Roland Gräf Movies

The German Das Haus Am Fluss (House on the River) is based on "The Russian Pelt," a 1942 story by Frederick Wolf. The film takes place in an industrial community just outside of Berlin in 1941. Two sisters--unmarried Emmi and married Agnes--live with their mother while their men are off to war. Emmi receives a Ukranian blouse from her fiance, who is fighting in Russia. Her acceptance of what is considered "war goods" upsets the equillibrium of the community. Meanwhile, Agnes is being pursued by the factory boss who arranged with his Gestapo contacts to have Agnes' husband sent to the Russian front. Noting the effect the Ukranian blouse has on the flighty Emmi, the factory boss hopes to entice Agnes by offering her a Ukranian fur pelt. Agnes' seriously injured husband returns from the war with a similar pelt as a gift. Agnes symbolically accepts her husband's gift over that of the boss, who responds by threatening to have the husband imprisoned as a subversive. The boss is killed by Agnes who, despite her subsequent arrest by the Gestapo, feels that she's won a moral victory. As for Emmi, she hangs herself upon discovering that her fiance has been killed. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Based on the satire of the same name by Guenter de Bruyn this film humorizes the dilemma of a pompous university professor when he discovers his 10 years of research on a revolutionary writer have gone down the drain because a village schoolteacher found out the writer was a hoax. The two men and their single-minded dedication to research provide comic fodder, and their unique relationship is highlighted when the schoolteacher shows up at the professor's birthday party. But since the professor knows that if his error is exposed he might lose his job, the stakes are high and very real. An interesting film for anyone, especially for those who have breathed the rarefied air of academia and found it less than pure. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

In this black-and-white East German film, the young protagonist of this story wants to do the right thing but also wants to retain his independence. When his girlfriend gets pregnant and gives birth, he tries hard to avoid it but finally succumbs to his sense of responsibility. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Originally banned in 1966, director Jürgen Böttcher's sexually daring tale of love and disillusionment among two newlyweds attempting to navigate the treacherous world of marriage was never officially released in his homeland until after reunification in 1990. Trapped together in a tiny flat and stifled by their newfound lack of privacy and personal freedom, recently-married couple Albert and Lisa soon decide to divorce. As Albert drifts aimlessly through Berlin and Lisa attempts to cope with the failure of the marriage, all hope for the pair seems lost until the prospect for a reunion begins to emerge. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi