German & Austrian Movies

Heimat is a series of films written and directed by Edgar Reitz about life in Germany from the 1840s to 2000 through the eyes of a family from the Hunsrück area of the Rhineland-Palatinate. The family's personal and domestic life is set against the backdrop of wider social and political events. Audio in German with English & French subtitles (click on CC for subtitles). The combined length of the five films — broken into 32 episodes — is 59 hours and 32 minutes, making it one of the longest series of feature-length films in cinema history. The title Heimat (pronounced [ˈhaɪmaːt]) is a German word, often translated as "homeland" or "native region", but due to its German cultural connotations the word has no exact English equivalent. Usage has come to include that of an ironic reference to the Heimatfilm genre which was popular in Germany in the 1950s. Heimat films were characterised by rural settings, sentimental tone and simplistic morality. Aesthetically, the series is notable for the frequent switching between colour and black-and-white film to convey different emotional states. In 1987 it won a BAFTA for "Foreign Television Programme". After premiering in Germany, Heimat was shown in Venice, London and New York festivals. It was shown in movie screens around the world in separate parts. However, it gained its worldwide exposure on television, across 26 countries. In order to shape the film into eleven episodes, Reitz devised introductory segments in which Kurt Wagner as Glasisch narrated the brief story so far, over photographs by Eduard Simon. In Germany, the broadcast received over fifteen million viewers. The first film, Heimat, which covers the years 1918 to 1982, was released in 1984. It was followed in 1993 by Die Zweite Heimat, which is set during the 1960s. A direct sequel, Heimat 3 (about the period 1989–2000), was released in 2004, with lead actors from both previous films returning as their characters. Heimat Fragments, released in 2006, was made using unused footage from the previous three films, along with newly filmed material. A prequel film to the original, Home from Home, was released in 2013. Starting with episode two, there is an introductory narration by Glasisch-Karl who recaps events during and between the previous episodes, using snapshots of the main characters to jog viewers' memories. Part 1 - The Call of Faraway Places 1919-1928: After serving in World War 1, Paul Simon returns home to his family in the (fictional) rural village of Schabbach in the hills and mountains of the Hunsrück Province of the Rhineland-Palatinate. There to welcome him are Paul's parents, Mathias Simon and Katharina (née Schirmer), and his brother and sister, Pauline and Eduard. Eduard did not fight in the war, he has a bad lung and his mother is very protective of him. Also there is Paul's cousin, Glassich-Karl, also a veteran. He was sent home earlier with a disfiguring skin condition caused by poison gas. Because of his appearance Glassich-Karl will never be a full participant in village life. This gives him something of the perspective of an outsider and he will gradually become the narrator of the series. Paul's first act on returning home was to strike an iron in the family forge. But although brought up in the family trade as a blacksmith, Paul no longer feels at home in Schabbach. He seeks wider horizons and is determined instead to pursue his passion for radio communications in every spare moment. Cast & Characters: Marita Breuer as Maria Simon (née Wiegand) (7 August 1900 – 18 September 1982). Michael Lesch (episodes 1&2) and Dieter Schaad (episodes 8, 10&11) as Paul Simon (1898–1984) Karin Kienzler (episodes 1&2) and Eva Maria Bayerwaltes (episodes 3–8) as Pauline Kröber (née Simon) (1904–75) Rüdiger Weigang as Eduard Simon (1897–1967). Gertrud Bredel as Katharina Simon (née Schirmer) (10 November 1875 – 10 May 1947) Willi Berger as Mathias Simon (11 June 1872 – 23 January 1945) Johannes Lobewein as Alois Wiegand (1870–1965). Kurt Wagner as Glasisch-Karl (1900–1982) Eva Maria Schneider as Marie-Goot (1882–1960) Alexander Scholz as Hänschen Betz (c.1908 – 15 January 1944) Arno Lang as Robert Kröber (1902–1944) Karin Rasenack as Lucie Simon (née Hardtke) (1906–1978) Jörg Hube as Otto Wohlleben. Hermann's father. Gudrun Landgrebe as Klärchen Sisse (c. 1929– ) Part 2: https://rumble.com/v6z0qt4-heimat-film-series-1984-eng-and-fre-sub-the-centre-of-the-world-1929-1933-p.html

Part 2 - The Centre of the World 1929-1933 : Episode two and those following are introduced by Glasisch-Karl who recaps events using snapshots of the main characters to jog viewers' memories. We see Paul's arrival at Ellis Island in New York, while back home in Schabbach, Maria is devastated by Paul's departure. When the townswomen rush to inform her that the murdered woman's blood-soaked clothes have been found in the woods, she sobs angrily that Paul had nothing to do with the victim. The pine marten is caught in the trap Paul had made. Part 3&4: https://rumble.com/v6z0u9s-heimat-a-chronicle-of-germany-part-3-and-4-film-series-1984-eng-and-fre-sub.html

Part 3 - The Best Christmas Ever 1935: Pauline and Robert Kröber have since had two children, Gabi and Robertchen. Eduard and Lucie have a young child, Horst. A new telephone network now connects Schabbach to the outside world. Lucie is disappointed with the village and most of all with her husband's lack of ambition, for Eduard's consuming obsession with photography leaves little room for other interests. Lucie becomes friendly with the district's new Gauleiter, who by coincidence shares the Simon surname and is also interested in photography. Part 4 - The Highway 1938: Maria and Pauline visit the cinema in Simmern to see the latest movie starring Zarah Leander. They are taken with the fashionable clothes and striking hairstyle of the movie star. When they return to Pauline's house they have a few drinks and playfully try to copy the star's elaborate curls on their own foreheads. Maria, who has hitherto led a completely self-effacing life caring for her two boys and helping her husband's parents, confides to her sister-in-law that she is attracted to Otto Wohlleben, the civil engineer who is supervising the Organisation Todt a road-building crew that is building a highway through the region. Part 5&6: https://rumble.com/v6z0x2u-heimat-a-chronicle-of-germany-part-5-and-6-film-series-1984-eng-and-fre-sub.html

Part 5 v- Up and Away and Back 1938-1939: Lucie crashes her car, which kills her visiting parents who become the first people to be buried in the land, without ever having seen it. Maria and Otto are now together and watch Zarah Leander in Carl Froelich's new film Heimat. Martina flirts with Rudolf Pollach, an apprentice clockmaker staying with Robert and Pauline. Robert leaves home with their car to go to the Western Front as the war needs all vehicles they can find. Robert is not heard from again. Part 6 - The Home Front 1943: With the war turning against the Nazis, Hunsrück men have been called up, leaving the women to manage farmland with the help of French POWs. Katharina feeds two of the men, but Wilfried, now the region's SS commander openly threatens that if she were not family, he would condemn her to higher authorities. She retorts he is not a real man for staying home instead of fighting. Part 7&8: https://rumble.com/v6z27to-heimat-a-chronicle-of-germany-part-7-and-8-film-series-1984-eng-and-fre-sub.html

Part 7 - Soldiers and Love 1944: Anton's propaganda unit is detailed to make fake newsreel footage. The war conflict becomes close to home, with Allied bombers passing over the Hunsrück on a regular basis. When a bomb falls in the neighbourhood and fails to explode, it provides Otto with a reason to visit Schabbach. He meets his young son Hermann for the first time. Otto and Maria spent the night discussing what might have been for them both. The next day however, Otto is killed while attempting to defuse a bomb. Part 8 - The American 1945-47: In Berlin, Martina searches for Rudolf Pollack and finds him badly wounded. While she plays a piano in hopes it will keep him conscious, Pollack dies. She dresses in his uniform and deliberately heads out into the street, where she is killed by Soviet soldiers, having been taken for a German soldier. Ernst has been shot down over France, but is kept hidden by a Frenchman while he recuperates. In Schabbach, things are easier and the village have created a good rapport with their occupiers. Part 9: https://rumble.com/v6z2fkq-heimat-a-chronicle-of-germany-part-9-film-series-1984-eng-and-fre-sub.html

Part 9 - Little Herman 1955-56: Hermann aims to become the first member of his family to go to University. Wanting to stay in Ernst's large home, teenage Hermann along with his friends, including Clemens Bengardt, cycle to the Rhine. Ernst has acquired a Sikorsky helicopter and is transporting lumber for his father-in-law's sawmills. Outside a carnival by the river bank, Schnüsschen Schneider, teaches Hermann how to kiss. Anton's company has boomed, and many locals, including Lotti, Klärchen and Pieritz, now living in the region, work at his factory. During a festival to celebrate Anton's company and the way it is putting Schabbach on the map, Anton tries to persuade local smaller farmers to sell and join him. Part 10&11: https://rumble.com/v6z2i38-heimat-a-chronicle-of-germany-part-10-and-11-film-series-1984-eng-and-fre-s.html

Part 10 - The Proud Years 1967-1969: The town gets colour television, impressing Anton's children Marlies and Hartmut. Anton's factory gains an international reputation and industrialists from Brussels arrive with a takeover offer of sixty million marks. Needing time to think and unsure on what to do Anton contacts his father Paul, who has since sold his business and is now in Germany at Baden-Baden. Paul has set up a studio with Hermann, who since studying in America, has become a well known composer of electronic music Part 11 - The Feast of the Living and the Dead 1982: Glasisch-Karl narrates over a family tree that details the ancestry of the Simon, Wiegard and Schirmer families.

The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum , or: How violence develops and where it can lead is a 1975 West German political drama film based on Heinrich Böll's 1974 novel of the same name, adapted for the screen and directed by Volker Schlöndorff and Margarethe von Trotta. Audio in German with English subtitles (click on CC for subtitles). Schlöndorff and von Trotta wrote the script with an emphasis on the vindictive and harsh treatment of an innocent woman by the public, police, and media. The film stars Angela Winkler as Blum, Mario Adorf as Kommissar Beizmenne, Dieter Laser as Tötges, and Jürgen Prochnow as Ludwig. Produced during a time of political controversy in West Germany, when journalists would stop at nothing to get their names known. Following the kidnapping and execution of a West German corporate leader, Hanns Martin Schleyer, and several other prison deaths, The Lost Honour of Katharina Blum reflects the conflicts in West Germany during the 1960s and 1970s, when student movements and a political struggle were occurring. Militant terrorists such as the Red Army Faction (the Baader-Meinhof Group) had holds in the government and their violent tendencies soon made citizens question their government as reforms began to turn into repressions. This was a period when media coverage was expanding and journalism was becoming one of the most popular careers. Journalists were ruthless about digging for stories. The film has a documentary style, with little lighting or special effects. The camera is largely stationary. There is only one crane shot, in the final scene. Cinematographer Jost Vacano felt this would make it easier to get into the audience's heads. The film was shot during carnival season and uses many bright, vibrant colors, but as the film progresses it becomes darker to reflect Katharina's pain. The film uses almost no makeup. Vacano wanted the viewer to see Katharina's skin imperfections and feel she was a real person. The sets are intentionally abstract. Police offices are intentionally depicted as large open spaces with empty desks, which was not the case in West Germany at the time. This abstract, empty set design was influenced by the American painter Allen Tucker. Hans Werner Henze chose Wagnerian themes for his score. The opening scene takes place at the Rhine River, so Henze wrote themes influenced by Das Rheingold. He called it "the poisoned river" because the dirty water was a metaphor for a toxic German society. The music is a bit disjointed at times to reflect this. Many of the musical themes are brought together in a rondo at the end. Cast & Characters: Angela Winkler – Katharina Blum Mario Adorf – Kommissar Beizmenne (Inspector Beizmenne) Dieter Laser – Werner Tötges Jürgen Prochnow – Ludwig Götten Heinz Bennent – Dr. Hubert Blorna Hannelore Hoger – Trude Blorna Rolf Becker – Prosecutor Hach Harald Kuhlmann – Moeding Herbert Fux – Weninger Regine Lutz – Else Woltersheim Werner Eichhorn – Konrad Beiters Karl Heinz Vosgerau – Alois Sträubleder Angelika Hillbrecht – Frau Pletzer Horatius Häberle – Prosecutor Dr. Korten Henry van Lyck – 'Scheich' Karl Stephanie Thönnessen – Claudia Sterm Peter Franke – Dr. Heinen

M (German: M – Eine Stadt sucht einen Mörder, lit. M – A City Searches for a Murderer). Audio in German with English subtitles (Click on CC for subtitles). M is a 1931 German thriller film directed by Fritz Lang and starring Peter Lorre in his breakthrough role as Hans Beckert, a serial killer of children. An early example of a procedural drama, the film centers on the manhunt for Lorre’s character, conducted by both the police and the criminal underworld. The film's screenplay was written by Lang and his wife Thea von Harbou and was the director's first sound film. It features many cinematic innovations, including the use of long, fluid tracking shots, and a musical leitmotif in the form of "In the Hall of the Mountain King" whistled by Lorre's character. Now considered a timeless classic, the film was deemed by Lang to be his magnum opus. It is widely considered one of the greatest films of all time, and an indispensable influence on modern crime and thriller fiction. Cast & Characters: - Peter Lorre as Hans Beckert. M was Lorre's first major starring role, and it boosted his career, even though he was typecast as a villain for years afterward in films such as Mad Love and Crime and Punishment. Before M, Lorre had been mostly a comedic actor. After fleeing from the Nazis, he landed a major role in Alfred Hitchcock's first version of The Man Who Knew Too Much (1934), picking up English along the way. - Otto Wernicke as Inspector Karl Lohmann. Wernicke made his breakthrough with M after playing many small roles in silent films for over a decade. After his part in M he was in great demand due to the success of the film, including returning to the role of Karl Lohmann in The Testament of Doctor Mabuse, and he played supporting roles for the rest of his career. - Gustaf Gründgens as Der Schränker (The Safecracker). Gründgens received acclaim for his role in the film and established a successful career for himself under Nazi rule, ultimately becoming director of the Staatliches Schauspielhaus (National Dramatic Theatre).

The Red Baron (also known by its original German title, Der Rote Baron) is a 2008 German-British biographical action war film written and directed by Nikolai Müllerschön about the World War I flying ace Manfred von Richthofen, known as the "Red Baron". Audio in English with English subtitles (click on CC). The film stars Matthias Schweighöfer, Joseph Fiennes, Til Schweiger and Lena Headey. To improve its chances on the international market, The Red Baron was filmed entirely in the English language, although it is a German production depicting Germans. With an estimated budget of 18 million euros, it is one of the most expensive and at the same time lowest-grossing films in German history. The Red Baron premiered on 31 March 2008 in Berlin and was released a week later in the German cinemas but was quite controversial in Germany, where glorification of war heroes has become taboo. The reviews after the first public performances of the film were mainly negative, criticizing in particular the high level of historical inaccuracy. Reviewing the movie, Manfred von Richthofen, the Baron's nephew said "It's a remarkable movie". "Somehow it did not turn into a war film. The personality and especially the thoughtfulness of my uncle are true to life." Richthofen biographer Joachim Castan, called Richthofen's and Otersdorf's affair "complete rubbish"; "The historical Richthofen was the James Dean of World War I, an idol of his time, but he had no affairs with women. He also did not drink and did not visit brothels." And it is true that on three occasions he waved his enemy to the ground rather than shooting them out of the sky. (In one case, seeing that an enemy pilot's gun had jammed, Von Richthofen waved him down to the ground, jumped out, shook his hand and then took off again.) But in other respects, Von Richthofen was "cold-blooded," says Castan. "He was mainly interested in his strike rate. He did not try to conceal the fact that he was aiming to kill." Cast & Characters: Matthias Schweighöfer as Rittmeister Manfred Freiherr von Richthofen Lena Headey as Nurse Käte Otersdorf Til Schweiger as Leutnant Werner Voss Volker Bruch as Oberleutnant Lothar Freiherr von Richthofen Maxim Mehmet as Leutnant Friedrich Sternberg Hanno Koffler as Leutnant Lohmann Tino Mewes as Oberleutnant Kurt Wolff Steffen Schroeder as Oberleutnant Karl Bodenschatz Axel Prahl as General der Kavallerie Ernst von Hoeppner Joseph Fiennes as "Captain" Roy Brown "RCFC"[Note 1] Tomáš Koutník as Young Manfred von Richthofen Tomáš Ibl as Young Lothar von Richthofen Albert Franc as Young Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen Richard Krajčo as Major Lanoe Hawker VC RFC Lukáš Příkazký as Oberleutnant Stefan Kirmaier Gitta Schweighöfer as Kunigunde von Richthofen Branislav Holiček as Leutnant Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen Julie Engelbrecht as Ilse von Richthofen Jan Vlasák as Major Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen Luise Bähr as Sophie Irena Máchová as Clara Robert Nebřenský as Feldwebel Räuber Ralph Misske as Menzke Josef Vinklář as Generalfeldmarschall Paul von Hindenburg Ladislav Frej as Kaiser Wilhelm II Patrik Plesinger as Hauptmann Doering Jiří Laštovka as Oberleutnant Ernst Udet Rostislav Novák as Oberleutnant Erich Loewenhardt Zdeněk Pecha as Leutnant Werner Steinhäuser Jiří Kout as Leutnant Eberhard Mohnicke Karsten Kaie as Anthony Fokker