About this product: Jan (Daniel Brühl, Ladies in Lavender) and Peter are the best friends behind the radical and mysterious group The Edukators, united by their passion to change the world, in "The funniest, most original movie I’ve seen all year." (David Edwards, The Daily Mirror). When the rich go on vacation, The Edukators break into their homes. They don’t steal, but simply rearrange everything, leaving the message "Your days of plenty are numbered." When Peter’s girlfriend Jule (Julia Jentsch, winner, Best Young Actress, 2005 Bavarian Film Awards) moves in, she joins them in their subversive activities. But when a rich businessman catches them in the act, they rashly decide to kidnap him. Faced with the values of the generation in power, they will see what kind of revolutionaries they are, if their friendship can survive, and discover if they truly work in the interest of the greater good, or just in their own self-interest. Passions rage and loyalties shatter in director Hans Weingartner’s exciting film that’s "Fresh, biting, gripping, tender, and tense." (The Telegraph On Sunday
About this product: Contemporary comedies rarely stretch themselves beyond a bickering romantic couple or a bickering couple and a bucket of bodily fluids, which makes the ambition and intelligence of Good bye, Lenin! not simply entertaining but downright refreshing. The movie starts in East Germany before the fall of communism; our hero, Alex (Daniel Bruhl), describes how his mother (Katrin Sass), a true believer in the communist cause, has a heart attack when she sees him being clubbed by police at a protest. She falls into a coma for eight months--during which the Berlin Wall comes down. When she awakens, her fragile health must avoid any shocks, so Alex creates an illusive reality around his bedridden mother to convince her that communism is still alive. Good bye, Lenin! delicately balances wry satire with its rich investment in the lives of Alex, his mother, and other characters around them. Funny, moving, and highly recommended. --Bret Fetzer
About this product: Both epic and heartbreakingly intimate, Nowhere in Africa begins with a Jewish woman named Jettel Redlich fleeing Nazi Germany with her daughter Regina, to join her husband, Walter, on a farm in Kenya. At first, Jettel refuses to adjust to her new circumstances (she brought with her a set of china dishes and an evening gown), while Regina adapts readily to this new world, forming a strong bond with her father's cook, an African named Owuor. But this is only the beginning of a series of uprootings, and as the surface of their lives is torn away, Walter and Jettel find they have little in common, and must--under tumultuous circumstances--build their marriage anew. With incredible skill and passion, Nowhere in Africa manages to bring you fully into every change in this family's life; it richly deserves the Academy Award® it received in 2002. A powerful, deeply moving film. --Bret Fetzer
Nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, this is a first-rate thriller that, like Bertolucci's The Conformist and Coppola's The Conversation, opts for character development over car chases. The place is East Berlin, the year is 1984, and it all begins with a simple surveillance assignment: Capt. Gerd Wiesler (Ulrich Mühe in a restrained, yet deeply felt performance), a Stasi officer and a specialist in this kind of thing, has been assigned to keep an eye on Georg Dreyman (Sebastian Koch, Black Book), a respected playwright, and his actress girlfriend, Christa-Maria Sieland (Martina Gedeck, Mostly Martha). Though Dreyman is known to associate with the occasional dissident, like blacklisted director Albert Jerska (Volkmar Kleinert), his record is spotless. Everything changes when Wiesler discovers that Minister Hempf (Thomas Thieme) has an ulterior motive in spying on this seemingly upright citizen. In other words, it's personal, and Wiesler's sympathies shift from the government to its people--or at least to this one particular person. That would be risky enough, but then Wiesler uses his privileged position to affect a change in Dreyman's life. The God-like move he makes may be minor and untraceable, but it will have major consequences for all concerned, including Wiesler himself. Writer/director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck starts with a simple premise that becomes more complicated and emotionally involving as his assured debut unfolds. Though three epilogues is, arguably, two too many, The Lives of Others is always elegant, never confusing. It's class with feeling. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Beyond The Lives of Others
Films from Germany
Other Cold War Films
More Arthouse Selections from Sony Pictures Classics
Stills from The Lives of Others (click for larger image)
About this product: Despite its flaws, The Good German is a welcome gift for every film lover who laments that "they don't make 'em like they used to." Steven Soderbergh's affectionate, knowing tribute to the black-and-white melodramas of Hollywood's golden age may lack the emotional depth and romantic passion of Michael Curtiz's Casablanca--the 1946 classic it intentionally emulates--but as Soderbergh approximates Curtiz's studio style, he delivers a shimmering, shadowy reminder that movies can be enjoyed for the sheer pleasure of their craftsmanship. Once again serving as his own cinematographer (credited as "Peter Andrews"), Soderbergh went to great lengths to technically and aesthetically re-create the look and feel of a Curtiz production, and Joseph Kanon's source novel (adapted by Quiz Show screenwriter Paul Attanasio) provides a twisting plot set around the historical Potsdam conference in post-World War II Germany. An American military journalist, Capt. Jake Geismer (George Clooney) is in rubble-strewn Berlin to cover the event, and is quickly drawn into a murder plot involving his appointed driver (Tobey Maguire), an old flame-turned-wartime prostitute (Cate Blanchett) and her missing husband, a scientist who possesses pivotal secrets coveted by Americans and Russians in a pre-Cold War bid for power.
Violence, sexual content, and salty dialogue make it clear that this R-rated drama is a brashly contemporary homage to films of a bygone era, and not a slavish attempt to copy the past. This yields mixed results in terms of the film's overall appeal; it's gorgeous to look at, but the plot and performances exist in a vacuum, and the entire film feels oddly disengaged from any sense of genuine human emotion. It's probably fair to say that Soderbergh had more fun making the film than most people will have watching it. And yet, as Clooney's character is repeatedly beaten and deceived on his path to cynical enlightenment, The Good German has many qualities that make it recommendable, not the least being the pleasure of following a talented director as he indulges his penchant for bold experimentation. --Jeff Shannon
About this product: By late 1944, the Western Allies were infected with the over-confidence that flowed from the sweeping victories they had gained since the Breakout from Normandy and that by December had carried them to the very borders of the Third Reich. They were confident that the war would soon be over, but they were sadly mistaken. On December 16, German forces launched a massive attack through the Ardennes, the opening blows of Operation Watch on the Rhine, known to history as the Battle of the Bulge.
There is something about boys' boarding schools that gay men love just as it is with prisons. We know that many young men have their first same-sex experiences in boarding schools and that is obviously what makes dramas about these schools so enticing. Picture This Entertainment has acquired the rights to "Teenage Angst", winner of the Silver Bear at the 2008 Berlin International Film Festival and it is now ours to view in the comfort of our homes.
"Teenage Angst" is the story of youth abused power as it carefully examines what happens when young men need to belong to a group but do not understand the consequences of acceptance.
Four young male students from wealthy families at a beautiful picturesque boarding school in Germany form a clique which maintains sexually charged rituals and rites. They try to break lose from their rich existence and at night they sneak away to party, swim naked and play games that become increasingly dangerous. As always happens, the boys with stronger wills rise above the weaker boys and as can be expected, bad things begin to happen.
Here is a modern take on motiveless violence, of teens searching to find themselves and the discovery that the youth have desires as well as depressions. The story is not pretty but it is enlightening and shows what goes on in the mind of many teens. In this case the boys are able to act upon what enters their minds. The film is directed by Thomas Stuber and is an auspicious first full length film debit.
On the same disc is included a homoerotic short film by French director Pascal-Alex Vincent, "Baby Shark" which was nominated for the Palme D'Or at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival. Here is another tale of teens gone astray and it looks at what happens from three different perspectives. In the first, a misguided young boy asks a heterosexual couple to allow him to become sexually indulged. The second is about a young male/female couple that is forced to content with a young man who has attached himself to the male of the couple and the third is about a young man who makes advances n his identical twin brother's girlfriend.
Both film gives us a look at a different aspect of youth and opens our eyes to aspects of adolescence not known to everyone.
About this product: GERMAN FOR KIDS volume 1 introduces this complex language in a way that is fun and easy-to-understand. Starring native speaking actors and featuring 3D animation, this video teaches German within the context of a fantastic birthday party - full of lively songs, delicious food and playful games. Sebastian and his German Shepherd puppy Shultz clearly demonstrate highly practical phrases for everyday situations, such as meeting and greeting, eating, playing and much more. Words for colors, numbers, and parts of the body are explained in an entertaining and lively manner. Narrated and subtitled in English, GERMAN FOR KIDS is perfect for beginner students of all ages. Incorporates Language Tree s breakthrough Multi-Cognition Approach TM, developed by a Stanford University Cognitive Scientist Contains 6 complete lessons on everyday conversation Includes interactive DVD games that test a child s comprehension Introduces over 100 practical phrases and vocabulary words Upbeat sing-a-long songs reinforce new words and phrases DVD comes accompanied with a learning book so parents or teachers can review lessons together with their child.
About this product: Four German Silent Classics in a New Beautiful Thin-Pak Boxed Set. The Set Includes: Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) Directed by Robert Wiene, Starring Conrad Viedt and Werner Krauss - Warning Shadows (1923) Directed by Arthur Robison - The Hands of Orlac (1924) Directed by Robert Wiene, Starring Conrad Veidt - Secrets of a Soul (1926) Directed by G.W. Pabst, Starring Werner Krauss
About this product: BookBox makes learning fun! Conceived by child literacy expert Dr. Brij Kothari and his team, at Stanford University, BookBox Stories entertain children and improve their reading skills at the same time. Using scientifically tested SLS (same language subtitling), children will improve their listening comprehension, reading skills and foreign language skills by watching these enchanting stories about Christmas and the holiday spirit. BookBox is a new DVD series uses Same Language Subtitling (SLS) synchronizing the text, audio and visual components of a story shown on screen or reading Karaoke style. SLS is the simple idea of subtitling music videos, film, television and DVDs in the same language as the audio. Word for word, what is heard is what will be read on screen. BookBox Enchanting Christmas Stories is a compilation of five short animated films featuring SLS, which has been proven to aid early readers in developing their reading skills. The stories will be available in numerous different languages on different discs. Enchanting animation, dramatic vocalization, beautiful music and easy-to-follow on-screen text come together to provide hours of viewing fun! BookBox Enchanting Christmas Stories is a compilation of five short animated films featuring SLS, which has been proven to aid early readers in developing their reading skills. The stories will be available in numerous different languages on different discs. Enchanting animation, dramatic vocalization, beautiful music and easy-to-follow on-screen text come together to provide hours of viewing fun! Stories on Enchanting Christmas Stories are: The First Christmas The star of Bethlehem recounts how on the first Christmas Eve, the angels came and requested him to shine with all his brightness to lead the three kings through the desert to meet baby Jesus. The Greatest Treasure Peter stumbles upon a treasure map and decides to seek it out, meeting several animals along the way who join him on his quest. Together, they defy the obstacles in their way, find the prize and realize that the greatest treasure of all is friendship. Tucket the Bucket Tucket, a gardener s favorite bucket, develops a hole, is tossed aside and rusts after a rainstorm. One day, a little girl discovers him, cleans the rust off and places a rose plant inside. Tucket takes care of the rose bud, making him the happiest bucket in the world. The Elves and the Shoemaker A poor cobbler and his wife are aided by two elves who, during the nights, secretly craft several exquisite pairs of shoes. Soon, they become quite well known in town for their innovative designs. In the true spirit of the season, they show their thanks and appreciation by stitching the elves warm clothing and a pair of shoes for Christmas. Santa s Christmas Oh, no, the usual hustle and bustle of preparing presents is gone as Santa has fallen ill! Children come to visit and offer him gifts, proving the true meaning of Christmas is wrapped up in love and kindness. BookBox Enchanting Christmas Stories are available in English only, English/Spanish, English/French, English/German, English/Italian, and English/Mandarin Chinese. In the beginning of the program, you will be asked to choose a language. You can choose German and read the story in German. There is an additional option to also display English while German is being read. This is a great way to learn many languages. A portion of proceeds from the sale of BookBox DVDs will be donated to PlanetRead.org, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to reading and literacy development around the world.
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