Jan Josef Liefers Movies

The true story of one of World War One's deadliest air aces comes to the screen in this historical drama. Manfred von Richthofen (Matthias Schweighoefer) became fascinated with flying when he was a boy, and as a young man he joins the German army and becomes part of their budding air force. Flying in a squadron with his best friend Werner Voss (Til Schweiger), von Richthofen is a pilot with a great talent for aerial battle, but he also has a sense of honor and fair play, and he and his cohorts often pay tribute to fallen opponent by dropping wreaths over the wreckage of their planes. When von Richthofen and Voss discover a Canadian pilot, Capt. Roy Brown (Joseph Fiennes), who has been stranded in German territory, they rescue the flier rather than leave an enemy soldier to die, and while bringing him to safety Manfred meets Kaete Otersdorf (Lena Headey), a military nurse who has devoted her life to helping those wounded by war. Manfred becomes deeply infatuated with Kaete, but while she is also taken with him, she cannot abide his open embrace of the blood sport of war, and even as he becomes one of Germany's most decorated pilots, downing nearly eight enemy planes, he comes to understand the true horror of war and the consequences of his actions. von Richthofen gains an even greater perspective on war when he encounters Capt. Brown one last time. Der Rote Baron (aka The Red Baron) was shot in both German and English language versions, with the same cast appearing in both. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Peter Fratzscher directs this slick, ironic werewolf movie. Likeable struggling novelist Thomas (Jan Josef Liefers) is looking for his big break while working at a sound-synch studio which specializes in horror flicks. One day, after checking out a roadkill accident, he is bitten by something large, smelly, and hirsute. After his grandmother (who lives in a cottage in the woods) is discovered torn to bits, and other people start turning up dead, Thomas begins to wonder if his recent lycanthropic nightmares weren't something more than dreams. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Densely plotted and featuring a large ensemble cast, this German drama offers a smorgasbord of lush visuals, intrigue, sex, egos run amok, and raw emotion. Set in Bavaria, within a posh Italian restaurant owned by Pierrot, much of the story centers on a filmmaker and his producers as they try to keep bankers from backing out on their promise to pay for a new film about the Lorelay, the ideal woman of German mythology. At the same time, the director is searching for a woman to play her. Despite his outward confidence, the director Uhu is deeply insecure about his career. Beautiful Snow White is determined to win the title role and will stop at nothing, not even the prostitution of her body, to get the part. Her girlfriend, Watsussnik is not pleased but is too emotionally unstable to speak out. Meanwhile Jakob, the writer of the novel on which the film is to be based, sits in a back room musing about how to get the film rights for himself. As the stories progress and unfold, more people are added to the mix, including a lonely beauty who is worshipped by a cosmetic surgeon. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide