Bernd Eichinger Movies
- 2006
With his bittersweet, German-language tragicomedy The Elementary Particles, writer-director Oskar Roehler brings to the screen Michel Houellebecq's popular seriocomic novel of two ill-adjusted siblings. Christian Ullmen and Moritz Bleibtreu portray, respectively, Michael and Bruno, half brothers who have each adjusted poorly to adult life, thanks in no small part to a cracked upbringing by their eccentric, social dropout mother. As the story opens, each brother experiences a personal crisis. Geneticist Michael returns to his work in cloning after an extended period away from his Irish laboratory, but suffers in quiet desperation from his intense inner loneliness; he must soon leave the lab once again and head back to his hometown, where his grandmother's corpse is being disinterred from a cemetery. Upon arrival, he reencounters Annabelle (Franka Potente of Run Lola Run), an adolescent crush to whom he was never before able to express his romantic yearnings; they consummate an intense erotic affair, and remain together, but a troubled pregnancy renders her infertile and makes family conception an utter impossibility. Meanwhile, high school teacher Bruno (a married husband and father) is driven completely around the bend by sexual yearnings for his female students, and consequently suffers from a nervous breakdown; he checks himself into a sanitarium, then heads off on a bender at a swingers' retreat with a new lover, Christiane (Martina Gedeck - but their pleasure is all too short-lived. Nina Hoss and Uwe Ochsenknecht co-star. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Moritz Bleibtreu, Christian Ulmen, (more)
- 2002
Based on the exploits of two criminal brothers who eluded the authorities as they embarked on an ever more daring series of complex robberies, director Carlo Rola's tense crime drama follows the brothers as they steal their way through the Berlin of the 1920s. As burglars and safecrackers, Franz and Erich Sass (Ben Becker and Jürgen Vogel) embark on a series of small robberies in order to elude the all-seeing eye of the taxman. As their crimes escalate to include a bank where the Nazi's keep their substantial funds, the authorities quickly begin closing in while Franz and Erich plan their final heist and grand getaway. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ben Becker, Jürgen Vogel, (more)
This three-hour miniseries adapts Marion Zimmer Bradley's feminist recasting of the Arthurian mythos into a big-budget cable television event. In ancient England, Christianity is spreading and the Saxons are invading. It's up to Viviane (Anjelica Huston) -- Lady of the Lake and high priestess of the kingdom's ancient pagan religion -- to make sure that the next king will honor both the old and new faiths and thereby banish the barbarian hordes. Viviane manipulates her sister Igraine (Caroline Goodall) into marrying King Uther Pendragon (Mark Lewis Jones) and bearing a son, Arthur (Edward Atterton) -- much to the consternation of Viviane's other sister, the power-hungry Morgause (Joan Allen). Arthur grows up happily with his older half-sister, Morgaine (Julianna Margulies), until Merlin (Michael Byrne) spirits him off for training and Viviane brings Morgaine to the mystical island of Avalon to develop her magical connection to the Goddess. Years later, the siblings reunite in a masked mating ritual, unaware that their union is incestuous -- or that their son, Mordred (Hans Matheson), will fall into Morgause's clutches and destroy the delicate balance that Viviane has sought to maintain. As Arthur gathers the knights of the round table and ushers in a golden age with Queen Gwenhwyfar (Samantha Mathis) at his side, the seeds of his destruction, and Avalon's, have already been planted -- by Arthur himself. Filmed on-location in Prague, The Mists of Avalon premiered on the TNT cable network July 15 and 16, 2001. Director Uli Edel, best known for his feature adaptation of Last Exit to Brooklyn, had previously helmed Purgatory for TNT. The titular mists -- developed by Edel and executive producer Mark Wolper -- utilized custom fluid dynamic software designed specifically for the project. Celtic musician Loreena McKennitt added her theme music to composer Lee Holdridge's score. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Anjelica Huston, Julianna Margulies, (more)
- 2000
The German answer to American Pie (1999), this teen sex comedy explores the complications that arise after a young man's penis begins speaking to him. When Florian (Tobias Schenke) is paired with his gorgeous classmate Leonie (Mina Tander) for a school play, his garrulous organ wakes him up one morning with many vocal opinions on his sex life -- or lack thereof. Determined to lose his virginity, Florian solicits advice from his vulgar friends (his flummoxed parents have already proven to be of little help). As he pursues Leonie, the teen remains oblivious to the advances of tough-girl Lisa (Luise Helm), a classmate carrying a torch for him. Director Marc Rothermund's second feature after the hit Love Scenes from Planet Earth, Ants achieved similar success in its homeland, where it became one of Germany's top-grossing films of 2000. ~ Michael Hastings, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tobias Schenke
Lots of women get the feeling that their boyfriends become different people after they've married them, but one finds herself dealing with a much bigger problem than leaving socks around the house or not taking out the trash in this supernatural thriller. Kristie (Laura Harris) is a sweet but slightly naïve young woman who is soon to marry the man she loves, Marc St. Clair (Richard Lintern), a television reporter. On the night of their wedding, Marc leads Kristie away from the wedding reception and takes her virginity near a strange stone monument in the woods. Kristie is a bit surprised by this behavior and even more startled when she discovers she's pregnant. Nine months after her wedding day, Kristie's son, Dylan, is born and the new mother is thrilled, but as the child grows older, she begins to sense that things aren't right. Marc seems to take an obsessive interest in his son, while even more surprisingly, his boss, Elizabeth (Alice Krige), is nearly as interested as Marc. In time, when Dylan begins to display telekinetic powers and Kristie discovers Elizabeth has given him a book of Satanic prophesy, Kristie begins to wonder what sort of a person Marc really is -- and whose child did she really bear? ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- 1999
It's said that love can change a man, but one woman finds herself wondering just how powerful love might be in this comedy. Cora Dulz (Corinna Harfouch) is a psychiatrist who begins working with Stanislaus Nagy (Til Schweiger), a good looking but mysterious man who is obsessed with the late operatic diva Maria Callas -- and claims to have been her mentor during the height of her career. Not surprisingly, Nagy admits he has a hard time separating truth from fiction, but for reasons even Dulz finds hard, she finds herself fascinated with her new patient, to the extent of following Nagy after appointments and pursuing a romance with him. As things look to become more serious between Nagy and Dulz, he decides to make a little confession to her -- he wasn't really Callas' mentor. Instead, Nagy announces, he is actually Satan himself, and Callas was the result of a project in which he attempted to create the perfect woman. Nagy's relationship with Callas was a failure, however, and he's decided he wants to give up his career as the Lord of Darkness and instead live out his days as a mortal man. In order to do that, Nagy would need to find a mortal woman willing to take his hand -- would Dulz be at all interested? ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Til Schweiger, Corinna Harfouch, (more)
- 1998
In this German comedy-drama, adapted from a Dietrich Schwanitz novel, Hamburg sociology professor Hanno Hackmann (Heiner Lauterbach) pleases his social-climbing wife Gabrielle (Sibylle Canonica) when he reveals he intends to compete against corrupt Schacht (Rudolf Kowalski) for position of university president. But what about his affair with drama student Babsi (Sandra Speichert)? Babsi, portraying a rape victim in a college play, is dropped from the cast, has a breakdown, and lands in a psych ward. This chain of events prompts rumors she was sexually harassed and innocent Hackmann is the suspect. Naturally, Schacht latches onto the rumor in order to crush his opponent prior to the university president election. Shown at the 1998 Berlin Film Festival. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Heiner Lauterbach, Axel Milberg, (more)
- 1998
One of Germany's most important female directors, Doris Dörrie chose the subject of the universal quest for happiness for the film Bin ich Schön?. Set in Spain and Germany, the film interlaces individual stories of broken hearts and broken dreams with aspirations of new beginnings. On a hot afternoon in Spain, Linda is standing beside the road wearing a thin summer dress and carrying a handbag. A car stops and Werner, a robust-looking German, picks her up. She shows him a note which says, "I am deaf-mute and in need of your help." Werner is touched. As they move off together, Linda throws her handbag out of the window. In a near-by motel, Klaus is on the phone to Munich trying to convince his reluctant girlfriend Franziska to come down to Spain. Linda and Werner have checked into the next room where Werner is asking Linda to hit him with his belt. Plots and subplots intertwine until the film reaches a climax during a religious procession. In an ironic way, the film celebrates life with a message that life is here today and then it's gone. No beginning, no end and enjoy it while you can. Bin ich schön? was screened as part of the New German Films at the 49th International Berlin Film Festival, 1999. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Senta Berger, Gottfried John, (more)
A remake of the highly-regarded 1958 film Das Maedchen Rosemarie (released as Rosemary in the U.S.), this fact-based drama follows the rise and fall of a German beauty who went from ex-convict to courtesan of some of Germany's most powerful men to the victim of an unsolved murder. The story begins in 1952 as Rosemarie sleeps her way into an early parole from a detention center. Newly freed, she is sent to a foster home where two years later, the buxom blonde runs away to Frankfurt where she starts living with Nadler, a charming small-time crook. Two years after that, Rosemarie is selling her body in a sleazy bar. One day she brings home a wealthy businessman who agrees to become her sugar daddy. As a result, Rosemarie leaves Nadler. The arrangement works out well, and she continues to entertain important clients. Her undoing comes in the form of a wealthy Frenchman who makes her an enticing, but ultimately dangerous offer. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Nina Hoss, Heiner Lauterbach, (more)
- 1997
Two terminal patients leave their hospital beds for the open highway in this German road movie, a popular success in Germany. When cancer victim Rudi (Jan Josef Liefers) meets Martin (Til Schweiger), who has a brain tumor, they knock back tequila one night and decide to head north to experience life at the seashore, something Rudi has hoped to do his entire life. However, the car they've stolen belongs to two thieves and contains a million marks. Soon they're being pursued by both thugs and cops. The film's soundtrack includes Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door". Shown at the 1997 London and AFI/Los Angeles film festivals. ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Til Schweiger, Jan Josef Liefers, (more)
- 1996
This German farce has fun parodying the local filmmaking industry and some its more popular stars as it tells the riotous tale of a neglected, lonely Munich housewife who writes a tawdry best-selling account of her sexual past. The situation begins when Franziska, the wife tires of hanging around the house raising two mischievous children while her husband the television director gallivants to far-flung locales sleeping with every actress in sight. She has a conversation with an understanding lawyer and through miscommunication ends up launching divorce proceedings. It is the lawyer who advises her to write down her erotic history. Later, an old high school flame turned publisher sees her manuscript and suggests she publish it as an erotic novel using a pseudonym. Things go swimmingly until her husband buys the film rights and decides to turn it into a trashy movie. This film was extremely popular in Germany. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Hosted by Kevin Costner and narrated by Gregory Harrison, the historical documentary 500 Nations, Vol. 1: The Ancestors - Early Cultures of North America portrays America's original inhabitants. The film begins with a segment on the massacre at Wounded Knee, then flashes back in time for a look at the Anasazis, as well as the early cultures of Mesa Verde and Cahokia. ~ Kathleen Wildasin, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Hosted by Kevin Costner and narrated by Gregory Harrison, the historical documentary 500 Nations, Vol. 3: Clash of Cultures - The People Who Met Columbus is part of an eight-part series that portrays America's original inhabitants. The film provides an in-depth look at Columbus' arrival in the New World, the conquering of Caribbean nations by the Spaniards, and Hernando de Soto's conquests in Florida and the Mississippi Valley. ~ Kathleen Wildasin, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Hosted by Kevin Costner and narrated by Gregory Harrison, the historical documentary 500 Nations, Volume 4: Invasion of the Coast - The First English Settlements portrays America's original inhabitants before and after the Europeans arrived. The film begins in the Arctic where the Inuit culture -- during the search for the Northwest Passage -- is examined. Also featured in the film are the stories of Pocahontas, the Pilgrims, Samoset, Captain John Smith, and the Powhatans. Other episodes in the 500 Nations series include 500 Nations: Removal, 500 Nations: Clash of Cultures, 500 Nations: Attack on Culture, 500 Nations: Cauldron of War, 500 Nations: Roads Across the Plains, and 500 Nations: Mexico. ~ Kathleen Wildasin, All Movie Guide
- 1994
This documentary is part of an eight part series that explores the story of the First Americans. The series is produced and hosted by Kevin Costner. In this episode, the origins and development of the French and Indian War are examined. The English and French fought for economic control of the New World. Native Americans had established trade with the French, and took their part in the war against England. When the French were defeated, the tribal forces were left without allies. Set on location, with computer re-creations,that story is told. Of great interest is the look at the oldest democracy on the North American continent: that of the Haudenosaunee -or Iroquois- Nation. Their leader was Pontiac, a man that Benjamin Franklin came to admire. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1994
This film is part of an eight-tape series chronicling the history and culture of North and Central American Indians. The series is produced and hosted by Kevin Costner and explores the many cultures that comprise the indigenous heritage of the Americas. In this episode, the subject is the Indian Removal Act of 1830, which forced Native Americans from their ancestral lands. It was another in a long line of broken promises by the U.S. Government to the nation's First Americans. After President Andrew Jackson signed the Act, all tribes were required to relocate westward along the infamous "Trail of Tears." The film uses on-location filming, photographs, reenactments, interviews, and first-person accounts to tell this story of betrayal and hardship. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1994
This documentary is part seven in an eight part series, produced by Kevin Costner, on the First Americans. This episode examines the fate of the Plains Indians, with the arrival of white invaders during the gold rushes in California and Colorado. The Sioux, or Lakota, Nation is particularly noted for its resistance to incursions by white settlers and to mining claims on native land. Sitting Bull, of the Hunkpapa Lokota, and Crazy Horse, of the Oglala Sioux, were two leaders revered then and today for their bravery in seeking an end to European American aggression. They and their peoples fought and defeated General George Custer at the Little Bighorn. The film chronicles the struggle of their resistance and hardship, and subsequent capture, betrayal, death, and displacement of their people onto reservations. Poignant excerpts from the writings of Indian leaders are read by actors Patrick Stewart, Edward James Olmos, and Wes Studi. ~ Rose of Sharon Winter, All Movie Guide
- 1994
This is the final volume in the set of videos produced by Kevin Costner, star of Dances With Wolves, that chronicles the history of the Native Americans. The many battles waged by the first settlers of this country appeared to never end as host Gregory Harrison recalls the travails of the late 19th century. The lives and battles fought by such figures as Cochise, Geronimo, and Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce are examined. The government's ongoing "war" against the Native Americans and their separate culture continued unchecked, eventually leading to the massacre at Wounded Knee. Many of the events that led up to and contributed to that terrible event at Wounded are reviewed by historians and others. ~ Elizabeth Smith, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Originally shown as a CBS miniseries, the eight-part 500 Nations program was directed by Jack Leustig and executive produced by Academy award-winner Kevin Costner. The documentary program traced the history of the Native American tribes of North and Central America, from the centuries of prosperity before the arrival of Western settlers, up through the late 19th century. Produced in 1995 and hosted by Costner, the programs were narrated by Gregory Harrison and featured the voice talents of actors such as Wes Studi, Patrick Stewart, and Edward James Olmos. ~ Matthew Tobey, All Movie Guide
- 1994
Unreleased to the general public and infamous for its poor quality within geek circles, this Roger Corman adaptation of the Marvel Comics supergroup is an interesting cult item that ranks up there with the dismal Captain America feature and the cheap Hulk TV movies. The story of the film goes back to the late '80s when Marvel Comics were licensing out their characters for mild profit in a time when the comic industry was failing. Enter a German company called Neue Constantin and producer Bernd Eichinger, who held the rights for almost four years before their contract was about to run out. In order to retain the rights to future remake/options and get out of paying a five-million-dollar fee, Neue were forced to put something to film, so they made a deal with Roger Corman's New Horizons studio to make the film quick and on the cheap for $1.5 million. Once the film was finished, Eichinger bought out Corman's interest, then turned around and sold it to 20th Century Fox, who were then prepping a 50-million-dollar adaptation with director Chris Columbus. The film then dove into virtual obscurity, save for the comic convention bootlegs and later through the internet. The storyline follows the basic framework of the comic, with the exception of a few minor details, including the introduction of a new villain, The Jeweler, who directly becomes responsible for the team's mishap in space and takes liberally from another one of the comic's famous villains, The Mole Man. In reference to its underground popularity, Corman now regards it as his most profitable film that never saw release, while Marvel president Avi Arad reportedly burned Fox's only print. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alex Hyde-White, Jay Underwood, (more)
Madonna plays Rebecca Carlson, a sex bomb who parades naked in front of the open windows of her houseboat at all hours while the lobstermen catch crabs. This entry in the Basic Instinct sweepstakes poses the question: If love hurts, does sex kill? The judge and jury certainly want to find out when Rebecca's latest conquest, a multi-millionaire, dies of a heart attack while making love to her. Eight million dollars was bequeathed to Rebecca in his will, and District Attorney Robert Garrett (Joe Mantegna) is convinced that Rebecca, knowing that her rich lover had a weak heart, killed him with wild sex so that she could get her mitts on the money. Rebecca's lawyer, Frank Dulaney (Willem Dafoe), thinks differently, suspecting the millionaire's private secretary Joanne Braslow (Anne Archer) of the crime, since she was dumped by the millionaire for Rebecca. Besides which, Frank is attracted to Rebecca himself and throws legal ethics out the window as he starts a sadomasochistic affair with her. ~ Paul Brenner, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Madonna, Willem Dafoe, (more)
- 1990
Werner is a cult-hero among young Germans; he is the opposite of the dutiful, work-oriented model usually promulgated to them. Intead, he roars swiftly through the city on his highly customized motorcycle, cleverly outwitting the traffic policemen whose paths he crosses, while he picks up yet another in an endless series of cases of beer. He has no visible means of support, is as articulate as a stone, and seems to spend his days in a perpetual party.This Animal House-like comedy combines live action and animation. The story takes place on the north coast of Germany, and much of the dialog is in an obscure local dialect. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ludger Pistor, Meret Becker, (more)
