12 GREAT FILMS!

Hollywood may be in America, but it is not entirely an American invention. You are invited to view the films of “GER/FINE 359: German Directors in Hollywood”, a University of Waterloo Winter Term 2007 course that showcases the work of 5 German directors who made great films in both Germany and America. Anyone who enjoys a good movie will enjoy these screen gems!

} All films are in English or with English subtitles } Screenings at Rod Coutts Hall (RCH), Room 301, University of Waterloo } Showtime: Tuesdays at 6:30pm } Admission is free, and EVERYONE IS WELCOME!

Phantom (1922, F. Murnau, 125 minutes) – An early Murnau film based on a Hauptmann novel. Jan. 9 Obsession, class barriers, desire, ambition – this film has it all. And in a beautifully restored version that reminds us how wonderful silent films were. Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans (1927, F. Murnau, 95 minutes) – A simple country man wants to Jan. 16 murder his wife, but can’t: he loves her too much! Winner of the first Oscar for Best Actress (Janet Gaynor). M (1931, F. Lang, 110 minutes) – A child murderer is loose in the city. Lang’s first talkie, this film Jan. 23 demonstrates how important sound can be in a film. And the shadows are everywhere! Hangmen Also Die (1943, F. Lang, 134 minutes) – Bertolt Brecht teams up with Lang to indict Jan. 30 . But it’s really just another detective film in Lang’s film noir style, only this time the mobsters are the Nazi occupiers of Czechoslovakia. La Habanera (1937, D. Sierck, 100 minutes) – Starring the incomparable songstress Zarah Leander. A Swedish woman marries poorly and moves to the Caribbean. Can her childhood Feb. 6 friend, now a renowned doctor, save her from a cruel husband and a mysterious epidemic? An early example of Sierck’s melodramatic flair, and Leander’s songs don’t disappoint! All that Heaven Allows (1957, D. Sirk, 89 minutes) – Sierck may have changed his name to Sirk after moving to America, but the melodrama hasn’t changed, though now it’s filmed in glorious Feb. 13 Technicolor! Starring a dreamy Rock Hudson, this film will transport you back to the idyll that was 1950s America. Far From Heaven (2002, T. Haynes, 107 minutes) – A remake of All that Heaven Allows starring Feb. 27 Julianne Moore and Dennis Quaid. A modern treatment of the age-old story of forbidden love. Das Boot (1981, W. Petersen, 149 minutes) – One of the most gripping war films ever made. Mar. 6 Join the crew of the German submarine U-96 on its futile voyage. You’ll gain a new appreciation for just how hard life in a U-Boot was. (1993, W. Petersen, 128 minutes) – The film that helped resurrect Clint Mar. 13 Eastwood’s career. An aging Secret Service agent, Clint must protect the President from an absolutely crazy John Malkovich. Paris, Texas (1984, W. Wenders, 147 minutes) – In a reversal, we start with a German director’s Mar. 20 American film breakthrough. A man with amnesia recovers his memory, and in so doing takes a look into the American soul. Der Himmel über Berlin/ (1987, W. Wenders, 127 minutes) – A lyrical story about Mar. 27 an angel who decides he’d rather be human, and the trapeze artist who loves him. Probably Wenders’ best film. A Special Mystery Movie! A classic American film that is indebted to German influences. Starring Apr. 3 one of the most alluring actresses in film history!

For more information, contact Prof. James Skidmore: 519.888.4567, x33687 / [email protected]