German cinema has provided many important technical and artistic contributions to cinema. Filmmakers such as FW Murnau, Fritz Lang and Robert Wiene created many of the masterpieces of the German Expressionism movement, known for its dark themes, stylised sets and rich symbolism, that influenced much of Film-noir and Horror, as well as filmmakers such as Cocteau and Bergman. Modern German cinema has also had significant international commercial and festival success, with filmmakers like Fatih Akin leading the way.
METROPOLIS
Metropolis is a silent science fiction film directed by Fritz Lang and written by Lang and Thea von Harbou. Lang and von Harbou, who were married, wrote the screenplay in 1924, and the story was novelized by von Harbou in 1926. It is set in a futuristic urban dystopia and examines a common science fiction theme of the day : the social crisis between workers and owners in capitalism. The film stars Alfred Abel as the leader of the city, Gustav Frohlich as his son, who tries to mediate between the elite caste and the workers, Brigittle Helm as both the Pure at heart worker Maria and the debased robot version of her, and Rudolf Klein Rogge as the mad scientist who created the robot.
NOSFERATU
Wisbourg, Germany based estate agent Knock dispatches his associate, Hutter, to Count Orlok's castle in Transylvania as the Count wants to purchase a isolated house in Wisbourg. They plan on selling him the one across the way from Hutter's own home. Hutter leaves his innocent wife, Ellen, with some friends while he is away. Hutter's trek is an unusual one, with many locals not wanting to take him near the castle where strange events have been occurring. Once at the castle, Hutter does manage to sell the Count the house, but he also notices and feels unusual occurrences, primarily feeling like there is a dark shadow hanging over him, even in the daytime when the Count is unusually asleep. Hutter eventually sees the Count's sleeping chamber in a crypt, and based on a book he has recently read, believes the Count is really a vampire or Nosferatu. While Hutter is trapped in the castle.
PANDORA'S BOX
The dancer and prostitute Lulu is the mistress of the newspaper owner Dr. Ludwig Schn and lives in an apartment paid for by him. When her former protector Schigolch visits Lulu, he brings the opportunist agent Rodrigo Quast that invites Lulu to dance in a play. Dr. Schn tells Lulu that he will marry the aristocratic Charlotte Marie Adelaide v. Zarnikow and mesmerizing Lulu forces him to marry her. However, in the wedding party, Dr. Schn finds Lulu partying with Schigolch and Rodrigo Quast in their bedroom and he gets his pistol and forces Lulu to shoot him. Lulu is arrested and almost six months later, she goes to the tribunal for trial. Despite the testimony of Dr. Schn's son Alwa Schn and his friend Countess Anna Geschwitz, Lulu is sentenced to five years in prison in a prejudicial verdict. But her friends cause a bedlam in court and Lulu flees.
SOLINO
In the sixties Romano Amato, his wife Rosa and their two sons Giancarlo and Gigi emigrate from Solino in Italy to Duisburg in the Ruhr area and establish the first Pizza restaurant in town. Their business emerges well and both children get used to Germany. 10 years later the brothers fall in love with the same woman; they break tie with each other in anger and Gigi returns to Solino with his mother. A decade later both meet again and have a retrospect on their lives.
