Volker Prechtel Movies

In this mild drama, a Serbian girl from Yugoslavia (Mirjana Jokovic) has traveled into Germany with visions of a freer, more romance-filled life. Along the way she encounters all sorts of people who are as unsettled as she and confirms for herself that this cannot be her home, and that her native land -- whatever its faults -- is just the place she really wants to be. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

Fred (Peter Cieslinski) is a journalist who investigates the death of a man in room 36 in this psychological thriller. He interviews the man's widow (Babett Arens) and her deranged mother (Anne- Marie Blanc) for clues as to how the man died in a hotel room that is rented by the hour. Also under suspicion is a stranger named Becker who lives next to the room where the killing took place. Flashbacks and nightmare scenes are used but do not have the impact of the rest of the feature. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Adapted from Umberto Eco's best-selling novel, director Jean-Jacques Annaud's The Name of the Rose is a 14th century murder-mystery thriller starring Sean Connery as a Sherlock Holmes-esque Franciscan monk called William of Baskerville. When a murder occurs at a secluded Benedictine Abbey, William is called in to investigate. As he and his apprentice, Adson von Melk (Christian Slater), delve deeper and deeper into the case, more dead bodies begin to turn up. Eventually, Bernardo Gui, an inquisitor played by F. Murray Abraham gets involved, but he may not have the best intentions. Sean Connery's performance earned him the award for Best Actor at the 1988 British Academy Awards. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

An elderly umbrella mender and his longtime drinking buddy and basket maker engage in a night of revelry in this satirical drama. The drunken umbrella maker tries to make his way through the snow to the house of his old flame, the village prostitute. He is found frozen to death in the snow by his friend the next morning. Since the body is right on the border between two countries, both villages refuse to take responsibility for the man's burial. After the body is volleyed back and forth between the two villages, the basket maker devises a scheme. He makes out a false will that has both villages clamoring over the right to give the dead man a decent Christian burial. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Heart of Glass (Herz aus Glas) is essentially a treatise by Werner Herzog on the power and importance of art. Director Herzog was known to put his actors through the wringer to get the results he wanted. In this film, Herzog decided that the best way to get his people to dance to the crack of his whip was to actually put them under hypnosis! The dazed, zombie-like performances certainly fit the subject matter. This is the story of an 18th-century Bavarian glassblower who by virtue of his delicate work virtually casts a spell over his neighbors. When the glassblower dies, the townsfolk discover that he failed to leave behind the secret for his special ruby glassware -- and will do literally anything to find the answer. The word usually used to describe Heart of Glass is "haunting"; some viewers have gone beyond haunted and into "possessed." Watch carefully and spot director Herzog in a bit as a glass carrier. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Crime and Passion is a mediocre comedy-drama, about an investment counselor who doesn't handle his investments wisely. Andre (Omar Sharif) is in trouble with Rolf (Bernhard Wicki) because of Rolf's losses based on Andre's advice. Andre and his lover Susan (Karen Black) devise a scheme to have Susan marry Rolf in order to save Andre and possibly make some money. The plot is weak and the direction by Ivan Passer is lackluster, but Omar Sharif gives a fine performance in the central role. The film is also aided by a nice score by Vangelis. ~ Linda Rasmussen, Rovi