Essentials from Germany

Discuss internationally-released DVDs and Blu-rays or other international DVD and Blu-ray-related topics.
Post Reply
Message
Author
Adam
Joined: Sun Dec 09, 2007 8:29 pm
Location: Los Angeles CA
Contact:

#51 Post by Adam » Fri Apr 04, 2008 6:33 pm

What about the various disks from Edition Filmmuseum? are they available on Amazon.de?
Last edited by Adam on Sat Apr 05, 2008 3:03 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
Kinsayder
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2005 6:22 pm
Location: UK

#52 Post by Kinsayder » Fri Apr 04, 2008 8:35 pm

If you search for individual titles you'll find some of them there. The titles I've bought have either come from Amazon or the Filmmuseum's own shop.

User avatar
skuhn8
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2004 4:46 pm
Location: Chico, CA

#53 Post by skuhn8 » Tue Apr 22, 2008 5:46 am

Might as well piggy back on this thread and bring it back to life. Getting ready to pull the trigger on Einsturzende Neubauten's Jewels (unnecessary detail due to how funny that sounds and an effort to pitch a deserving musical unit) and want to throw some stuff in the basket with it.

Definitely interested in Madchen in Uniform (my German will suffice) but want to know if anyone has any recommendations regarding the following:

Olympia
Westfront 1918--ok, found that there are Screen Captures on this board which look passable and that there aren't even German subtitles (my German is ok but not good enough to go without German subs)--will have to wait for CC or whoever.
and on that note: how are the UFA Klassiker Editions in general. Sliding in at just under 10 Euro they seem a bargain. But are they just dodgy public domain jobs?

Any other recent German must-haves?

User avatar
Kinsayder
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2005 6:22 pm
Location: UK

#54 Post by Kinsayder » Tue Apr 22, 2008 7:46 am

Some of these have been mentioned in other threads:

Jacques Rivette: Vier Meisterwerke (4 DVDs) - the only way to get Merry-go-round
Monty Python's Flying Circus - Box (7 DVDs) - cheapest way to get the full series
Der Verlorene (Arthaus Premium Edition - 2 DVDs) - the only edition of the only film directed by Peter Lorre
Film im Herzen Europas - includes newly discovered footage from Wegener's Golem
Edgar Wallace Edition 04 (4 DVDs) - there are other box sets available. Not all are English-subbed. This one is
Odna - Allein - Grigori Kozintsev
Das neue Babylon - Kozintsev (best edition currently available)
Die Bartholomäusnacht (Collector's Edition, 3 DVDs) - La Reine Margot (two versions of the film - see here for more info)
Der Schatz (2 DVDs)
Erde - the best edition of Dowshenko's Earth

User avatar
skuhn8
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2004 4:46 pm
Location: Chico, CA

#55 Post by skuhn8 » Tue Apr 22, 2008 8:07 am

thanks Kinsayder, lots of food for thought. I had forgotten about Neue Babylon.

Do you have Der Verlorene? How is the transfer and what is the content (2 discs and they can't drop a word on what's in the box?).--any subs on those extras? I assume the film has German subs?

Ok, here's the scoop on extras (and a review reference to Criterion no less):

Criterion hätte es nicht besser gemacht. , 21. November 2007
Von Deutsche Bank "marek" (Berlin) - alle meine Rezensionen ansehen

Also diese Arthaus Premium Edition ist wirklich einmalig und Criterion hätte es nicht besser machen können.

Die Verpackung ist großartig gestaltet, das Originalmotiv auf dem Cover, innen eine sehr atmosphärische Gestaltung. Hut ab.

Aber dann die Extras auf der 2. DVD: Zwei Dokumentarfilme "Peter Lorre - das doppelte Gesicht" von Harun Farocki und "Displaced Person - Die Entstehung von Peter Lorres Film" von Robert Fischer, zusammen 2 Stunden großartiges Material. Außerdem gibt es einen super informativen Booklettext von Felix Hofmann, sogar noch Dokumente der Filmbewertungsstelle Wiesbaden und - DER ABSOLUTE HAMMER - Auszüge aus Peter Lorres Arbeitsdrehbuch (!!!!), Biografien, Fotogalerien, Trailer.

Was Arthaus hier kreiert hat, ist wirklich ausgezeichnet. Und dass der Film radikal, komplex, spannend und wichtig ist, das ist ja eh klar.
Last edited by skuhn8 on Tue Apr 22, 2008 8:14 am, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
lubitsch
Joined: Fri Oct 07, 2005 4:20 pm

#56 Post by lubitsch » Tue Apr 22, 2008 8:08 am

skuhn8 wrote: and on that note: how are the UFA Klassiker Editions in general. Sliding in at just under 10 Euro they seem a bargain. But are they just dodgy public domain jobs?
The two Pabst films are ironically by far the worst regarding picture quality. Mostly the films controlled by the Murnau Stiftung are released by UFA with German subtitles and by Black Hill without subtitles. Theoretically the UFA films are the big ones, but the seperation isn't as precise and the quality also differs, there are STUNNING Black Hill titles like F.P.1 ANTWORTET NICHT. Additionally Kinowelt releases German classics with German subtitles like MÄDCHEN IN UNIFORM.
The Goethe Institutes released a box of ten classics with BLUE ANGEL, M but also unavailable films like KONGRESS TANZT, AMPHITRYON and KAISER VON KALIFORNIEN which is not on sale but occasionally appears on ebay.de and it has English subtitles for all film!!!
Worth a look and with German subs are e.g. MÄDCHEN IN UNIFORM, BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ, DER KONGRESS TANZT, AMPHITRYON, DER KAISER VON KALIFORNIEN, DER MANN DER SHERLOCK HOLMES WAR, ZU NEUEN UFERN, NAPOLEON IST AN ALLEM SCHULD, TANZ AUF DEM VULKAN, BEL AMI, ALLOTRIA, GROSSE FREIHEIT NR.7, UNTER DEN BRÜCKEN (english subs!), DER ZERBROCHENE KRUG.

User avatar
Kinsayder
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2005 6:22 pm
Location: UK

#57 Post by Kinsayder » Tue Apr 22, 2008 8:25 am

Der Verlorene is a very attractive edition, loaded with extras. German subs only.

Image

Extras:
* Documentary by Harun Farocki: Peter Lorre -- Das doppelte Gesicht (Peter Lorre -- The Double Face, 1984), with comments by Stephen Youngkin
* Documentary by Robert Fischer: Displaced Person: Peter Lorre and His Film, "Der Verlorene" (2007), including an interview with German film historian Christoph Fuchs
* Exclusive booklet, edited by Felix Hofmann
* Documents from the Filmbewertungsstelle Wiesbaden concerning the film's rating, including excerpts from Lorre's own work script
* Biographical sketches on Peter Lorre, Karl John (Hoesch), and Gisela Trowe (the prostitute)
* Photo gallery
* Original theatrical trailer

User avatar
skuhn8
Joined: Tue Dec 14, 2004 4:46 pm
Location: Chico, CA

#58 Post by skuhn8 » Tue Apr 22, 2008 8:42 am

Thanks. In the basket. (I can assume there are no subs on the extras?)

User avatar
Kinsayder
Joined: Mon Oct 10, 2005 6:22 pm
Location: UK

#59 Post by Kinsayder » Tue Apr 22, 2008 8:51 am

skuhn8 wrote:(I can assume there are no subs on the extras?)
No, the two documentaries are unsubbed.

User avatar
Tommaso
Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 10:09 am

#60 Post by Tommaso » Tue Apr 22, 2008 11:54 am

lubitsch wrote:The two Pabst films are ironically by far the worst regarding picture quality. Mostly the films controlled by the Murnau Stiftung are released by UFA with German subtitles and by Black Hill without subtitles. Theoretically the UFA films are the big ones, but the seperation isn't as precise and the quality also differs, there are STUNNING Black Hill titles like F.P.1 ANTWORTET NICHT.
Yes, the two Pabst films seem both to be horrible. I only have "Kameradschaft", but apart from a bad print, there are chopped heads galore due to them releasing it in 1.33, not 1.19. "Kongress" is a wonderful film, but here they apparently tried to clean up the image and to get rid of the grain, resulting in a terribly unnatural look with lots of 'grain haloing' (for want of a better term). The Black Hill discs seem to be better, generally, and indeed "FP1" looks stunning, but in my view the film isn't. Worth a look, though. Highly recommended is their "Einbrecher" disc (a film I like even better than "Kongress" perhaps), which has a quite decent image. Not so great is the only Ophüls film that they released, "Lachende Erben", both image- and filmwise (actually, I found the film a complete disappointment).

How does "Kaiser von Kalifornien" look, btw? One of the few Trenker films I've never seen.

DrBanan
Joined: Sat Jul 23, 2005 9:43 am
Location: Stockholm Sweden

#61 Post by DrBanan » Mon Jun 23, 2008 3:46 pm

Does anyone know if the Fellini Casanova by Kinowelt have the correct Aspect Ratio (i.e. not vertically stretched like the UK Freemantle edition)??

accatone
Joined: Thu May 04, 2006 8:04 am

#62 Post by accatone » Wed Jun 25, 2008 10:43 am

NACHMITTAG, a film by Angela Schanelec / English, French & Espangnol subtitles included! Wonderful film! More info here.

User avatar
sidehacker
Joined: Sat Mar 17, 2007 2:49 am
Location: Bowling Green, Ohio
Contact:

#63 Post by sidehacker » Wed Jun 25, 2008 10:49 am

Shameless self promotion here, but I did write a review for Nachmittag. I didn't love it, but Schanelec definitely deserves more attention. Her previous film, Marseille, is also quite good. I haven't seen Passing Summer yet.

accatone
Joined: Thu May 04, 2006 8:04 am

#64 Post by accatone » Tue Jul 15, 2008 4:01 am

Absolut Medien will provide an edition in co-op with German respectable publishing house Suhrkamp - among others there is Kluges Das Kapital "essay", some Handke, Duras, Beckett, Bernhard etcetera… and Brechts Kuhle Wampe.

User avatar
otis
Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2005 11:43 am

#65 Post by otis » Tue Jul 15, 2008 1:29 pm

Does their stuff ever come with English subtitles?

User avatar
A
Joined: Wed Jan 23, 2008 6:41 pm

#66 Post by A » Tue Jul 22, 2008 12:59 pm

I second the two Schanelec films Nachmittag (Afternoon / 2007) and Marseille (2004), which easily made my Top Ten of their respective year (in fact, Marseilles tops 2004 as the best film of the year imo). Schanelec is one of the most gifted living filmmakers, and deserves MUCH more attention.

Marseille is available on DVD with English subtitles.

But there are many more great and fascinating German films. Too bad, many of them aren't released at all, and most which are don't come with English subs... same situation as in every other country (except the English speaking ones, obviously :wink: ).

If anybody has some more questions regarding German cinema or specific films, feel free to ask. As I live here and love German cinema I'm a bit knowledgeable myself, and fortunately have enough friends wgo know a lot about many aspects and genres in German film history.

Another recent German film I'd recommend to anyone is Ulrich Kohler's stunning debut feature Bungalow (2002). This German DVD fortunately does have English subtitles (as do all DVD editions of "Filmgalerie 451").

User avatar
A
Joined: Wed Jan 23, 2008 6:41 pm

#67 Post by A » Tue Jul 22, 2008 1:29 pm

otis wrote:Does their stuff ever come with English subtitles?
Some of their DVDs do have English subs. To find out which, just click on the films description. Here is a link to a list with all (?) of their releases

User avatar
otis
Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2005 11:43 am

#68 Post by otis » Tue Jul 22, 2008 1:43 pm

Thanks, A!

accatone
Joined: Thu May 04, 2006 8:04 am

#69 Post by accatone » Wed Oct 01, 2008 7:15 am

After rewatching Falscher Bekenner (previously mentioned) i just needed to re - recommand this film!!! I think its (besides the ultra annoying CHICKS ON SPEED theme) a wonderfull film! The german DVD does not have any subs at all but it looks like its available in the US as well. I would not call it a masterpiece but found it really impressive (with special regard on the cinematografie!).

User avatar
martin
Joined: Thu Dec 13, 2007 8:16 am
Contact:

Re: Essentials from Germany

#70 Post by martin » Fri May 15, 2009 6:33 am

I recently saw Winterreise (2006). I wouldn't call it an essential German movie, and I wasn't completely blown away by it, but it has great scope cinematography (sometimes handheld). What I particularly liked, though, was the use of Schubert's song cycle (and I'm a big fan of Die Winterreise)! I think it's a very bold move to have some of the lead actors (Bierbichler and Hanna Schygulla) actually interpreting Schubert's songs!

The German disc does have English subs even though the dvd cover clearly states German only ('Untertitel: Deutsch')! A number of stills from the film can be seen at amazon.de (don't worry about the 'wrong' aspect ratio of the stills - these are not disc grabs. The disc is 2.35:1).

Btw., thanks to the contributors in this great thread! I've already enjoyed a lot of the films mentioned, and I've just ordered Falscher Bekenner and am looking forward to it!

User avatar
Tommaso
Joined: Fri May 19, 2006 10:09 am

Re: Essentials from Germany

#71 Post by Tommaso » Fri May 15, 2009 9:33 am

I have nothing to say about "Winterreise" (haven't seen it), but since this thread is revived now, I must absolutely recommend a film I only watched recently, the 1931 version of "Emil und die Detektive", directed by Gerhard Lamprecht and starring the great Fritz Rasp.

Kästner's children's book has been filmed several times, but this is the first and arguably by far the best adaptation. Yes, it IS a film for children, but it's constantly engaging for grown-ups, too. Imagine a children's film made by the young Fritz Lang, and you get an idea, not least because "Emil" has stunning, stunning camerawork, and not only in that extended dream/hallucinatory sequence which comes very obviously from the German expressionist/experimental tradition and is surprisingly frightening even today. Wonderful acting by Rasp as the evil guy, even more menacing than his role in "Frau im Mond", and by the many children actors in the film, too.

Oh, and the music was written by Allan Grey (who composed the score for Jutzi's "Alexanderplatz" and later wrote scores for many a Powell&Pressburger film), and if you wonder why the pacing and dialogue seem pitch-perfect for most of the time: co-writer on this film, though apparently uncredited, was the man himself, Emeric Pressburger. So a must-see in this respect, too.

The film is available on the 2-disc edition of "Emil und die Detektive", which has the 1954 version as well (and which I haven't seen). It was also available for a time on its own as part of De Agostini's series "Die großen deutschen Filmklassiker" and shows up often in this form on German ebay for not too high a price.

User avatar
der_Artur
Joined: Mon Nov 08, 2004 6:22 pm
Location: stuttgart

Re: Essentials from Germany

#72 Post by der_Artur » Tue May 26, 2009 4:50 am

A few days ago Nelson Lyon's "The Telephone Book" was released by hello film. But be warndet, it is an expensive release, and with dimensions of 32x28cm a rather big one, too.

User avatar
Matt
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2004 12:58 pm

Re: Amazon.de: German discs worth buying

#73 Post by Matt » Mon Sep 14, 2009 10:18 am

Anyone know if Buddenbrooks has English subtitles?

User avatar
Wu.Qinghua
Joined: Sat Aug 15, 2009 4:31 pm

Re: Amazon.de: German discs worth buying

#74 Post by Wu.Qinghua » Mon Sep 14, 2009 2:02 pm

Anyone know if Buddenbrooks has English subtitles?
I haven't seen this Dvd yet, but had a look at the relevant German data bases on the internet. It seems there are NO English subtitles but German subtitles for hearing impaired only.

sharunasbresson
Joined: Sun Jul 05, 2009 4:43 am

Re: Amazon.de: German discs worth buying

#75 Post by sharunasbresson » Mon Sep 14, 2009 3:00 pm

i would like to suggest some beautiful german dvd with english and french subtitles; not very cheap unfortunately, but worth discoverying.

two young filmmakers, Maria Speth and Angela Schanelec, experimenting with strange slow paced narrative structures. somber and intense, the latter especially owing a lot to bresson and eustache.

Maria Speth's "Madonnen"

Angela Schanelec's "Marseille", "Nachmittag" and "Mein langsamen leben" are all very interesting features.

Still looking forward a dvd edition of "platze in stadten", imo Schanelec masterpiece.

Post Reply