FRESH TITLES ARE HIGHLIGHTED . IL GATTO (1977) * with switchable English subtitles * Amedeo and Ofelia, middle aged brother and sister, own jointly an old decadent, but still attractive, condominium. They want to sell it, but before they have to evict all the tenants. Of course, these don't want to leave at all. The cat, mascot and beloved by all, dies and this gives the two an excuse to enter the tenants' life. Amedeo starts to court the young Wanda and Ofelia seduces the priest Don Pezzolla. In the meantime the police are looking for the cat killer.
THE UNKNOWN TERROR (1957) * with switchable English subtitles * A millionaire leads an expedition into a remote jungle to find his wife's long-lost brother; but instead the group finds a mad scientist, who has created a fungus monster that feeds on the local inhabitants.
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THE EMBRACE (1969) * with switchable English and Dutch subtitles *
Michel, known for his sexual prowess, hires a young girl, Gisèle, to be his servant, because she can make good coffee. She is raped by the man and soon becomes his willing sex slave. He slaps her around before making love, which is the only behavior she finds repugnant. She avenges his abusive behavior in a surprise ending.
MISSIONE APOCALISSE (1966) * with switchable English subtitles *
Couldn't get enough James Bond in Goldfinger? Worry not: in this Italian-Spanish production from the same period, former Agent 087, now stationed in Hong Kong, is assigned to stop a terrorist syndicate holding the world at ransom by threatening to launch a missile with a super bomb at NYC.
THE SYMBOL OF A MAN (1963) * with hard-encoded English subtitles *
In 1936, under the war clouds over the Manchurian border, 60-year-old Oshima Shozaburo is concerned about the future of his only son, Ryuji, who has refused to follow in the footsteps of his gambler father and has decided to become a doctor. Ryuji leaves home to work at a clinic at a dam construction site where he finds the treatment of the laborers intolerable.
FRAULEIN ELSE (1929) * with switchable English subtitles *
Else Thalhof, the middle-class daughter of a respected Viennese lawyer, lives a life largely without worry and grief. While spending a carefree Winter holiday in snowy St. Moritz, she receives a letter from her mother telling Else what's really going on with her father. Dr. Thalhof is in great need of money. He embezzled funds entrusted to him and lost it in the stock market. Now, her mother asks Else to approach a rich art dealer by the name of Dorsday for a loan (Dorsday's in St. Moritz partying, too). The art dealer is much older than Else and very interested in her. He's ready to help her out with a loan of 30,000 Gulden ... on one condition: Else has to strip and show her naked body to him. Up to now, always her own woman, Else now has an extremely difficult discussion to make. On the one hand, she wants to save her father from his well-deserved fate; on the other hand, she'll have to prostitute herself to the dirty, old man. Else Thalhof, gutbürgerliche Tochter eines angesehenen Wiener Rechtsanwalts, lebt ein Leben weitgehend ohne Sorgen und Kummer. Als sie ihren unbeschwerten Winterurlaub im verschneiten St. Moritz verbringt, erhält sie von ihrer Mutter einen Brief, in dem diese ihr mitteilt, wie es wirklich um den Vater steht. Dr. Thalhof befindet sich in großen Geldnöten, hat er doch ihm anvertrautes Geld veruntreut und an der Börse verspekuliert. Nun bittet ihre Mutter sie, den reichen Kunsthändler Dorsday um ein Darlehen zu ersuchen. Die Situation dafür ist günstig, da sich Dorsday gleichfalls in St. Moritz aufhält. Der Kunsthändler ist sehr viel älter als Else und zeigt sich sehr an ihr interessiert. Dorsday ist bereit, der Familie zu helfen und ein Darlehen in Höhe von 30.000 Gulden zu gewähren. Doch nur unter einer Bedingung: Else soll sich vor ihm ausziehen, er will sie unbedingt nackt sehen. Else, bislang stets eine selbstbestimmte Frau, tut sich ungemein schwer mit ihrer Entscheidung. Einerseits möchte sie ihrem Vater unbedingt aus dem selbstverschuldeten Dilemma retten, anderseits würde sie sich einem Typen ausliefern, der ihre Notlage skrupellos missbraucht und sie mit dieser Handlung quasi zu einer Prostituierten degradieren würde.
THE KNIGHT OF A HUNDRED FACES (1960) * with English and German Audio Tracks *
Riccado d'Arce, a righteous knight, is the secret friend of Ciro, Duke Di Pallanzo's son and the secret fiancé of his beautiful sister, Bianca. There's also a faithless knight, Count Fosco Di Villabruna, who covets both the duchy and Bianca, and soon becomes Riccardo's sworn enemy. Fosco has Ciro murdered and Riccardo accused of the crime but ... he laughs longest who laughs last! Riccado d'Arce, ein rechtschaffener Ritter, ist der heimliche Freund von Ciro, dem Sohn des Herzogs Di Pallanzo und dem heimlichen Verlobten seiner schönen Schwester Bianca. Auf der anderen Seite begehrt ein treuloser Ritter, Graf Fosco Di Villabruna, sowohl das Herzogtum als auch Bianca und wird bald zu Riccardos Erzfeind. Fosco lässt Ciro ermorden und Riccardo des Verbrechens bezichtigen, aber ... wer zuletzt lacht, lacht am längsten!
CHILDREN MUST LAUGH (1935) * with hard-encoded English subtitles *
Children Must Laugh is one of the few surviving documentaries about Jewish life in prewar Poland. It was produced to raise funds for the Vladimir Medem Sanatorium which, noted for its modern and spacious facilities, was the embodiment of health and enlightenment, which contrasted glaringly with the grim images of poverty rampant in urban, Polish-Jewish society. The sanatorium's theme song --- "Here we Come" --- punctuates the film with a sense of hope and accomplishment. The Bund's optimistic internationalism, exemplified by the children's performances, permeates the film, creating powerful, yet unintended, ironies for post-Holocaust viewers.
WOODEN CROSSES (1932) * with switchable English subtitles *
In France's answer to Germany's All Quiet on the Western Front, young and patriotic student Demachy joins the French Army in 1914 to defend his country against German aggression; but it isn't long before he and his comrades experience the terrifying and unending horrors of trench warfare in Champagne. And it is there that the continual erection of wooden crosses to the war's dead hits home with the grisly realization that the men fighting are little more than cannon fodder for the insatiable maws of Death.
THE OGRE (1996) * with switchable English and Spanish subtitles *
Frenchman Abel Tiffauges likes children, and wants to protect them from the misdeeds of grown-ups. Falsely suspected as a child molester, he's recruited as a soldier during the Second World War, but very soon is taken prisoner of war. After shortly serving at Goerings hunting lodge, he becomes the dogsbody in Kaltenborn Castle, an elite training camp for German boys. Completely happy to take care of these children, he becomes a servant of Nazism, catching boys from the area as supplies for the camp.
WE WERE YOUNG (1961) * with switchable English and Greek subtitles *
Dimo and Veska, members of an anti-fascist resistance group, get to know each other at a secret meeting. The group's first operation fails: a bomb placed in a theatre does not go off. Because of Dimo, a second mission goes wrong. He is suspecting of being a traitor. The leader of the group, Mladen, narrowly escapes an ambush. After a discussion, the group decides to isolate Dimo. Veska, who is in love with him, has faith in his loyalty to the Resistance. Of course, it doesn't hurt that she has fallen in love with him.
GROWING UP (1983) * with switchable English subtitles *
Set in the northern coastal town of Tamsui and narrated by the girl next door, Xiaobi shows off his remarkable penchant for getting into trouble, whether it be at school, while playing, or at home. Not until tragedy strikes is Xiaobi strayed from his mischievous behavior.
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3 DVD SET: THE GORKY TRILOGY (1938 – 1940)
Discounted set of The Childhood of Maxim Gorky; My Universities; My Apprenticeship.
BEAUTIFUL DAYS (1955) * with hard-encoded English subtitles *
A romantic drama depicting the lives of two generations of a family who run a florist shop in Tokyo.
Duke Max of Bavaria leaves a valuable necklace behind in Potsdam, a gift for the small Princess Sissy. The paint Wittberg is supposed to leave the necklace in Possenhofen. But when he arrives there, he first meets circus director Lindner, with whom Duke Max is staying. Wittberg gives him the necklace, because he thinks Lindner is the duke. Since the circus director is in need of money for a guest performance in Munich, he brings the necklace to a pawnshop, and Hanna, the pawnbroker’s granddaughter, wears the precious jewelry that evening at the circus. Now Ludovika, Duke Max’ wife, thinks she’s her husband’s lover. Herzog Max in Bayern vergisst in Potsdam einen wertvollen Halsschmuck, ein Geschenk für die kleine Prinzessin Sissy. Maler Wittberg soll es in Possenhofen abgeben. Doch dort begegnet er als erstem dem Zirkusdirektor Lindner, den Herzog Max bei sich aufgenommen hat. Ihm überreicht Wittberg den Schmuck, weil er ihn für den Herzog hält. Da dem Zirkusdirektor noch Geld fehlt zu einem Gastspiel in München, bringt er den Schmuck ins Pfandhaus, und Hanna, die Enkelin des Pfandleihers, trägt die Preziosen abends im Zirkus. Nun glaubt Ludovika, die Gemahlin von Herzog Max, dass sie dessen Geliebte ist.
BEYOND THE BRIDGE (1976) * with switchable English subtitles *
Transylvania, 1848: Mara, a fierce and enterprising woman, opposes her daughter's love for the Saxon German Hans. In spite of her controlling mother, the daughter, Sida, marries the object of her affection and soon reveals herself to be just as rapacious as her mother.
DON’T TURN AROUND MY SON (1956) * with switchable English and Spanish subtitles *
A former engineer escapes from a train taking him and other captured partisans to a concentration camp. Returning to his hometown, he's determined to find out what's happened to his son. To his horror, he discovers the boy is being raised in an Ustasha orphanage, where's he's being taught to hate Serbs, Jews, Communists and partisans. The boy's father is determined to take the child away to partisan country ... but how will he manage to do so with the Fascists looking for him?
FIRST IN LINE (1944) * with switchable English and French subtitles * Zian Servettaz is a dedicated mountain man. His Italian-born wife, Bianca, does not adjust well to his mountain village in France --- and to the ever life-threatening dangers presented by his mountain guiding and climbing.
COME AND SEE (1985) * with switchable English and Spanish subtitles * Come and See begins with two Belorussian boys digging in a sand field looking for abandoned rifles, in order to be permitted membership into the Soviet partisan forces, while an old farmer warns them not to dig. One of the boys, Florya, finds an SVT-40. The next day, partisans arrive at his house and take Florya with them, to the dismay of his mother who fears that the loss of her son, like his father before him, will lessen her and her daughters’ chances of survival. The partisans converge in a forest and prepare to confront the Nazis, but the partisan commander orders Florya to remain behind at the camp in reserve; disappointed, Florya walks into the forest, weeping, and comes across Glasha, a girl in love with the commander who has also been left behind. Suddenly, German planes appear and begin to drop German parachutists, and the camp comes under heavy artillery fire. Florya goes temporarily deaf from the explosions and, after hiding out in the forest, returns to his home village with Glasha. He does not find his family at home but his sisters' dolls are lined up on the floor and the house is overrun by flies. When they sit down to eat the still warm dinner from the oven, Glasha vomits. Denying what they both suspect, Florya decides that they must be hiding on a nearby island across a bog.
THE NINTH CIRCLE (1960) * with switchable English subtitles * Zagreb, 1941: In independent Croatia, Jews are being rounded up in the country's capital and being sent to Ustashi concentration camps. To protect the daughter of a family friend who's been deported in a raid along with his wife, the Vojnovic family takes in Ruth and eventually marries her off to their son Ivo to protect her from arrest. Ivo, for his part, is not at all happy with the arrangement, as he already is in love with Magda and the arranged marriage is putting a crimp on his love life. Not realizing what would be in store for the girl were she to be arrested, Ivo's pretty loose about hiding his marriage of convenience and it's not long before everyone knows to whom he's married. By the time the girl is found by Croatian police in the streets after an air raid and deported to a camp, Ivo has fallen in love with her and only then realizes the danger. Amazingly, he makes it into "The Ninth Circle" of one of these camps, where new arrivals are brutally handled by Ustashi guards. But will he be too late to prevent her transport to the crematorium?
GOLIATH – DER MAKPF DER MAKKABAEER (1963)
Some 150 years before the time of Christ, the Syrians have occupied Jerusalem and demand that Zeus be worshiped in the Temple. But the Jewish priest Mattatias calls on the people to oppose this demand. A large part of the population complies with Mattatia's request and starts an uprising, fleeing into the desert. But the Hebrews are pursued and attacked by their tormentors. The attack claims many lives and those left behind now know that they must continue the fight. Judas Maccabeeus, son of the priest Mattatias, assumes command. Ungefähr 150 vor Christus: Die Syrer haben Jerusalem besetzt und fordern, dass im Tempel Zeus verehrt wird. Doch der jüdische Priester Mattatias ruft das Volk auf, sich dieser Forderung zu widersetzen. Ein großer Teil der Bevölkerung kommt Mattatias Forderung nach und verweigert sich, beginnt einen Aufstand und flüchtet in die Wüste. Aber die Hebräer werden von ihren Peinigern bis in die Wüste hinein verfolgt und auch angegriffen. Der Angriff fordert viele Tote und die Zurückgebliebenen wissen nun, dass sie den Kampf weiterführen müssen. Judas Makkabäus, ein Sohn des Priesters Mattatias, übernimmt die Befehlsherrschaft unter ihnen.
TWO FILM DVD: DANGEROUS TO KNOW (1938) + DOCTORS’ WIVES (1931)
DANGEROUS TO KNOW (1938): Racketeer Steve Recka, art patron and political power-maker, rules his town and Madame Lan Ying, his beautiful Oriental friend and hostess (read: mistress), with an iron hand. He meets Margaret Van Kase, a socialite not impressed by his power nor his wealth, having no money herself, and Steve makes frantic efforts to win her and turns away from the loyal Lin Yang. Margaret ignores him as she plans to wed Philip Easton, a penniless bond salesman. The furious Recka, poses as a friend to Easton, while planning to ruin him. His henchmen kidnap Easton when he is carrying a large assignment of bonds, and he is branded as a runaway thief. The only doubters are Margaret and Police Inspector Brandon, who knows Recka's methods and suspects foul play. Easton is found in an abandoned house and arrested as the gangsters have taken the bonds and tipped the police where to find him. Recka offers to clear Easton if Margaret will become his bride and, while her hatred for Recka is intense, her love ...
DOCTORS' WIVES (1931):
A handsome doctor's wife feels neglected and alone until a glamorous cancer researcher promises to bring passion and meaning back into her life.
HUBAL (1973) * with switchable English subtitles *
After Poland is overrun by Axis forces in 1939, an officer and his remaining men decide to continue fighting the invaders alone. Supposedly based on a true story.
THE TURNING POINT (1945) * with switchable English subtitles *
Though only confirmed by the name on a map --- and with names of the most important figures of the battle changed (eg. "Klaus" for "Paulus") --- this is one of the first postwar, Soviet films made and concerns the Battle of Stalingrad. Over the course of five months, the city has resisted the assault of the Germans and their allies (though, at one point, the Axis held 90% of the city in its hands). To lose the city would mean losing the war; but it also seems impossible to hold it given the scale of casualties on the Soviet side alone. The film provides a harrowing portrayal of the lives of soldiers and commanders fighting for their existence and the salvation of Stalingrad in late 1942.
It’s 1938 at the mountain troops barracks in Marienwald. In the evening, there’s a large celebration marking the arrival of the soldiers. The innkeeper of “Zur Post” does his best to honor his new guests. The entire populace of Marienwald joyfully takes part on this day. Hannes Hallgarten and Sepp Eberle, the local schoolteacher in Marienwald, have been friends with Christa for years, the daughter of the innkeeper. Now they discover, that this friendship has crossed the boundary of childhood fellowship. Jealousy rears its ugly head as the two men confess to one another, that each of them loves Christa. 1938, Einzug der Gebirgsjäger - Garnison in Marienwald. Am Abend großes Fest zum Empfang der eingezogenen Truppe. Der Wirt vom Hofe "Zur Post" tut sein bestes, um die neuen Gäste zu ehren. Die ganze Bevölkerung von Marienwald nimmt freudigen Anteil an diesem Tage. Hannes Hallgarten und Sepp Eberle, der Volksschullehrer von Marienwald, haben seit langen Jahren eine Freundschaft mit Christa, der Tochter des Wirtes. geschlossen. Nun müssen sie entdecken, daß diese Freundschaft über die Grenzen einer Jugend-Kameradschaft hinausgeht. Eine kleine Eifersucht flammt auf, als sie sich gegenseitig gestehen, daß sie Christa lieben.
SHURA NO MURE (1984) * with switchable English subtitles *
An historical melodrama tracing the development of a Yokohama-based yakuza group from the mid-1930s to recent times through the rise of one member, Inahara, from initiate to boss. Inahara has vowed revenge on the system that deprived his family of their home and honor through his father's gambling addiction, and he takes that revenge not by defeating the gamblers, but by becoming the boss of them.
TAKEKURABE (1955) * with switchable English subtitles *
In the Yoshiwara red light district, teenage boy Shinnyo, son of a buddhist priest, helplessly witnesses not only his sister Ohana being sold as a concubine by his money-loving father, but also the fate of Midori, a neighborhood girl to whom he has an unspoken affection and who is destined to become a courtesan like her older sister Omaki.
Two young, aspiring artists in the music world --- the composer Axel Berndt and his friend, the librettist Andreas Hansen – are looking forward to seeing the new operetta in town. But their interest isn’t solely in the performance, but mainly in Vera Warden, the top performer, who fascinates both of them. Zwei junge aufstrebende Künstler aus der Musikbranche, der Komponist Axel Berndt und sein Freund, der Librettist Andreas Hansen, freuen sich auf den gemeinsamen Besuch der neuen Operette. Wobei ihr Interesse nicht allein der Aufführung gilt, sondern in erster Linie Vera Warden, der Hauptdarstellerin, die die beiden fasziniert.
Frau Valmondi feiert die Verlobung ihrer Adoptivtochter Giulia mit dem Grafen Lanzoni. Da wünscht ein später Besucher sie zu sprechen. Sein Name ist Canio. Als sie den Fremden sieht, weist sie ihn schroff ab, denn Giulia darf nie erfahren, wer ihr Vater ist. Doch Canio, der 20 Jahre im Gefängnis saß und seine Tochter nie vergessen konnte, bittet nur um deren Verständnis dafür, dass er damals ihre Mutter und ihren Geliebten getötet hat. Aber Frau Valmondi bleibt hart. Schließlich überredet ihn der junge Leoncavallo, mit ihm das Haus zu verlassen, und Canio erzählt ihm seine Geschichte. Mrs. Valmondi celebrates the engagement of her adopted daughter Giulia with the Couth Lanzoni. A late-arriving visitor wishes to speak to her, however; his name is Canio. When Mrs Valmondi sees the stranger, she brushes him off brusquely, for Giulia is never to know who her real father is. But Canio, who has sat in jail for 20 years and who has never forgotten his daughter, begs for understanding as to why he murdered her mother and lover years before. Frau Valmondi remains hard though. Finally, Canio convinces the young Leoncavallo to leave the house and listen to his story.
Adapted from Arthur Miller's play, the film focuses on a group of Frenchmen who are detained at Vichy, the capital of unoccupied France during the Nazi occupation, and "investigated" for suspicion of secretly being Jewish.
THE LEOPARD (1963) * with switchable English subtitles *
The Prince of Salina, a noble aristocrat of impeccable integrity, tries to preserve his family and class amid the tumultuous social upheavals of 1860s Sicily.
British film about the Battle of Arnhem, featuring veterans who were actual participants in the battle. It weaves original footage from the battle with re-enactments shot on location in Oosterbeek and Arnhem. The movie was made only a year after the battle had ravaged the Dutch towns in question. As well as veterans, the film also features local people like Father Dyker (a Dutch civilian priest who conducts the service in the film) and Kate ter Horst (who reads a psalm to the wounded men in the cellar) re-enacting their roles and what they did for the airborne troops during the battle.
Stephen Neale is released into WWII England after two years in an asylum, but it doesn't seem so sane outside either. On his way back to London to rejoin civilization, he stumbles across a murderous spy ring and doesn't quite know whom to turn to.
A SPRING FOR THE THIRSTY (1965) * with switchable English and Ukrainian subtitles *
A Spring for the Thirsty is a parable centering on an old man, who lives a secluded life in the desert, alone with only his memories and photographs. His well, once a source of joy and hope for the thirsty passerby, is now rarely used. No longer able to find comfort in his memories, he turns all his photographs to face the walls. Divided into five sections, the film is practically a silent film. From its powerful, abstract black-and-white images, however, we learn that the old man is waiting to die.
IPHIGENIA (1977) * with switchable English subtitles *
To appease offended gods before going to war, a commander must sacrifice his favorite daughter to them, but does so under the pretext of marrying her off.
Professor Scholler was the last owner of Pension Scholler. His nephew, Peter Klapproth, who has never set foot in the place, nevertheless transforms the place into a "mental hospital" and masquerades as its chief physician. And why? So his uncle will put up a 20,000 DM grant as start-up capital for the needy institution. But the frivolous nephew intends to use the money to make his dream a reality: to open a jazz club. Uncle Scholler smells a rat, but plays along nonetheless and, in the end, it all leads to a happy ending anyhow. Peter Klapproth verwandelt die Pension Schöller, die seinem Onkel, Professor Schöller gehört, der sie aber nie betreten hat, kurzerhand in eine “Klappsmühle” und führt als deren vermeintlicher Chefarzt dem Onkel die “Nervenheilanstalt” vor. Alles nur, damit der Onkel 20.000 Mark Startkapital für die zuschussbedürftige Anstalt herausrückt. Das allerdings braucht der leichtfertige Neffe zur Verwirklichung seines Traums, ein Jazzlokal zu eröffnen. Onkel Schöller riecht Braten, spielt aber mit und führt alles zum glücklichen Ende.
RENDEZVOUS IM SALZKAMMERGUT (1948)
Fritzi and Gretl are two young secretaries from Vienna who want to vacation in St. Gilgen. Gretl is as good as engaged to Peter, who works as an assistant director at a hotel on the lake at their desired destination. The girls don't have a lot of money, however, so they're going to split up and hitchhike their way to the hotel. Fritzi's the first one to get there and is immediately mistaken for the new waitress they've been expecting. Needing money, she accepts the position and Peter --- our assistant director --- falls for her on sight. But don't feel bad for his "fiancee" Gretl: on her way to the hotel, she's fallen in love with the guy who picked her up hitchhiking. All this just going to prove that love ... ummm ... "lust" at first sight is truly possible. Fritzi und Gretl sind zwei junge Sekretärinnen aus Wien, die ihren Urlaub in St. Gilgen verbringen wollen. Gretl ist mit Peter, dem Juniorchef des dortigen Seehotels, so gut wie verlobt. Da die beiden jungen Frauen nicht viel Geld haben, reisen sie getrennt und per Anhalter. Fritzi kommt zuerst am Urlaubsort an und wird irrtümlich für die neue Kellnerin gehalten, die dort erwartet wird. Sie nimmt die Stelle an, und der Juniorchef Peter verliebt sich sofort in sie. Auch seine Verlobte Gretl hat sich inzwischen verliebt: in den jungen Mann, der sie im Auto mitgenommen hat.
THE CANTERBURY TALES (1972) * with switchable English subtitles *
Eight of Geoffrey Chaucer’s lusty tales come to life on-screen in Pier Paolo Pasolini’s gutsy and delirious The Canterbury Tales, which was shot in England and offers a remarkably earthy re-creation of the medieval era. From the story of a nobleman struck blind after marrying a much younger and promiscuous bride to a climactic trip to a hell populated by friars and demons (surely one of the most outrageously conceived and realized sequences ever committed to film), this is an endlessly imaginative work of merry blasphemy, framed by Pasolini’s portrayal of Chaucer himself.
Kitty's a young woman who absolutely wants to act on the stage; it's been her dream forever. However, at an audition, the theater student's performance causes everyone watching to hold their noses! And as if that weren't enough, an acting colleague calls her a disaster! Kitty's furious with the pronouncement and to prove to the arrogant little waiter-actor that she knows how to act, she sneaks into his home to show him just what a disaster she can be: in her attempt at revenge, she unrecognizedly plays other roles, from the maid to an abused wife; from a loving mother to a seductive temptress. The actor eventually must admit that she's not so much a disaster --- perhaps just mentally unstable --- and even falls for her! I hope his medical insurance covers psychiatric treatment for his future wife. Kätchen ist eine junge Frau, die unbedingt zur Bühne will, denn dies ist ihr ganzer Lebensinhalt. Doch bei der Aufnahmeprüfung fällt die Theaterschülerin durch. Als wäre dies nicht schon schlimm genug, nennt sie auch noch der berühmte Schauspielkollege Georg Vorster schlicht “einen Trampel”. Dies ärgert Kätchen derart, dass sie es dem blasierten Star einmal so richtig zeigen will: sie schleicht sich unerkannt in Vorsters Haus und zeigt ihm, zum Beweis ihres künstlerischen Könnens, wie man einen richtigen “Trampel” verkörpert. Dabei sorgt Kätchen für so manche Verwicklungen, denn es bleibt nicht allein beim Trampel: Unerkannt spielt sie auch weitere Frauenrollen: vom Dienstmädchen über die misshandelte Ehefrau und liebevolle Mutter bis hin zum verführerischen Vamp. Georg Vorster muss einsehen, dass er sich in seiner Beurteilung des jungen Kätchens ordentlich geirrt hat und er sogar sein Herz an die junge Kollegin verloren hat.
KATIA (1959) * with switchable English subtitles *
Visiting a boarding school for girls, married Tsar Alexander II gets to know the defiant Princess Katya Dolgoruky and falls in love with her. He invites her to the court ball at his winter palace, where he dances the first dance with her. To escape the court gossip about their affair --- for their love to one another is no longer a secret --- the Tsar sends his beloved to France to complete her studies. At the World's Fair in Paris in 1869, where the Tsar is to be received by Emperor Napoleon III, the ruler of all the Russias barely escapes being assassinated. Katya witnesses the near-tragedy and the two swear to one another never again to be apart from each other. Alexander takes the girl back to St. Petersburg, where she becomes a lady-in-waiting to Alexander's wife and will later marry him. Again and again, there are attempts on the lives of the couple. The Tsar, however, is attempting to bring justice and freedom to his subjects through a new constitution; but before he can do this, he'll finally be taken down in the next assassination attempt.
Charming Tom is pursuing fine Olivia both cheerfully and stubbornly. At first, she rejects him brutally; but then she finds pleasure in this intrusive guy, who’s following her everywhere. They spend an evening together; but afterwards, Olivia determines, that a valuable bracelet has been stolen from her. Now she thinks Tom is the infamous jewel thief, who’s been terrorizing the neighborhood. Gutgelaunt und hartnäckig macht der charmante Tom der feinen Olivia den Hof. Zunächst weist sie ihn empört ab, aber dann findet sie doch Gefallen an diesem aufdringlichen Kerl, der ihr überallhin folgt. Sie verbringen einen gemeinsamen Abend, doch dann stellt Olivia fest, dass ihr ein wertvolles Armband gestohlen wurde. Nun hält sie Tom für den berüchtigten Juwelendieb, der seit einiger Zeit die Gegend unsicher macht.
DESPERADO OUTPOST (1959) * with switchable English subtitles *
Sergeant Okubo is the Japanese version of America's Lone Ranger in this film. After hearing about his older brother's apparent suicide in a remote Japanese frontline outpost, he rides his horse across the vastness of Northern China to uncover the truth about it. He first stops at the frontier town of Shogunbyo, which is like any frontier town in a cowboy movie, with a brothel and jail, and which serves as frontline headquarters. There, Okubo meets many colorful characters. The man responsible for the place, a sadistic lieutenant, who took over the outpost after the former commander went mad, tells Okubo about the so called "Desperado Outpost". The outpost is the most dangerous sector in the area, isolated in the middle of enemy territory and guarded by Company 90, a unit made up of the Army's biggest troublemakers. Okubo proceeds to the infamous outpost to continue his investigation and there meets even more colorful characters. Aside from that, there's a secondary plot with an old love, Chinese bandits roaming around, and the Chinese communist army playing the part of the "Indians" (and even the expected gun duel in any typical American Western).
Beate works as a highly efficient office worker in a large publishing house. When Beate’s boss one day brings in a new publishing director, she suddenly loses her desire to work, for her new boss is no other than Beate’s former lover from long ago, who in his time bitterly disappointed the girl. Beate arbeitet als äußerst tüchtige Bürokraft in einem großen Verlag. Als Beates Chef eines Tages einen neuen Verlagsleiter einstellt, hat sie auf einmal gar keinen so großen Arbeitswillen mehr, denn der Neue ist kein anderer als Beates längst verflossener Geliebter Groner, der das Mädchen seinerzeit bitter enttäuscht hatte.
5 DVD SET – THE BEST OF THIRD REICH CINEMA (subtitled)
5 DVD set of our most popular sellers from the period 1933 - 1945 sold at a discounted price
THE GOOD TIME GIRLS (1960) * with switchable English subtitles *
Ginette, Rita, Jacqueline and Jane try to find fulfillment and love in their lives. Rita has a fiancée, whose family is obsessed with social distinction; Jane has a boyfriend in the army, but does not hesitate to enjoy herself with chance encounters; Ginette has a mysterious passion that keeps her away from her colleagues at nights. Jacqueline is lonely; but who is that mysterious bike-rider who is constantly following her?
LEGACY OF RAGE (1986) * with switchable English subtitles *
Brandon Ma is an average Joe, but his best friend, Michael, is a sinister drug dealer with a crush on Brandon's girlfriend, May. When Michael murders a dirty cop and frames his friend, sending him to jail, Brandon returns for vengeance.
TWO FILM DVD: LEFT-HANDED JOHNNY WEST (1965) + JUBILEE TRAIL (1954)
LEFT-HANDED JOHNNY WEST (1965):
Lone gunman Johnny West and his dog run afoul of bad men who have designs on a gold mine. After having his gun-hand crushed, Johnny is joined by two feuding boxers (the sportsmen; not the dog) and their explosives-expert sidekick as they all take on the villains. Think of it as the Western version of the Guns of Navarone.
JUBILEE TRAIL (1954):
A merchant specializing in the Wild West and his New York City wife head out for California by wagon train. The trader is killed en route, and his wife finds herself pregnant. She continues on, hoping to find a man and a home (so much for long mourning periods).
SAZEN TANGE AND THE POT WORTH A MILLION RYO (1935) * with switchable English subtitles *
A man gives an old pot to his brother, not realizing there is a treasure map inside. His sister-in-law sells the pot to a junk dealer, who, in turn, sells it to a boy named Yasu. A cast of colorful characters are all looking for this pot; and when the child runs away after being chided by Ogino, everyone goes after him.
A singer-film with Benjamino Gigli: The star tenor Mario Monti is searching for the allegedly deceased daughter of his wife Bianca. Bianca was first married to Carlo Scarpa, who discovered and promoted Mario into stardom. When Carlo found out that a love affair developed between his wife and Mario, he threw both of them out and told Bianca, that their daughter Mary died. In fact, the bastard put her up for adoption and she grew up without knowing, who her real parents were. Mario manages to track Mary down in Munich, where she's a ballerina for the State Opera.
Sängerfilm mit Benjamino Gigli: Der Startenor Mario Monti sucht nach der verstorben geglaubten Tochter seiner Frau Bianca. Bianca war in erster Ehe mit Carlo Scarpa verheiratet, dem Entdecker und Förderer Marios. Als Carlo herausfand, dass sich zwischen seiner Frau und Mario ein Liebesverhältnis entwickelte, warf er beide hinaus und erzählte Bianca, ihre Tochter Mary sei verstorben. Tatsächlich ließ er sie adoptieren, und sie wuchs auf, ohne ihre wirklichen Eltern zu kennen. Mario spürt Mary in München auf, wo sie an der Staatsoper als Ballettmädchen angestellt ist.
The talented, young author Juliane Thomas has just separated from her friend of many years, Jurgen Kolbe. In her uncle’s dentist office, she gets to know Jean Berner, a charming Swiss doctor, and his rougher friend, Paul Frank, called “Buffalo”, a well-known film director. Juliane immediately falls in love with Jean and when she is successful is selling her most recent book as a screenplay to a film company, nothing stands to seem in the way of finding eternal happiness … That is, until it turns out, that the director for the planned film is no one other than the “Buffalo”. Die begabte junge Schriftstellerin Juliane Thomas hat sich gerade von ihrem langjährigen Freund Jürgen Kolbe getrennt. In der Zahnarztpraxis ihres Onkels lernt sie kurz danach Jean Berner, einen charmanten Schweizer Arzt, und seinen ungleich ruppigeren Freund Paul Frank, genannt "Büffel", einen bekannten Filmregisseur, kennen. Juliane verliebt sich sofort in Jean und als es ihr noch gelingt, ihr neuestes Buch als Drehbuchvorlage an eine Filmfirma zu verkaufen, scheint ihrem Glück nichts mehr im Wege zu stehen ... Doch der Regisseur des geplanten Film ist niemand anderes als "Büffel".
PUNKS KOMMT AUS AMERIKA (1935)
Eight years have passed since the good-for-nothing Punks was exiled to America by his uncle, so that he might learn to become a decent man there. Now Punks has returned home, but it appears he’s not only not gotten any better, rumor has it he’s become a Tea Party politician! (Can you see Russia from your backyard, Punks?). It’s not that he’s a bad man; he’s just a tad scatterbrained and comes up with so many bizarre ideas to reach his goals (See!? Tea Party!). And you can see this right from the beginning during his taxi ride from Hamburg harbor to his relatives in Berlin: On the way, he loses all his money and doesn’t even notice. When it comes time to pay the taxi driver, he auctions off all his possession to pay off a waiter and the driver at a truck stop (and then blames both Democrats and Republicans for his problems). Acht Jahre sind vergangen, seit der Taugenichts Punks von seinem Onkel nach Amerika "verbannt" wurde, damit dort ein anständiger Mann aus ihm werde. Nun ist Punks zurück in der Heimat, aber scheinbar hat er sich keinen Deut gebessert. Nicht, dass er ein böser Mensch wäre, er ist nur ein wenig schusselig und kommt auf so manche irrwitzige Idee, um seine Ziele zu erreichen. Das beginnt schon bei der Taxifahrt vom Hamburger Hafen zur Verwandtschaft nach Berlin: Unterwegs verliert er sein ganzes Geld, ohne es zu merken. Als er auf einer Raststätte nicht zahlen kann, versteigert er kurzerhand sein ganzes Hab und Gut, um Kellner und Taxifahrer zu entlohnen.
TWO FILM DVD: WENT THE DAY WELL (1942) + TONIGHT WE RAID CALAIS (1943) WENT THE DAY WELL? (1942) One day during the Second World War, a unit of British soldiers arrive in the small, English village of Bramley End. It's the Whitsun weekend, so life is even quieter than usual and there's almost no traffic of any kind. At first, the villagers welcome the soldiers; but then doubts arise as to their purpose and actual identities. It soon turns out these English soldiers are actually an advance guard of the Wehrmacht, sent to soften things up for an impending invasion. The civilians attempt to escape and warn the local Home Guard, but are ambushed and shot by the Germans. It's up to the residents of Bramley End to somehow escape and alert British forces about the invaders, but will they succeed in doing their part to protect the Empire? TONIGHT WE RAID CALAIS (1943) Geoffrey Carter, a British intelligence officer and commando, is sent to occupied France to blow up a munitions plant with the help of a farmer. But the young saboteur has to contend with Odette Bonnard, a young French girl, who hates both the Germans and the British.
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