Günter Berger Movies
This West German film was first released in 1985 under the title Bittere Ernte. Armin-Mueller Stahl plays a Polish farmer living under the wartime Nazi occupation. Stahl isn't too offended at the prospect of answering to the Germans; in fact, he has profited by confiscating the property of his neighbor, a wealthy Jew. His conscience doesn't disturb him until a starving Jewish woman (Elisabeth Trissenaar) stumbles onto his property. At first Stahl shelters her, but his baser instincts surface; she is in no position to refuse when he ultimately rapes her. She even comes to fall in love with Stahl--and kills herself when another woman moves in with him. Stahl survives the war with health and wealth intact, only mildly disturbed by the misery he has caused. This Oscar-nominated film was to have been lensed in director Agnieszka Holland's native Poland; upon the imposition of martial law, production was switched to Sweden. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Armin Mueller-Stahl, Elisabeth Trissenaar, (more)
- 1985
A little slow-paced and cliched for most viewers, this children's film is about a bear (impersonated) named Paul who loves bananas but hates being cooped up in his circus cage. Determined to see the wide world, Banana Paul takes advantage of an off-guard moment to close the door on his trainer -- now locked in the cage -- and take off on a motorcycle he has learned to ride in his circus act. The sudden appearance of a bear on a motorcycle has the good citizens of the town in an uproar, except for a little girl who likes the renegade beast and is somehow the only one who realizes the bear can talk. If only the police and the town's officials had her insight...
~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Martin Lüttge
- 1983
In this children's film, many of the ills of urban living are plowed into a highway-building project that runs through a greenbelt of forest. The planned highway threatens the home of a retired (and retiring) magician, a cause that the younger set can get behind. The themes of this well-intentioned film are stated in no uncertain terms, though few would disagree with the message no matter how it is couched. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Peter Roggisch
- 1981
Alexander is a young boy at the crossroads of manhood, faced with a single mother whose time is taken up finishing her degree, studying, and pursuing her own relationships. The boy has no one to turn to for life's more important questions. He puts an ad in the paper asking for someone to be his friend and "stand by him," an ad that does not do much to improve his situation with his mother. Eventually, he comes across a young girl about his age, and between the two of them, they tackle a few of the mysteries about growing up - not the least of which involve questions on sex and relationships, a theme that recurs throughout this story. Meanwhile, Alexander's mother needs to come to grips with what it means to be a real parent. This film, like the protagonists, seems to be caught between adulthood and childhood, with a foot in both camps, not standing solidly in either. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Angelica Domröse, Dietrich Mattausch, (more)
- 1980
Gross und Klein is a respectable four-hour drama based on a play by Botho Strauss about a woman, Lotte (Edith Clever), and her relationships with a wide range of characters in Saarbruecken. Lotte interacts with liberal artists and a conservative elite, and along the way, the sorrows and joys of life are brought forward. With excellent acting to complement a good script, the four hours go by quickly, though the film is more like a stageplay since the camera is stationary and the actors perform in the manner of theater thespians. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Edith Clever, Gerhard Bienert, (more)
- 1976
In this film based on the novel by Jonannes Mario Simmel, Bruno (Heinz Donez) may have served time for petty thievery, and may be an accomplished denizen of the Berlin underworld, but he has heart, and he has plans. When the Berlin wall went up, a whole industry of escape specialists grew up who were rigorously pursued by the East German government. Bruno is recruited to try to capture one of these specialists for trial and imprisonment. However, Bruno wants out and arranges with the Americans and West Germans to entrap the specialists' East German pursuers instead. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Catherine Allegret, Gunter Pfitzmann, (more)
