It is the year 2000 and the World Global Union is in charge, although other countries are allowed to elect their own government leaders, as long as they support the Union. When Austria's newly-elected president, played by Josef Meinrad, makes his inauguration speech he declares Austria independence and issues an edict ending Austria's financial support for the Global Union.
This film essay explores the strange case of G.W. Pabst, the Austrian filmmaker who was considered a giant of early cinema before his reputation went behind a cloud.
When two Russian captains of cavalry came to a German post station one of them recalls what happened long time ago. He begins to tell the story: Ten years ago a comrade of them made a resting at the post station and fell in love with the station master's daughter. He promised everything to her and finally convinced her to come with him to St. Petersburg. When both arrived there she had to realize that her captain never had the intention to marry her.
The fairies Fortuna and Amorosa make a bet with the devil, in the form of the evil spirit Lumpacivagabundus. They don't believe he will succeed in winning humanity over. To prove his skills, they choose three journeymen: the shoemaker Knierim, the tailor Zwirn, and the carpenter Leim. If Lumpacivagabundus succeeds in leading even one of the three journeymen astray, he will have won his bet. The devil manipulates a lottery in which the three journeymen win a fortune...
As Germany's fortunes in the latter part of World War II wane, several young boys, in their enthusiasm to do something "for the fatherland", volunteer to fight with the German army in the East. Horrified at the news that their children left for the Russian front, the boys' mothers begin a desperate effort to get their sons back.
Although she is known as a patron of the arts, a graceful duchess nevertheless refuses her nephew to marry an enterprising actress in this German melodrama starring Kathe Dorsch and silent screen legend Henny Porten. When Philine (Hilde Krahl), the troupe's ingénue, is rejected as proper marital material by the Duchess of Weissenfels (Porten), Karoline Neuber (Dorsch) creates such a furor that she is banished from the country. A performance at the court at St. Petersburg also ends in disaster for the unhappy actress and abandoned by all, Karoline dies a suicide.
A young man and woman meet on a bridge, both about to commit suicide by jumping into the river, and recount to each other their experiences.
A young woman moves to Berlin to work as a press photographer.
Directed by Harald Braun and told from the perspective of Bertha von Suttner, the first female to receive the Nobel Peace Prize, The Alfred Nobel Story - No Greater Love chronicles the life of scientist, inventor, and businessman Alfred Nobel. Nobel built a massive fortune throughout his life, and while much if it was amassed by his inventions--dynamite being perhaps the most notable--he was also revered for his discoveries within the fields of science and economics. Upon his death, Nobel decided that his fortune was simply too great to continue in the form of an inheritance or single charitable donation, opting instead to use the money as reward for the greatest contributors to physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and, of course, peace.
Intrigue and scheming at the court of Queen Anne of England between liberal Lord Bolingbroke and Lady Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough. German comedy after the play of Eugène Scribe.
A musical film based on biographical facts about Clara Wieck's love for composer Robert Schumann (1810-1856), her marriage against her will, Schumann's triumph, and his tragic end due to mental illness. The film is beautiful and entertaining, full of noble spirit and beautiful words about art and love, which only conflict in a theoretical context; not least thanks to its solid cast, this film is quite serious and far from kitsch. Completed in 1944, during World War II, the film was rejected by the Nazi leadership, but was eventually released and enjoyed success with an audience already weary of war.
Because Diva Christine believes that her husband is cheating on her, she hurtles away and dies. Only the little son prevents the widower from committing suicide.
The Hungarian noble Nikki von Kormendy is traveling incognito as a blind passenger on the Danube ferry "Fortuna". Captain Korngiebel keeps him busy with various tasks. When the young singer Anny Hofer comes on board, both men fall in love with her and compete for her affactions. Out of sheer jealousy, Korngiebel lets his ship run aground and now fears for his captain's license. But Kormendy generously acquires the boat and leases it to Peter and Anny ... with the sole condition that the ship bear his name from this date forward.
Unemployed and homeless actors following the dream of finding the future in South America. The manager Osvaldo Curtis tricks the group of colorful and failed artists to apply for a special visa overseas.
A comet drops from the sky and causes a stir in Cadiz, Spain. A nihilistic drunk called Nada announces that very bad things are imminent. A herald gives orders that it is punishable to mention the comet.
Princess Dagmar's life is boring, so depressed - so depressed that the doctor has to come. And the doctor advises: The girl must get out of the regulated aristocratic everyday life. Princess Dagmar is sent to a girls' boarding school, located on a farm, where everyone studies hard and gets stuck in and eats simple, healthy food. In keeping with the surroundings, Princess Dagmar also falls in love with a tough country boy. He is determined to found a school where individual boys are welded together in camaraderie - so that they can find the values that will enable them to fulfill their leadership roles in the world of tomorrow. Of course, Princess Dagmar will entrust her son to him one day.
Vienna during the fin de siecle. Farmer's daughter Anuschka has to sell the farm after her father's death to the rich but mean farmer's wife Nowarek and her friendly son Jaro. Anuschka goes to Vienna and starts to work as a housemaid until she is wrongly accused of theft.
Elga's life with Magnus, her husband, would be a happy one if Struwe, her former lover, had not resurfaced and started to blackmail her.For a while, he has been extorting money from her, threatening, if she didn't, to reveal all the details about their past life. In desperation, Elga decides to disappear and goes to another town where, forsaken and forlorn, she sinks lower and lower. One day, Magnus, who has not forgotten her, meets her by chance. And he falls in love with this stray creature who reminds him of the one who left him so suddenly...
An ageing farmer and his young wife live in a lonely hut in the mountains. The farmer is a smuggler who the border police are trying to put a stop to. A young border hunter is sent to seduce the woman in order to find out where the man is hiding the smuggled goods. He in turn urges the woman to turn the border hunter's head so that he can go about his business undisturbed. But then the frontier hunter and the woman become truly passionate about each other, and the drama ends with murder and suicide. Based on the stage play by Karl Schönherr.
An isolated man living in a cottage in the mountains one day discovers a mysterious unconscious woman and takes her in.
A female spy accepts a bid by an arms dealer in order to find out if wife is unfaithful to him.
The violin virtuoso Ferdinand Lohner is lonely and depressed after the death of his wife. But then he gets to know the much younger Irene and forgets all about his dead wife, marrying the young tart soon after. Irene moves into the house in the mountains, where Ferdinand, his son Heinz and his former mother-in-law Mrs. Leuthoff live. The bitter Mrs. Leuthoff makes life difficult for Irene, since she had no way of preventing Ferdinand from re-marrying after her daughter bit the dust. When Ferdinand conveniently goes out on tour once again, Irene has to sit at home with the bitter woman. One day, Irene’s cousin Gustl comes on a visit and Mrs. Leuthoff takes the opportunity to “accidentally” let slip to Ferdinand, that his current wife is a whore. As if living with your current mother-in-law isn’t enough to deal with!
Inspector Welling, the warden Miss Pierce and the convicted murderess Sarat Carn are on their way back to Norwich from London. They are returning from a court hearing at which Carn's appeal against the death sentence imposed on her was rejected...
A Parisian cocotte at the turn of the century plans to capture a very rich Peruvian for marriage and hires her servant as an uncle who is supposedly supposed to watch over her virtue.