This 1998 film won the Deutscher Filmpreis 1999 and is based on a true story. It was August Diehl’s first film role and he plays our main character. Alongside him is Fabian Busch, whom we… 23 – Nichts ist so wie es scheint
This Matthias Schweighöfer film follows three young men as they move their lives from Moscow to Berlin. Filmed in 2012, it takes place just after the Berlin Wall fell. You can read more about Matthias… Russendisko
This 2007 is a drama comedy of WWII and is currently available on Netflix. The premise pulls a Jewish acting professor from a concentration camp in order to help Hitler’s image in the later years.… Mein Führer
This 2006 film in two parts is an adventure film with a theme of pirates in the 14th century. It is split into two parts, each an hour and a half long. Parts of this… Störtebeker
This 2014 documentary centers around stories of DDR escapes. There are many interviews with those who risked their lives to do so, as well as several original clips from the era. Sebastian Dehnhardt and Matthias… Zug in die Freiheit
This 2016 historical drama is currently available on Amazon. Kästner is played by Florian David Fitz, who we’ve seen and discussed already. Among the cast is also Katharina Lorenz, who we may recognize from her… Kästner und der kleine Dienstag
This 1961 drama-thriller, currently available on Amazon, was a West German production centering around farmers leaving East Germany to flee the collectivization that was taking place. Being a post-war older film, the actors may not… Flucht nach Berlin
This 2003 documentary discusses the common problems of food shortages during the DDR era. It includes footage of propaganda films and ads from East Germany. This film includes many interviews with Germans who had various… Mahlzeit DDR
This 2016 Docu-Drama tells the story of two brothers, Adi and Rudi Dassler, whose brotherly relationship deteriorated in such a way that resulted in the formation of two popular athletic shoe companies. Adi is played… Duell der Brüder – Die Geschichte von Adidas und Puma
This 2013 ZDF production is marketed as a historical documentary. It’s also currently available on Amazon Prime – get your Halloween viewing in while it’s available! This film is only 44 minutes long. It’s very… Dracula: Die wahre Geschichte der Vampire
This 2017 historical drama focuses on the Jews still living in Germany in 1943, when Goebbels declared German “Jew-free.” This is based on 4 true stories, and the young people who survived this time were… Die Unsichtbaren
This 1993 documentary covers the life of Leni Riefenstahl, detailing not only her involvement in the propaganda of WWII, but also attempts to understand her as an artist without the bias of history. It is… Die Macht der Bilder: Leni Riefenstahl
This 1981 film (Teil I) is the story of a butcher and his navigation of his new – Nazi – surroundings. This post also covers Teil II, Österreich ist frei, which was released in 1996.… Der Bockerer
Although this 1979 film is originally in German, English, and French, carries an original German title, was produced in West Germany, and stars several German speaking actors, it is obvious with the dubbing quality that… Steiner – Das eiserne Kreuz, 2. Teil
This 1961 U.S. film covers the trials of the war crimes of WWII. This film is originally in English. The German dubbing is – shall we say tolerable, especially given the release year. Featuring Spencer… Judgement at Nuremberg
This 2004 film starring Bruno Ganz shows the final days of Hitler as reported by his last secretary. It is important to remember the 1955 film, Der letzte Akt, which also used Traudl Junge as… Der Untergang
This documentary shows Germany in the post-war era, especially focusing on the Berlin Airlift. This particular documentary was originally in English and the titles and other written information are not translated into German. I’m writing… Berlin ‘48
Based on Operation Bernhard, this 2007 war film with August Diehl and Karl Markovichs is the story of a Jewish man whose skills in counterfeiting become well known among the Nazis. This film shows various… Die Fälscher
This 2003 film with Daniel Brühl sees the differences between East and West Germany through a different lens than most films. The premise of this one is a fragile mother who falls into a coma… Good Bye Lenin!
Released in 2001, this film centers around a Jewish family that must leave 1930s Germany, settling in Kenya. Interestingly, the actress who plays Jettel, Juliane Köhler, also played Eva Braun in Der Untergang. Her husband… Nirgendwo in Afrika
This 2006 film is based on the lives the Stasi watch – and of course, the lives of the Stasi members themselves. East German actor Ulrich Mühe plays our Stasi main character. Mühe died the… Das Leben der Anderen
Released in 1968, this Werner Herzog film is a drama done in the form of a documentary, and was his first feature film. As mentioned in the post on Woyzeck, Wolfgang Reichmann joins us again… Lebenszeichen