GERMANY: 12 x 21 FILMS

By: Grey Daisies

GERMANY: 12 × 21 FILMS

Nach zehn Jahren interessiert an einem Zeitungsausschnitt immer der rückseitige Artikel, aber da fehlt eine halbe Spalte.
(Ten years on it’s always the article on the back of the newspaper cutting that’s of interest, but half a column is missing.)

— Harun Farocki, Filmkritik (1979, p.234)

Inspired by Eskalierende Träume’s ongoing list of 100 favourite German films, Cologne’s Filmclub 813, shomingeki, Absurd 3000, Splatting Image, Gdinetmao, Nachtblende, SigiGötz Entertainment and other film magazines of the like, Harun Farocki’s legendary film seminars and my distaste for the 100 most significant German films list (and any art canons for that matter) I hereby present you 252 unsung, nonconformist, fun and fabulous films from all over Germany, an eclectic mixture of neglected cult classics and hidden treasures, ranging from underground, krautploitation, weird sleaze, pulp movies, Edgar Wallace films, camp oddities, experimental, super 8 films, animation, student films, to horror and science fiction flicks, glorious documentary films, children’s cinema, post-punk and new wave films, krautwestern, heimat- and mountain films, forgotten GDR jewels … and many many others. If you are looking for Wenders, Herzog, Fassbinder, or Berlin School films, go look somewhere else.

Fehlfarben – Agenten In Raucherkinos (12" Vinyl, Welt-Rekord, Germany, 1983)

      Ich bin ein schwieriger Charakter,    I am a difficult character,
      ich werf’ Papier auf die Straße,    I’ll throw paper on the street,
      ich mag Agenten in Raucherkinos I like agents in smoking cinemas
      und krieg im Auto schnell nasse Füsse. and get wet feet in cars.

      Die Lage der Nation     The state of the nation
      beunruhigt mich schon sehr,        worries me very much,
      doch es stört mich mehr,              but it bothers me more
      daß du nicht mit mir redest.                   that you don’t talk to me.

Ich bin in guter Laune I am in good mood
in einer üblen Gegend. in a bad area.

Special thanks to my heroes (past and present) Alfred Edel (†), Werner Enke, Harun Farocki, Klaus Lemke, Ulli Lommel, Vlado Kristl (†), Olaf Möller, Kurt Raab (†), Christoph Schlingensief (†), Helge Schneider, Werner Schroeter (†), Rudolf Thome and Nadja Tiller.

Since it is my firm belief that this list of 252 German films is as good (or bad) as any other list, I am looking forward to lively discussions, encouraging criticism and happily welcome further suggestions.

To say it with the words of Klaus Kinski (ca. 1991): “Es gibt keine ‘wichtigeren’ oder ‘unwichtigeren’ Filme. Es gibt nur entweder Faszination oder keine.” (“There are no ‘important’ or ‘unimportant’ films. There is only either fascination or none.”)

With that in mind, below is a random and totally subjective list, in chronological order, of my personal recommendations of inspirational films from Germany.

REFERENCES AND FURTHER READINGS

Web
Eskalierende Träume’s ongoing list of 100 favourite German films
100 most significant German films @ MUBI

Lists
Germany – Land of My Cinematic Dreams by WBA
Apursansar’s German Film Canon by Apursansar
Essential German Films by Kenji

Cinema
Filmclub 813

Film magazines
shomingeki
Absurd 3000
Splatting Image

Books
Gdinetmao – Abweichungen vom deutschen Film by Rainer Knepperges (ed.), 2000
Der Ärger mit den Bildern – Die Filme von Harun Farocki by Rolf Aurich, Ulrich Kriest (ed.), 1998