Explore film with these posts on Reverberations.
For nearly forty years, actor Ulrich Tukur has been appearing in television and films. And in that time, he has not allowed himself to be pigeonholed. He has starred in dramatic films retelling important moments of history, clever comedies, and everywhere in between. So this month, let’s get to know the award-winning actor Ulrich Tukur and learn German with film!
If you’re a fan of German cinema or the art house scene of the 1970s, then you’re likely already familiar with Rainer Werner Fassbinder. The German director, writer, and actor is considered to be an important figure in the New German Cinema movement that took place from the 1960s until the 1980s.
The Criterion Collection has honored a number of his films. The works are typically low budget, filmed quickly, and full of gritty realism along with commentary on society. Although Fassbinder died in 1982 at the age of 37, he made an astonishing 40 full-length films.
This month, let’s better get to know Rainer Werner Fassbinder and practice the German language at the same time.
While it certainly is not as fun as being there in person, you can immerse yourself in all that Munich and Bavaria have to offer from your sofa. Or wherever you prefer to watch!
That is right: I am talking about movies filmed in Munich and around the state of Bavaria. You can fill an afternoon with a romantic comedy or learn something new with a historical drama. There are options for whatever strikes your fancy, although the options are more limited if you do not speak German.
If you want to experience Bavaria without seeing a film that is set in the German state, keep reading! I have some honorable mentions that might surprise you.
So, go ahead, grab a Bavarian Bier (or your favorite beverage) plus some popcorn, and check out these movies filmed in Munich (and Bavaria)!
If you prefer television shows to movies, check out these TV shows set in Munich and Bavaria.
If you are not yet familiar with German filmmaker Fatih Akin, then now is the time. One of my favorite directors, Akin continues to wow filmgoers with films that range from dramas touching on political, societal, and cultural issues, fun comedies, and even a documentary with an international flair.
So this month, practice German with films and get to know Fatih Akin with his movies Gegen die Wand, Crossing The Bridge – The Sound of Istanbul, and Soul Kitchen!
You may not know it, but you probably are already familiar with German actor Daniel Brühl. He has been quietly but consistently working and gaining experience with stellar role after stellar role in film and television projects.
Most recently he’s made a bit of a cross-over into the English language Hollywood market.
Perhaps you know him as Fredrick Zoller, the Nazi war hero, in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds or as Austrian F1 race car driver Niki Lauda in Ron Howard’s Rush — for which he earned himself an Oscar nomination — or as Julian Assange’s business partner Daniel Domscheit-Berg in The Fifth Estate.
Daniel Brühl has made some enjoyable and thought-provoking films in German that are definitely worth seeing!
So this month, let’s get to know this talented actor for three of his many German-language roles. Practice your German skills with Daniel Brühl and the films Good Bye, Lenin!, Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei, and Der ganz große Traum!
Whether he is gracing the big screen or your television screen, Stipe Erceg can be difficult to miss. With his gaunt and chiseled features surrounding deep-set eyes, the actor is memorable before he has even spoken a word. You may already know Erceg for his roles in English language thrillers such as Unknown, starring Liam Neeson and Diane Kruger, or The Fourth State, starring Moritz Bleibtreu.
But Stipe Erceg made his mark on (and in!) German cinema with roles in such films as The Edukators, Baader Meinhof Complex and Hell. This month, I am featuring actor Stipe Erceg as the German language film recommendations for German language learners.
Stuttgart-born actress Nina Hoss could easily be filed under German actors you didn’t know you already know. Fans of the hit political television drama Homeland may recognize her as Astrid. Hoss has appeared in several episodes of the show as a German embassy worker and Peter Quinn’s former flame.
Or perhaps you may know her from the big screen in A Most Wanted Man where she worked alongside Philip Seymour Hoffman, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright, and fellow German Daniel Brühl. But her talents are not merely limited to acting. Hoss collaborated in 2014 with the Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers on their track “Europa geht durch mich” off their album Futurology.
But this month we’re getting to know Nina Hoss for her remarkable acting. Hoss has starring roles in some films that are interesting, intruiging, and great for learning German. I’m highlighting three of Hoss’ films: A Girl Called Rosemarie (Das Mädchen Rosemarie), The Elementary Particles (Elementarteilchen), and Jerichow!
If Elyas M’Barek looks familiar or you think you’ve heard his name before that’s very likely possible. This is especially true if you have been following the German Films series that I’ve been posting about. M’Barek has shared the big screen with Til Schweiger, Matthias Schweighöfer, Nora Tschirner, Tom Schilling, Karoline Herfurth, and Moritz Bleibtreu, to name a few.
Or perhaps you may have spotted him in English language films such as The Physician, with Ben Kingsley, and The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones with Lily Collins and Jamie Campbell Bower. M’Barek is not sticking to a single style.
Romanian-German actress Alexandra Maria Lara is a familiar face both inside and outside of the German film industry. Born in Bucharest, Lara and her family fled Communist Romania in the early 1980s. The family eventually found refuge in West Germany. Today, she is a notable actress in the world of cinema. But not just in German films. You may have seen her in big Hollywood English-language films such as The Reader, the Ron Howard directed Rush, the Francis Ford Coppola directed Youth Without Youth, or the Anton Corbijn directed Control. Lara clearly is making her mark on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
Lara has appeared in major German language films like Der Untergang and the recent Amazon original series You Are Wanted. Practice your German language skills with these three film and television recommendations featuring actress Alexandra Maria Lara.
To say that actor Moritz Bleibtreu is a busy man is an understatement. He has nearly 100 acting credits to his name during his almost 40-year career. That is pretty impressive. He has appeared in major English language films like Woman in Gold, The Fifth Estate, Speed Racer, and Steven Spielberg’s Munich. But his film credits in the German language are equally as impressive. His roles are wide-ranging, showing his abilities at his craft. So this month, let’s learn German with the films of Moritz Bleibtreu.
Austrian actor Tobias Moretti is truly a jack of all trades. He began his career as an actor on the stage but he has mastered performing on both the big and small screens (that is, cinema and television). He can portray “the bad guy” impressively, sending chills down your spine. But Moretti can also bring a smile to your face in a clever comedy. So this month, let’s learn German with the film and television roles of Tobias Moretti!
Whether you watch English language films or German language, longtime actor Jürgen Prochnow probably looks familiar. He has been a dictator in 1997’s Air Force One, the bad guy in 1987’s Beverly Hills Cop II, and as a duke in 1984’s Dune. But Prochnow is an accomplished and respected actor in his home country, too. He has had starring roles in important and memorable German language roles.
So this month let’s learn German with the films of actor Jürgen Prochnow (Die Verlorene Ehre der Katharina Blum, Das Boot, Der Bulle und das Mädchen)!