Willy, Kurt and Hans are broke, so they sell their car and open a filling station. Then, they all fall in love with the same girl.
Adaptation of A Doll's House by Henrik Ibsen.
The sinister Count Oetsch scandalizes the aristocratic social gathering at Castle Vogelod as he announces his intention to "crash" the festivities. Baroness Safferstätt is expected shortly, and the guests are well-aware of the rumors that Count Oetsch murdered the baroness' late husband. Oetsch refuses to leave, vowing that he will reveal the identity of the real killer. Before the weekend is through, the Count and Baroness will reveal secrets too shocking to be believed!
Vienna in the beginning of the twentieth century. Cavalry Lieutenant Fritz Lobheimer is about to end his affair with Baroness Eggerdorff when he meets the young Christine, the daughter of an opera violinist. Baron Eggerdorff however soon hears of his past misfortune...
Everyday and social drama. In Vienna a girl from the people about social prejudices finds away the esteem and love of an airplane industrialist.
In this convoluted melodrama, an elderly thespian falls for a rising young starlet. He admits his love for her and then announces that he will retire. The young woman pretends she loves him too, but her real motive is to give her struggling lover, also an aspiring actor, a break.
Also known as Darling of the Gods, this was Emil Jannings' second talkie appearance. Jannings stars as famed operatic singer Albert Winkelmann, who is greeted with cheers, applause and romantic propositions whenever he performs in his native Vienna. But when he embarks on a tour of South America, tragedy strikes. The sweltering climate causes Winkelmann to lose his voice on stage, a disaster met with hoots and cat-calls. Dispirited he returns to Europe, where he soon learns that no one is aware of what happened in South America. Intending to retire so as not to be exposed to further humiliation, Winkelmann is goaded back on stage -- where, miraculously, his gorgeous voice returns.
Alexander Arkens lives a happy life as the tenant of the Immenhof. His twin daughters Billy and Bobby also feel good. Then Alexander receives the message that the owner of the farm wants to increase the rent. A little later, Dalli, the farm owner, visits the estate of her youth. There is a huge spark between her and Alexander.
There is a lot of sunshine on the traditional Immenhof: owner Dalli and tenant Alexander Arkens want to give the javascript soon. Even Alexander's twin daughters Billy and Bobby and grandma Arkens have the sympathetic Dalli closed in her heart. But while the witty twins enjoy country life, the Immenhof is once again in financial trouble. A loan, which is due to be repaid, is a big concern for Dalli and Alexander. While Dalli wants to ask for help at her former job, Alexander wants to come to money on his own. This is the big noise preprogrammed.
After a masked carnival ball, Gerda Harrandt, wife of the surgeon Carl Ludwig Harrandt, allows the fashionable artist Ferdinand von Heidenick to paint a portrait of her wearing only a mask and a muff. This muff however belongs to Anita Keller, in secret the painter's lover but also the fiancée of the court orchestra director Paul Harrandt. The picture is then published in the newspaper. When Paul sees it and asks von Heidenick some questions about the identity of the model, the artist is forced to improvise a story and on the spur of the moment invents a woman called Leopoldine Dur as the alleged model. Leopoldine Dur however turns out to be a real woman whose acquaintance Heidenick makes shortly afterwards.
German language version of The Virtuous Sin (1930).
An Italian engineer who had made a strategically important invention to ward off enemy aircraft is killed in a robbery. As the plans have presumably fallen into the hands of spies, secret service captain Bergall is given the task of recovering the papers. Bergall initially adopts a false name and appears as Mr. Gran, whom nobody knows. Under this name, he rents a room in the Hotel Danieli in Venice and makes the acquaintance of the shipowner's daughter Viola Dolleen. With her help, he is able to eliminate Captain Gordon, who is also interested in the plans. When Gran learns that the plans are now in the possession of the art dealer Tschernikoff, who wants to sell them to Gordon, he immediately travels to Rome, visits the art dealer Titian and pretends to be Gordon. In the art dealer's remote villa, events come thick and fast...
When actress Mary Baring is found in a daze beside her colleague’s murdered body, all evidence points to her guilt. During the trial, juror Sir John Menier doubts the verdict, but yields to pressure. Haunted by remorse, he launches his own investigation. (Filmed in German on the same sets as Murder! (1930), this version was directed by Alfred Hitchcock with a new cast for international release.)
On the day of Fadinard's wedding, his horse eats a lady's hat on a bush at the roadside, while the lady is hidden behind the bush with her lover Lieutenant Tavernier. Because she is married, she cannot return home hatless without being compromised, and Tavernier orders Fadinard to replace the hat with one exactly like it - or else he will wreck his new home. In an elaborate sequence of complications, Fadinard tries to find a hat while keeping to his marriage schedule
An odd and tightly directed tale of a singer/dancer at the Moulin Rouge, who meets her daughter's fiance, only to have him fall obsessively in love with her and she with him. Alienation, betrayal and near tragedy result.
The story of the rise to power of King Frederick II (aka "Frederick the Great") of Prussia of his military campaigns to make Prussia a major power in Europe.
The story of Brennende Grenze (= Burning Border) starts after the end of WWI. Polish franctireurs invade the German bordering regions which are to be given to Poland as agreed on in the post-war peace treaties. Luise von Willkühnen's manor is invaded by Ladislaus von Zeremski, his lover Nadja and their gang. They treaten the inhabitants until Luise's son kills Zeremski.
Thomas Holinka has returned home from war and captivity. In the absence of a suitable home, he finds himself in what seems to be an abandoned monastery. When the nuns return, a conflict is inevitable because Holinka is addicted to alcohol and gambling .
Historical drama portraying the life of German baroque architect Andreas Schlüter.
Shortly after being demobilized, Georges Duroy becomes aware of his power over women in the arms of Rachel, a young singer. Thanks to his good looks and his charming manners and his unabashed cynicism he will rapidly rise to the top by courtesy of women women (Mme Walter, Clotilde, Madeleine), from journalist to member of Parliament to cabinet minister. But it is also the fair sex that will cause his fall in the end.
Fun-loving Peer Gynt lives carefree on his parents' farm. Only his mother is a fixed point of reference; he doesn't think much of regular work and an orderly life. His mother's death brings him closer to the young Solveig, but he leaves her and his homeland to make his fortune in America.
A Polish officer works undercover in 1930s Berlin to discover Nazi Germany's plans against his homeland.
The nine-year-old orphan Therese has recently moved in with a family of gardeners. She continues to take loving care of her former foster mother, from whom she had to leave when she fell ill with a heart condition. With the help of old Jacob, the girl manages to grow a particularly beautiful rose. After some complications, this proves to be a stroke of luck, and not just for her.
In a made-up country somewhere in northern Europe: In the armaments factory F.N.G., an important drawing is copied and passed on to the enemy. Suspicion falls on the chief engineer Alexander Nica and his assistant Laurenz. Both are placed before the court; accused by the night watchman Bruns; and sentenced to death for industrial espionage. Before sentencing, however, Nica succeeds in getting away. Now he’s trying to find proof to convince the court of his and Laurenz’ innocence.
In 1939 German U-boat captain Günther Prien receives orders to infiltrate the British Royal Navy base at Scapa Flow and sink British warships.
An English peace judge in an Irish district is married to an Irishwoman. She is a caring patriot. He is heavily indebted by a life of luxury, and doesn't shy away from dark deeds to maintain his lifestyle. Anti-Britsh propaganda film.
Director Burckhardt is found shot just after making the moves on Gisela Ostercamp, the wife of a business colleague. When the criminal investigator Haupt inspects items in the apartment of the dead man, he comes to the conclusiong that Gisela herself is the murderess and accusations start flying between the married couple. The murdered man's brother, the lawyer Burckhardt, steps up to act as defense counsel for the woman, with whom he has learned to love in the meantime.
Harry Piel
Saleswoman Jenny is crazy about the painter Jack. But Jack does not want to marry, even though he loves Jenny passionately. So Jenny looks elsewhere to find the right man. She marries twice, but always ends up back with Jack and gives herself to him with no attachments. Will Jack and Jenny find true love? Of course!
After losing almost all of his money, a young marquis discovers that among his few remaining possessions is a magical piece of leather which is capable of fulfilling any wish. However, every use of it will make it less effective and furthermore will shorten the life of its user. Nevertheless, the marquis uses the magical object ruthlessly in order to regain his wealth and especially to get the love of Feodora, an actress. But all his efforts only seem to lead to doom…
An adventurer, Peter Diercksen, travels to South America to guide an expedition into the jungle. However, when the ship is quarantined he believes he has a serious disease. He does not accompany the trip, which runs into major problems.
Nora and Stefan fall in love with one another after an accident takes place, but then end up losing sight of one another later on. Stefan ends up saving the life of young Christine and becomes her fiancée. Christine, however, is Nora’s daughter (can’t see where this is heading, huh?). When Christine finds out that mom and her hubby-to-be had a rather intimate history, she takes a boat ride on a stormy lake. But the prophecy of disaster associated with the bronze figure “Melusine” does not come to pass: Stefan looks for Christine, finds her in one piece and stays with her. Nora, for her part, decides incest might be a bad thing and gives up Stefan forever to go back to the man she divorced (hey, way to feel wanted!). For some reason, the Nazis didn’t like the plot’s moral message and banned it after its completion.
Lighthouse keeper Uwe Bull lives with his wife Hanne and the silent assistant Jens in a secluded, small world. When the only survivor from a shipwreck, young Margot from Reeperbahn, is washed up on the island, Uwe's feelings arouses. But dark clouds appear in the sky.
The ambassador of the Kingdom of Luvaria orders Baron Belmar, his attaché, to win the interest of Mona, wife of the war minister, who opposes a treaty the ambassador very much wants signed. However, his mission is complicated by the fact that Helene, the ambassador's wife, is extremely jealous of every woman he meets, for she was responsible for getting him his appointment as attaché. Belmar, nevertheless, is in love with Greta, who will not marry him until he is proven worthy of her trust. After many narrow escapes from exposure of the personal intrigue, he manages to sway the attentions of Mona, who persuades the war minister to sign the treaty, thus gaining Belmar an appointment as ambassador to Peru and Greta as his wife.
Once a celebrated opera singer, who sacrificed her career for her husband. Now she strives to become a successful painter. One day, the husband suffers a fatal accident while out horse riding. A short time later, Angelika shoots the art dealer Immerzeel. The court is unable to figure out the facts around the shooting, but assume that Immerzeel was her lover and sentence her to four years imprisonment for manslaughter.
A celebration of strong Prussian leadership during the reign of Frederick the Great.
Lufthansa captain Hans Droste is friends with English pilot William Crossley, who saved his life during the war. Having just landed in Berlin, Hans receives a telegram from his friend urgently asking him to fly to London and check on his dying uncle, Sir Reginald Crossley. Sir Reginald has only one wish: he wants to right a past wrong and asks Hans to find a girl to whom he wants to bequeath a third of his fortune.
A German peasant woman is determined to succeed as a sculptor and ,though she has a child out of wedlock, spurns chances to set up a marriage and continues to pursue her art instead, in the stimulating new climate of Italy.
This anti-communist propaganda film discusses the revolutionary curse of communism in the Soviet-Union shortly before and after the fall of czardom in Russia, told from the point of view of Belarusians in exile. Anti-communist copy in color which has been discovered, restored and printed by the Royal Belgian Filmarchive.
With her daughter Anita, a young singer, the widow Marianne von der Halden undertakes a journey into the past. She wants to see her former admirers again. One of them is the chamber singer Paul Schneider, who only remembers his childhood sweetheart with irony. They meet the former student Werner Birkner at his wedding, where Anita meets the teacher Michael Brantner. But the encounters make no impression on Marianne. Until she meets her former great love again at a concert given by her daughter, the general director Elmers. The concert is a resounding success and Marianne reconnects with Elmers, who is still unaware that Anita is his daughter.
A romantic melodrama set in 19th-century Russia: magnificent uniforms, dashing officers, glittering balls. A young woman, unhappily married to an aging count, who is passionately in love with another man, must stand trial on charges of murder after her husband commits suicide.
Germany in the post-war period. Due to the circumstances of the time and his lack of prospects, the young Bimbo has become a hoodlum who keeps his head above water with petty crime. One night he robs the writer Percy, but is picked up by the police shortly afterwards in a drunken state. As he has Percy's wallet with him, the police think he is the robber and take him to his address. Percy can hardly believe his eyes when he sees the robber again. But instead of handing him over to the police, he takes Bimbo under his wing and tries to make a better person out of him - not an easy task.
The film depicts the composer Franz Liszt and takes its name from his 1850 piano work of the same title.
Chicago gangsters use cunning and a series of false identities in a violent battle for dominance, all while attempting to dodge the police.
The beautiful Evelyne Schratt, who has many admirerers, and whose two husbands both died under mysterious circumstances, is giving a reception. When one of her admirers is found stabbed to death in a room upstairs, the police detains everyone in the house and begins an interrogation (oh goody: does dinner come with this mystery theatre, too?). Evelyne admits, that the murdered man tried to blackmail about some information he had about the death of the two husbands.
Opera style film in which a crook offers to change ties with a waiter, so he can escape. The waiter ends up getting involved with a rich American lady who takes him to Florida.
Comedy about the love life of the Russian emperor.
This is a real curiosity; at best a reasonable film, but also a charming little gem. There is a story (in the line of "A Star is Born"), but this merely serves as an excuse, as it is more importantly a kind of moving encyclopedia of about 35 stars making their debut in a talkie (although some of them had already made one talkie), of the technical sound possibilities and of film making. Besides all that, it is entertaining and sometimes hilarious and it has fine one-liners that split my side. The film is also remarkable for making mock of typical German film genres (like the overly sweet romances involving the military), of too heavy acting and of film making in general. I have to mention this one: a short, hysterically funny parody of "Der blaue Engel". What this film in fact says is: do not take any film too seriously. (J. Steed)
A young German officer's life is turned upside when he tries to end his affair with a married baroness after falling for an innocent young singer. French version of Ophuls' Liebelei.
Originally Liebe in Ring, this German part-talkie is a generally agreeable effort to transform heavyweight boxing champ Max Schmeling into a movie star. It's the old saw about an up-and-coming pugilist who ignores his loyal girlfriend in favor of a wealthy adventuress. His new romance nearly wrecks the hero's career, but with the help of his friends -- and of course, his real sweetheart -- he makes a spectacular comeback. The final scenes show Schmeling and his new bride heading for America, which was evidently Mecca so far as pre-Hitlerian German filmmakers were concerned. Max Schmeling's leading lady in Love in the Ring is Olga Tschechowa; in real life, he married the equally popular actress Anny Ondra
Expressionistic devices depict the nervous breakdown of a young physician whose patient has died,on whom he had tried out a new serum contrary to his superior's orders.
A concert pianist, the romantic idol of many women, is seduced away from his wife. The seductress's husband takes in the pianist's wife, and all four pretend to be happy with the new arrangement.
Frank returns to his homeland as an engineer, falls in love with Regine, the housemaid of his uncle, and marries her. Thanks to the intrigues of Floris, one of Frank's rejects, Regine is suspected of having an affair with another man. Depressed and desperate, she intends to commit suicide, but is saved by Frank in the last minute.
German all-star musical from 1938 that was a big commercial success.
The last of Starewicz's surviving Russian shorts
One of the first movies made about the fairy tale Cinderella. The film is part of the current German expressionism. Because of that the film ends up being darker than the fairy tale itself.
Charming Tom is pursuing fine Olivia both cheerfully and stubbornly. At first, she rejects him brutally; but then she finds pleasure in this intrusive guy, who’s following her everywhere. They spend an evening together; but afterwards, Olivia determines, that a valuable bracelet has been stolen from her. Now she thinks Tom is the infamous jewel thief, who’s been terrorizing the neighborhood.
Ruined by his competitor, the banker Saccard decides to set up a new business.
A British-German silent drama film directed by Henrik Galeen
Willy, Jean and Guy are broke, so they sell their car and open a filling station. Then they all fall in love for the same girl. Simultaneously filmed French version of the German musical "Die Drei von der Tankstelle".
After the death of his parents, Anton pursues a career at the Schröter trading house in Breslau. He meets Sabine, the boss's sister, befriends Fritz, a rich merchant's son who is working as an intern, and associates with Baron von Rothsattel and his daughter Lenore, who are in financial difficulties and are further distressed by Anton's former schoolmate Veitel, who wants to get rich quick and joins forces with the unscrupulous lawyer Hippus. Fink decides to go to America, and Anton helps the Rothsattels, who retreat to an old estate in Poland and have to defend themselves against rebels there. Fink appears as a savior in distress and frees those who are trapped. Finally, Fink becomes engaged to Lenore, and Anton becomes a partner in the Schröter company and marries Sabine.
Film by Trotz.
While a Russian refugee girl attempts to get work in Constantinople to support herself and her grandfather, a Turkish Bey attempts to make her his mistress.
A dedicated firefighter is forced to retire after an injury.
In the Ruritanian kingdom of Leuchtenstein, the old ruler has just died. His subjects are a bunch of intrigants, and his only real friend was the Baroness Windegg (Olga Tschechowa), a kind-hearted, witty, and very attractive woman, who however was not much loved by the Leuchtenstein upper class. And as these are only interested in getting better positions and other wealths after His Excellency's death, the baroness invents the story that the old ruler wrote his memoirs before his death, containing a lot of intimate, delicate and potentially embarrassing details about the Leuchtenstein dignitaries. Unsurprisingly, everyone is afraid about the details to be revealed. Only the successor to the throne, Prince Ernst Albrecht (Willy Fritsch) sees through the baroness' scheme, and as he is a lusty young man, he joins in her prank.
Film by Manfred Noa.
On the day of Fadinard's wedding, his horse eats a lady's hat on a bush at the roadside, while the lady is hidden behind the bush with her lover Lieutenant Tavernier. Because she is married, she cannot return home hatless without being compromised, and Tavernier orders Fadinard to replace the hat with one exactly like it - or else he will wreck his new home. In an elaborate sequence of complications, Fadinard tries to find a hat while keeping to his marriage schedule
Tatjana is a tale of Russia, the Bolshevik uprising and revolution in a rural setting, entwined with a story of desire and deception. The first intertitle reads, “Fate tires now and then of painting pretty coloured pictures. In such a mood she takes the Blacks and Reds of Human Passion and paints a stark tragedy…” The scene opens on a manservant, drawing back the curtains and discovering his master slumped over at his desk. He is dead. The Chief of Police arrives to interrogate the household and discovers the dead man’s wife purposely sent all the servants out to the theatre the night before… what was the reason for her actions? A letter will explain all as the film delves into the characters’ past through flashback…
Martin Hollmann, a young gardener meets his significantly older wife's daughter from her first marriage. Liesbeth Kröger is from his generation and they both get along well straight away. Shortly after his wife's death, Martin brings Liesbeth into his house as a housekeeper, and they both fall in love. The couple live together and soon decide to get married when Liesbeth becomes pregnant by Martin. But now the tragedy begins, because when registering at the registry office, Martin and Liesbeth, in the form of a strict bailiff, are officially declared that they have committed incest in accordance with Section 173 of the Criminal Code.
After searching in vain through Europe for her boy after 1917, a Russian ballerina settles in with a Paris artist, which arouses the ire of the man's model.
Bill Morrison’s experimental short features decayed film reels from the lost, German silent film Pawns of Passion (1928).
Tina Camphausen has three children, Christian, Schwänchen and Musi, who has grown up for 15 years without a father. The family leads a peaceful life together with Paul, the woman's partner whom the children have accepted. Cohabitation is tested when Felix makes his appearance, Tina's childhood friend and Christian's probable biological father.
