaganda film ever made, Riefenstahl has spent much of her life trying to live down her association with the Nazi Party (which she never actually joined). Filmmaker Ray Mueller confronts Leni as she seeks to remold her image from that of a master propagandist and Nazi to that of a noble and heroic victim of history. Feisty and charismatic at 91, Riefenstahl revisits the landmarks of her turbulent life. A riveting story that leaves the viewer in total awe of its controversial subject. German with English subtitles. Germany, 1993, 180 mins.
DVD | $44.95