has been a pivotal innovator and contributor in filmmaking. They have produced such masters of cinema as Fritz Lang and Wim Wenders and contributed greatly to Expressionism, as to the early years of the horror genre.
As one can see, German cinema has been widely influenced by ’s tumultuous (to say the least) 20th century history, with many movies after 1945 being about guilt, redemption, separation, trauma, and recovery. So, starting from the 1900s and ending with the 1990s, let us explore the very best of German cinema and present the absolute best of what every decade had to offer.
1900s – Hunting A Fly; Or, The Revenge Of Frau Schultze / Eine Fliegenjagd Oder Die Rache Der Frau Schultze (1905)
This film has been forgotten in the mazes of history. The National Film Archive copy comes with a detailed transcript of the “plot,” the only reason that it can be summarised here. It is -as one would expect- short, black-and-white, and silent. It’s by no means a masterpiece by today’s standards, but it’s one of the few very early German films with surviving copies and it was a pioneer in technical aspects. It’s essentially a short comedy: Frau Schultz is ready to go to sleep when her neighbor, a composer, starts playing music. She becomes frustrated and comes up with an ingenious plan. She catches a fly and es it into the composer’s flat through a keyhole. He proceeds to trash his flat in his ultimately futile efforts to kill the fly.
1910s – The Spiders / Die Spinnen (1919)
This was a film released in two parts, in 1919 and 1920. It was actually supposed to be released in four parts, but the last two were never even shot. Well-known explorer Kay Hoog finds a map and a message in a bottle that lead to a lost Incan nation that possesses massive riches. He embarks on a journey to find the legendary civilization, while the criminal organization "Die Spinnen" sends out an opposing mission commanded by the stunning, but lethal, Lio Sha.
1920s – The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari / Das Cabinet Des Dr. Caligari (1920)
Regarded as the archetypal work of German Expressionism and called “the first true horror film” by famous critic Roger Ebert, this film has made cinematic history and is often hailed as the first 'twist' ending in film. At a fair in , Francis and his friend Alan come across the demented Dr. Caligari.
The guys watch Caligari presenting his somnambulist (sleepwalker), Cesare, an entranced man who the doctor maintains can predict the things to come. Cesare then -to the audience’s shock and dismay- foresees Alan's death, and by dawn his unsettling foretelling has been realized -- rendering Cesare the key suspect. But, is Cesare the culprit, or is Dr Caligari the cunning puppet-master behind the scenes?
1930s – M – A City Searches For A Murderer / M – Eine Stadt Sucht Einen Mörder (1931)
In this suspenseful crime thriller by Fritz Lang, we see not just the police, but the entire world of crime -organized and otherwise- of Berlin conduct a massive manhunt for a children’s serial killer. A serial killer has been haunting the streets of Berlin, spreading fear in the hearts of parents, as he targets only young children. The police, anxious and pressured by the community, conduct surprise searches and raids on known criminal dens constantly, thus disrupting the affairs of Berlin’s organized crime syndicates. The underworld’s crime lords decide to take matters into their own hands, and they start the greatest manhunt the city has ever seen.
1940s – Murderers Among Us / Die Mörder Sind Unter Uns (1946)
This was one of the first films to be released after World War II in newly formed East and the original Trümmerfilm (Rubble film): an artistic choice for films shot immediately after World War II examining the effect of the combats in the nations at the war’s center. In 1945 Berlin, after ’s downfall, former military doctor Hans Mertens suffers from PTSD and alcoholism and is tortured by the crimes of his past. He becomes friends with Susanne, a concentration camp survivor and the woman in whose house he’d been squatting. When Hans learns that his ex-captain, Ferdinand Brückner, is alive, he decides that he must kill him to partially atone for his part in the war.
1950s – The Bridge / Die Brücke (1959)
This West German film was based on a true and tragic story; highly acclaimed, it received the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film, a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and four German Film Awards (among others). With ’s WWII defeat being a matter of days, a few 16-year-old boys in a small town are recruited into the local army corps.
With barely any training, they are sent to “defend” a bridge from the approaching American army (even though the bridge is strategically insignificant and scheduled to be demolished). When their commanding officer is killed by mistake, the boys are left without guidance to desperately try and defend a falling town and their shattered ideals.
1960s – Hunting Scenes From Bavaria / Jagdszenen Aus Niederbayern (1969)
This movie dealt with some very controversial issues for its time and the crew and cast were met with some heavy suspicion and criticism while shooting on location. Barbara′s son Abram, a 20-year-old repairman, is gay. In the tiny remote Bavarian village where they stay this cannot remain a secret forever. Anywhere Abram goes, he is ill-treated and alienated. At first, he accepts it coolly, but when local maidservant Hannelore (who’s also stigmatized by the village) spreads a rumor that she’s pregnant with Abram′s baby, the tension heightens and things get worse. Mob mentality is hard to be undone.
1970s – The Tin Drum / Die Blechtrommel (1979)
This film received, among others, the Palme d'Or at Cannes and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 52nd Academy Awards; it was actually the first of three times won that Oscar. Denying tenaciously to cross the threshold into the world until promised a red-and-white tin-drum, gifted infant, Oskar Matzerath, makes a mindful and crucial choice at age three: to intentionally cease growing. Against the background of the Nazis' ascension to power in Danzig (German name for Polish city Gdańsk) and his mother's illicit secret affair, Oskar goes through adolescence and some of his adulthood as a small boy, rebuffing the viciousness, the brutality, and the confusion around him by pounding relentlessly on his tin drum.
1980s – Wings Of Desire / Der Himmel Über Berlin [Lit. The Heaven Over Berlin] (1987)
This black-and-white poetic masterpiece by Wim Wenders was simultaneously about the longing of Berliners to be reunited, and about how even though our existence can be sometimes lonely or sad, there is still beauty and hope in humanity. Damiel and Cassiel are two of the thousands of angels who live amongst humanity, invisible and imperceptible.
They aren’t allowed to partake in human experiences or reveal their existence, but they can help soothe the pain and suffering of people and steer them towards good. However, Damiel longs for touch, for emotion, for risks, and for human connection, weary of his static and immortal existence. He falls for Marion, a contemplative, lonely circus acrobat, and decides to change his life.
1990s – Run Lola Run / Lola Rennt (1998)
This experimental thriller was nominated for a plethora of awards, including a BAFTA, and won many German Film Awards and the National Board of Review Award. Manni, a bagman for a mob boss, calls his girlfriend Lola in panic because he lost the 100,000 Deutschmarks he was supposed to deliver and in 20 minutes he’s supposed to meet his boss. In despair, Manni’s ready to rob a supermarket, but Lola implores him to wait and sets out on a frantic effort to obtain the money. The movie’s plot restarts a few times and Lola’s slightly different decisions or random things that happen along the way alter the outcome drastically. Is there a version where she can emerge triumphant?
