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German Films at the UTSA Library

This list is a sample of classic and contemporary German films available at the UTSA Library.
Search UCAT to find more films - limit the search by Videorecording.

Der blaue Engel=The Blue Angel
Location: JPL Multimedia Center, Video Cassette PN1997 .B628 1984
Original motion picture made in 1929; based on the novel Professer Unrat by Heinrich Mann; directed by Josef von Sternberg; starring Marlene Dietrich. Professor Rath leads a humdrum existence with an exacting routine. In his classroom, he finds picture postcards of Lola, the perfomer at "The Blue Angel." Curious about his students, he ventures to the cabaret and is immediately smitten with Lola. When the students discover his uncontrollable infatuation, he loses their respect, and eventually his job. Though Lola becomes his wife, Rath gradually loses his mind. VHS. In German with English subtitles.

Das Boot=The Boat
Location: JPL Multimedia Center, Video Cassette PT2662 .U3134 B62 1997
"In Autumn 1941, 43 young German sailors aboard U-96 enter the war against Britain. They seek adventure, respect and heroism. For them, this voyage is for glory. For their captain, a seasoned war veteran at the young age of 30, it is a mission against enemy destroyers in a blood-red sea that can devour a ship and its crew without leaving a trace." Based on the book by Lothar-Günther Buchheim. Originally produced as a motion picture in 1981. Director's cut: Remastered with over 60 minutes of extra footage never before seen on video. Features interviews and behind-the-scenes footage. VHS--2 parts. In German with English subtitles.

Cabinet des Dr. Caligari=The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Location: JPL Multimedia Center, Video Cassette PN1997 .C324 1980
A somnambulist commits murders at a hypnotist's bidding in this German expressionist horror classic. Released in 1919 as a motion picture. VHS. Silent film with English captions and added background music.

Die Dreigroschenoper=The Threepenny Opera
Location: JPL Multimedia Center, Video Cassette PN1997 .D73 1980
Adapted from the musical play of the same title by Bertolt Brecht and Kurt Weill, which was based on The Beggars' Opera by John Gay. Originally issued as a motion picture in 1931. A social satire set in Victorian London in which both government and underworld are portrayed as amoral and polluted by economic and political chaos. Polly Peachum, daughter of the king of the beggars, with the help of Mackie Messer and his gang, opens a bank in the belief that legal thievery is more profitable than larceny. In the end, Polly's father, Mackie, and the corrupt police commissioner become partners in the bank and mainstays of society. VHS. In German with English subtitles.

Effi Briest
Location: JPL Multimedia Center, Video Cassette PN1997 .E4 1992
Based on the novel by Theodor Fontane. Produced as a motion picture in 1974. Effi Briest is described as "a radiant beauty, a vivacious blend of naivete and intelligence, forthrightness and willful self-interest. She is married when very young to a much older Prussian diplomat and carried away to a remote Baltic port where she drifts into a brief, passionless affair with a local womanizer. The full effects are felt only later, in a chilling manifestation of the Prussian legal code." VHS. In German with English subtitles.

Die Ehe der Maria Braun=The Marriage of Maria Braun
Location: JPL Multimedia Center, Video Cassette PN1997 .E3643 M37 1986a
Directed by the noted German auteur, Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Fassbinder's allegorical story of post-war Germany revolves around a young woman as she strives for material wealth while ignoring human values. Originally produced as a motion picture in 1978. VHS. In German with English subtitles.

The Harmonists
Location: JPL Multimedia Center, Video Cassette PN1997 .H27 V45 1999
A group of friends form The Harmonists, a singing group in pre-war Germany. Changes in the nation's political tide force them to make decisions that will test their loyalty. VHS. In German with English subtitles.

Heimat: A Chronicle
Location: JPL Multimedia Center, Video Cassette PN1997 .R44 H45 1996
A 9-volume, fictional chronicle of life in Germany, from 1919 to 1982, as reflected in the fluctuating fortunes of the members of one family, initially farmers and craftsmen in a Rhineland village, later becoming soldiers, Nazi officials, industrialists, and famous artists. Originally produced in 1984; televised in the U.S. in 1987. VHS--9 volumes. In German with English subtitles.

Himmel über Berlin=Wings of Desire
Location: JPL Multimedia Center, Video Cassette PN1997 .W56 1989
Directed by Wim Wenders. Described as "a romantic fantasy about an angel who wishes he were mortal. Set in modern-day Berlin, the film is not only a love story, but also serves as a reminder of just how good it feels to live." Released as a motion picture in 1987. VHS. In German and English with English subtitles.

Lola Rennt=Run Lola Run
Location: JPL Multimedia Center, Video Cassette PN1995.9 .G3 L6 1999
Described as "a thrilling post-MTV, roller-coaster ride about two star-crossed lovers who have only minutes to change the course of their lives. Time is running out: Lola has just received a frantic call from her boyfriend Manni, who's accidentally lost a small fortune he was to deliver to his mobster boss. If they cannot find a way to replace the money within twenty minutes, Manni will surely suffer severe consequences." VHS. In German with English subtitles.

M
Location: JPL Multimedia Center, Video Cassette PN1997 .M2 1997
A German classic directed by Fritz Lang. Drama based on the actual case of the Düsseldorf murderer, recounting the hunt by both law enforcement agents and the underworld for a psychopathic killer of young girls. Originally produced as a motion picture in 1931. VHS. In German with English subtitles.

Das schreckliche Mädchen=The Nasty Girl
Location: JPL Multimedia Center, Video Cassette PN1997 .S375 1989
Sonja, "The Nasty Girl," undertakes a school project to investigate her town's past during the Third Reich. In this provocative comedy, she discovers many secrets--secrets the town wants left that way. Videocassette release of a 1989 German film. VHS. In German with English subtitles.

Die Weisse Rose=The White Rose
Location: JPL Multimedia Center, Video Cassette PN1997 .W447 1983
Based on the book by Inge Scholl. Originally issued as a motion picture. The story of a secret society of students and their professor who printed and distributed anti-Nazi leaflets to urge German citizens to sabotage the war efforts. VHS. In German with English subtitles.

Woyzeck
Location: JPL Multimedia Center, Video Cassette PN1997 .W69 1990
Based on the drama fragment by Georg Büchner; directed by Werner Herzog. Overworked to exhaustion by an officer, used for experiments by a sinister doctor, and scorned by the prostitute he lives with, Woyzeck becomes as lethal as the razor with which he carries out his chilling destiny. Videocassette release of 1979 motion picture. In German with English subtitles.