German Language Resources
See also: Audiocassettes | Videos | Software
Videos
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Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (Angst essen Seelen auf)
Rainer Werner Fassbinder. 1 VHS cassette (94mins):color. German with English subtitles, Feature Film. Germany 1974. Actors: Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Brigitte Mira, El Hedi Ben Salem, Barbara Valentin, Irm Hermann.
"Fassbinder draws on the formula of the classic American tear-jerker to tell the outrageous, touching story of a bumpy love affair between a German floorwasher and an inarticulate Arab mechanic. Ali :Fear Eats the Soul is a moving romance, a perverse social comedy, and a biting drama. With his warm humanism and cool irony, Fassbinder is able to create art from material that in the hands of most directors would never transcend soap opera." (from the video jacket)
All-round Reduced Personality, The
Helke Sander. 1 VHS cassette (98mins):B&W. Feature Film. Actors: Helke Sander, Joachim Baumann, Frank Burckner, Eva Gagel, Ulrich Gressieker, Beate Kopp. German with English subtitles. Germany, 1977.
"A key work of the new German cinema, Helke Sander's film is a justly celebrated portrait of Edda, a free-lance photojournalist and a look at the divided city of Berlin -- a wryly funny but serious commentary on contemporary life. Sander, a leading figure of the women's movement in Germany, is the film's writer, director, and star. In the role of Edda, Sander has a hard time making ends meet to support herself and her daughter, and is forced to photograph boring functions while really wanting to take socially significant oictures, As she struggle to realixe herself as an artist and a woman, Sander bravely portrays Edda as an individual straddling multiple worlds-- work, womanhood, motherhood, East, West, capitalism, and socialism." (from the video jacket)
Alles Gute
2 VHS videocassettes. Cassette 1 (lessons 1-8), Cassette 2 (lessons 9-16).
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Berliner Stadt-Illustrierte
1 VHS videocassette, PAL format, (29mins) : color.
Bleierne Zeit, Die
Margarethe Von Trotta. 1 VHS cassette (103mins):color. German with English subtitles, Feature Film. Actors: Barbara Sukowa, Jutta Lampe, Rudiger Vogler. Germany, 1981.
"A moving, masterful combination of personal and political history, this is the story of two sisters caught up in the tumoil of the 1970s. Raised in the conformist 1950s, they both rebel against their conservative upbringing. Juliane works to reform the system as a feminist journalist, while Marianne commits herself to violent revolution, joining a notorious terrorist group. When Marianne is arrested, Juliane discovers that although she rejected Marianne's radicalism, she cannot shake the unbreakable bonds that tie her to her doomed sister. An incisive portrait of two sisters entangled in the desperate politics of a chaotic era, from the acclaimed director of Rosa Luxemburg." (from the video jacket)
The Boat see, Das Boot.
Boot, Das
Wolfgang Petersen,1997. 209mins(color), 1 VHS cassette German with Engilsh subtitles.
"This is director Wolfgang Petersen's ultimate version of one og the most critically- acclaimed war movies of all time. Fully restored and remastered. . . 60 minutes of new footage. . . 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 wat 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. . . Das Boot earned six Academy Award nominations for artistic and technical excellence and is one of the most revered anti-war films in Hollyood history." (from the video jacket)
Bridge, The see Brücke, Die.
Brücke, Die
Bernhard Wicki. 1 VHS cassette : color. German with English subtitles. Germany.
"'The Bridge' in one of the most viciously realistic war films ever made. 'The Bridge' takes you to a time and place that no longer exists... Germany, 1945, in the final hours of war. As the war rages to its bitter climax, eight 16-year old German schoolboys are drafted into the Wehrmacht as a last resort to defend bridge to their town. With patriotic enthusiasm, the boys struggles bravely but futilely to carry out their orders againsts advancing American troops and tanks." (from the video jacket)
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Deutsch Direkt
BBC, 1985. 3 VHS videocassettes : color. Cassette 1 (lessons 1-5), Cassette 2 (lessons 11-15), Cassette 3 (lessons 17-20). 3 Audio cassettes.
Deutschland im herbst(Germany in Autumn)
Alf Brustellin, 1977.126 mins (color and B&W), 1 VHS cassette, German with enhanced English subtitles.
"One of the landmark works of the New German Cinema, Germany in Autumn was an unprecedented collective response by Germany's leading directors and writers to the climate of political terrorism in their country in the late 1970's. Throughout the decade, the Red Army Faction (RAF) - an outgrowth of the notorious Badder-Meinhoff Group - had waged a campaign of terror agaunst those in power, and the government's escalating efforts to root out the terrorists had resulted in a virtual state of seige by the Autumn of 1977. here is an immediate, impassioned response to the events of that Autumn: the RAF kidnapping and murder of industrialist Hans-Martin Schleyer, and the subsequent highly suspicious deaths of three imprisoned Badder-Meinhoff terrorists. The fim opens with footage of the Schleyer funeral and closes with the terrorists' funeral. . . "(from the video jacket).
Deutschstunde: Teil 1
Peter Beauvais. German, no subtitles. 1 VHS videocassette (32mins) ; color. Part I only.
Discovering Germany
Video Visits. 1 VHS cassette (90mins):color. Documentary, English. USA, 1996.
"Journey to the united Federal Republic of Germany, a land of soaring cathedrals, alpine peaks, and fairytale forests. Sail along the Rhine and Elbe rivers and then join the boisterous celebration of Munich's Oktoberfest. Be dazzled by the splendid castle of mad King Ludwig II at Neuschwanstein, and the palatial retreat of Sanssouci Castle. Relish the music and culture of Bach's Leipzig, the literary shrine of Goethe's Weimar, and the porcelain treasures of Meissen. Relive the historic events that led to the fall of the Berlin Wall and explore the study in contrasts that characterizes a new Berlin." (from the video jacket)
Dreigroschenoper, Die (Three Penny Opera,The)
G.W. Pabst. 1 VHS cassette (112mins):B&W. German with English subtitles. Actors: Lotte Lenya. Germany, 1931.
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Einfach toll!
A videotape program to accompany introductory German courses. -- Houghton Mifflin, 1992. ISBN 0-395-59207-0 1 VHS videocassette (approx. 50mins) : color.
"Shot on location in Mainz, Germany, Einfach toll! brings to life scenes of everyday activities in the lives of young German people. The video's eight modules and seven cultural interludes are rich in details that combine with authentic listening practice to motivate students and enhance their ability to understand real spoken German." Einführung 1:26 1. Schule Neue Bekanntschaften 4:00 Bilder aus Deutschland 1:00 2. Geburtstagsfeier: Wie alt bist du? 6:12 Einkaufen in der Innenstadt 0:51 3. Einkaufsbummel: In der Fußgängerzone 6:00 Auf dem Markt 1:00 4. Hausarbeit: Wer macht was? 4:12 Jung und alt 1:03 5. Freizeit: Was machen wir? 5:27 Schilder und Zeichen 0:40 6. Treffpunkt: Café am Ballplatz 4:43 Öffentliche Verkehrsmittel 0:58 7. Wohnungssuche: Ist das Zimmer noch frei? 6:11 Am Bahnhof 1:06 8. Rheinfahrt: Ausflug nach Bacharach 8:38
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Fox and His Friends see Fur Amin und Alle Anderen.
Für Amen und Alle Anderen
Rainer Fassbinder. 1 VHS cassette (123mins):color. German with English subtitles. Actors: Rainer Fassbinder, Peter Chatel, Karl-Heinz Bohm. Germany, 1975.
"Fassbinder's films have always been notable for the natural and knowing way in which homosexuality is introduced, but Fox and His Friends is the first Fassbinder film in which it is made the central subject. A lower class carnival entertainer, professionally known as 'Fox the Talking Head,' strikes it rich, after a life of hard knocks, by winning the lottery. His new-found wealth attracts an elegant bourgeois lover, who proceeds to vamp Fox as thoroughly and unthinkingly as Theda Bara. This ill-fated romance between the capitalist and the lottery 'queen' makes for one of Fassbinder's most skillfully wrought films, expertly evoking a brittle, upper-class gay milieu." (from the video jacket)
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Germany in Autumn see Deutschland im herbst.
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Heimat: A Chronicle of Germany
Edgar Reitz, 1996. 924mins, 10 VHS cassettes, German with English subtitles.
"A cinematic event. . . a massive, nearly 16-hour chronicle of life in Germany, from 1919 to 1982, as reflected in the fluctuating fortunes of the members if one family, initially peasant farmers, in the fictitious village of Schachbach in the Rhineland. . . In spite of its intimidating length, Heimat is immensley, easily watchable, an extraordinary succesion of mostly ordinary events and characters -- history seen from ground level -- vividly actedby a huge cast of oth professional and nonprofessinal actors." (from the video jacket)
Himmel über Berlin see Wings of Desire.
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Im Lauf der Zeit
Wim Wenders. 1 VHS cassette (176mins): B&W. German with English subtitles. Actors:Rudiger Vogler, Hanns Zischler. Germany, 1975.
"Robert, depondent over the breakup of his marriage, crashes his VW into a river and swims ashore, where he meets Bruno, a projector repairman who makes a living calling on isolated movie houses that dot the German countryside. Together, the two set off on a funny, warm and unforgettable journey across Germany, listening to rock 'n' roll, visiting shuttered movie theatres, encountering strangers with strange tales and discovering what it means to be living in Germany today." (from the video jacket)
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Kings of the Road (In the Course of Time) see Im Lauf der Zeit.
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M
Fritz Lang. 1 VHS cassette (111mins):BW. German with English subtitles, Feature Film. USA, 1931. Actors: Peter Lorre, Ellen Widmann, Inge Landgut, Gustaf Grundgens.
"Behind every great suspense film lies the shadow of M, a fact-based drama that is the first and , perhaps, the ultimate portrait of a serial killer. Peter Lorre's flawless performance as a psychotic child murderer elicits feelings of noth fear and pity. Lorre (Casablanca), in his first starring role, conveys the agonyof a man driven by his compulsions, tormentes by self-loathing, and hunted by both the criminal underworld and the police. M director Fritz Lang's (Metropolis) first sound film and personal favorite, skillfully blend innovative camerawork, fine acting, and atomospheric settings. This version also includes the often missing final scene and a restored soundtrack." (from the video jacket)
Märchen und Kindergeschichten I
PICS/The University of Iowa. 2 copies, 1 VHS cassette (45mins):color. German.
"This is the first of two PICS volumes of fairy tales abd children's stories from the ZDF. They are delightful animated narrations, some based on older fairy tales, some from modern stories. While intended for young viewers, these stories will be useful at many levels, as fairy tales always are, for content and vocabulary." (from the video jacket)
Marianne & Juliane see Bleierne Zeit, Die.
The Marriage of Maria Braun(Ehe der Maria Braun,Die)
Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1978. 120mins (color), 1 VHS cassette, German with English subtitles.
"The Marriage of Maria Braun is the most spectacular film of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's career, and probably of the entire New German Cinema. Here his favorite leading actress, Hanna Schygulla, stars as a post WWII survivalist who uses equal doses of seduction and self-preservation to keep afloat in the troubled, cut-throat society of a Germany rebuilding its ravaged countryside and spirit. This deeply moving film is a successful mix of soap opera, sexual politics, offbeat comedy, and epic romance. Schygulla's shattering performance as Maria Braun established her as one of Europe's finest actresses." (from the video jacket)
Maybe. . . Maybe Not
Sönke Wortman. 1 VHS cassette (93 mins):color. German with English subtitles. Feature Film. Actors: Til Schweiger, Katja Reimann.
"A hilarious look at mistakedn sexual identity, Maybe. . . Maybe Not deftly explores the comic possibilities of what happens when two gender worlds clash. The story revolves around the handsome main character Axel, an open-minded heterosexual whose girlfriend, Doro, has just thrown him out for cheating on her. The only place he can find to sleep is the apartment of Norbert, a gay acquaintance who would like nothing better than to seduce Axel. Doro announces she is pregnant, then finds Axel and Norbert in a compromising position and decides her lover is gay. In the comedy of errors that follows, everything Axel does to win Doro back goes hilariously wrong. Will Axel's life ever be normal again? Maybe. . . Maybe Not." (from the video jacket)
Men. . . A Screwball Romantic Comedy
Doris Dorrie, 1985. 96 mins (color), 1 VHS cassette, German with English subtitles.
"Julius Armbrust, a successful young executive, has been cheating on his wife Paula for years. But when he discovers on his birthday that she's got a lover of her own -- a bohemian artist named Stefan -- his ego is shattered. He starts to spy on Paula and Stefan, and then, carrying his jealousy to lunatic extremes, julius takes a leave from his job, goes undercover, and moves into his wife's lover's house. Winner of 4 German Oscars, Men. . . is a brash, high-spirited, and gleefully ironic exploration of the male mystique. With a keen ear and a playful, satiric eye, director Doris Dorrie reinvents the screwball romantic comedy.
My Second Life
Bronco Video. 1 VHS cassette (53 mins):color. English, Documentary, 1996.
"The collapse of socialism meant the loss of a giant support structure which had enabled 91% of East German women to be employed, even while having children. Today there is a widespread notion that women are losers of the reunification. Yet interviews with these very women show a surprisingly wide spectrum of responses to the changes in their lives. My Second Lifeoffers a deeper insight into the complex process of German reunification by letting East German women speak for themselves. They look back at the old system and see many good things lost -- but at the same time the sum of their experiences proves that a story is never as black and white as newspaper headlines might make it appear." (from the video jacket)
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The Nasty Girl
Micheal Verhoeven, 1990. 94 mins (color), 1 VHS cassette, German with English subtitles.
"In this provocative comedy, Sonja (Lena Stolze) is "The Nasty Girl", a young girl whose digging for the truth gets her buried in the cover-up. A school project inspires Sonja to investigate her town's past -- a subject which seems to upset her neighbors -- and Sonja's research soon falls by the wayside. Marriage to he childhood sweetheart, the schoolteacher whom she seduced, proves a distraction, but not for long. Sonja soon discovers that her small town has some big secrets -- secrets the town wants left that way. . . "(from the video jacket).
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Schauplatz Deutschland = Germany Alive
ARD Television series. 7 VHS Cassettes (60') : color Lessons 101,102, 105, 201, 202, 205.
Sissi
Ernst Marischka. 1 VHS cassette (101mins):color. German, no subtitles,Feature Film. Actors: Romy Schneider, Karlheinz Bohm. Germany, 1955.
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Threepenny Opera, the see Dreigroschenoper, Die.
Test the West: Metamorphosis in East Germany
Bronco Video. 2 VHS cassettes: color. English, Documentary, 1991. Part I: 1990, "First Encounter with a New System" (30 mins), Part II: 1993, "The Rebuilding of a Country" (48 mins).
"This two part documentary focuses on the metamorphosis East Germany and its people are going through while shifting from one system to another. The video looks at the issue of German Reunification from an insider's perspective, offering an alternative to the picture painted by American mainstream media. The fall of the Berlin Wall has opened up great opportunities for the people in East Germany. Yet, along with freedom and Western consumer goods, the new system brought uncertainty and fears for many people. Suddenly, unemployment, tough business competition, and the loss of government support programs have become realities of life. There is no such thing as instant democracy, and the adjustment to a strikingly different system proves a slow and painful learning experience. This video includes interviews with a wide variety of everyday people talking about the changes in their lives, about hope and frustration in these times of transition." (from the video jacket)
The Threepenny Opera
G.W. Pabst. 1 VHS cassette (112mins):B&W. Feature Film. Actors: Lotte Lanya. German with English subtitles. Germany, 1931.
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Wings of Desire(Himmel über Berlin, Der)
Wim Wenders. 1 VHS cassette (130 mins):color. English and German with English subtitles. Feature Film. Actors: Peter Falk Bruno Ganz, Otto Sander. West Germany, 1987.
"From acclaimed filmmaker Wim Wenders (Paris, Texas) comes this wonderfully romantic fantasy about an angel who wishes he were mortal and is willing to fall from the sky if it means the chance of falling in love. Offering truly stellar performances by stars Bruno Ganz and Peter Falk, Wings of Desire is set in modern-day Berlin and follows angel Damien's path from heavenly flight to earthly delight in a manner that's comical, touching and entertaining." (from the video jacket)