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Good German-speaking films with Eng Subtitles

  • 20-03-2011 11:30pm
    #1
    MANUTD99
    Registered Users Posts: 1,162 ✭✭✭


    Been doing my German beginners class now for a few weeks.Looking to watch some films to help me get used to the language a bit better.

    Any recommendations of some good movies in German that are easy to pick up in Dublin.

    Thanks
    manutd99


«13

Comments

  • #2
    prinz
    Registered Users Posts: 14,598 ✭✭✭✭prinz


    Go to HMV World Cinema section, unfortunately (or fortunately if you are into that sort of thing) most of the movies that tend to get that far are historical based; such as ..

    The Downfall (Der Untergang (WWII))
    The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen (East Germany - thriller/spy drama))
    Das Boot (WWII submarine movie)
    Der Baader-Meinhof Komplex (about Baader-Meinhof gang)
    Europa, Europa (Hitlerjugend Salomon - WWII)
    Sophie Scholl (Sophie Scholl Die Letzen Tage - WWII resistance group)

    Other movies you could find there

    Run Lola Run (Lola Rennt bit of a mad mix, not really sure what genre it is)
    The Miracle of Bern (Das Wunder von Bern - based about the German World Cup team of 1954)

    For a decent recent comedy..

    Vincent will meer (you might be able to get a copy of this in HMV or somewhere)


  • #3
    MANUTD99
    Registered Users Posts: 1,162 ✭✭✭MANUTD99


    prinz wrote: »
    Go to HMV World Cinema section, unfortunately (or fortunately if you are into that sort of thing) most of the movies that tend to get that far are historical based; such as ..

    The Downfall (Der Untergang (WWII))
    The Lives of Others (Das Leben der Anderen (East Germany - thriller/spy drama))
    Das Boot (WWII submarine movie)
    Der Baader-Meinhof Komplex (about Baader-Meinhof gang)
    Europa, Europa (Hitlerjugend Salomon - WWII)
    Sophie Scholl (Sophie Scholl Die Letzen Tage - WWII resistance group)

    Other movies you could find there

    Run Lola Run (Lola Rennt bit of a mad mix, not really sure what genre it is)
    The Miracle of Bern (Das Wunder von Bern - based about the German World Cup team of 1954)

    For a decent recent comedy..

    Vincent will meer (you might be able to get a copy of this in HMV or somewhere)

    Good list, thank you? Any other comedy movies you can think of?

    I got Das Leben Der Anderen and Goodbye Lennon today from Amazon.


  • #4
    prinz
    Registered Users Posts: 14,598 ✭✭✭✭prinz


    MANUTD99 wrote: »
    Good list, thank you? Any other comedy movies you can think of?

    Can't really think of any big ones prefer the dramas myself.. lost in German comedy a lot of the time.

    Der Lummel von der Ersten Bank, perhaps but I think that's from the late 1960's or early 70's. Sort of like a Carry On movie with school kids.

    Pappa ante Portas is another one (early 90's), supposed to be good but I haven't watched it really as version I have has no subtitles but there are subtitled clips from it on Youtube to get a sense of it.
    MANUTD99 wrote: »
    I got Das Leben Der Anderen and Goodbye Lennon today from Amazon.

    Das Leben Der Anderen in particular is excellent.


  • #5
    hinault
    Registered Users Posts: 5,932 ✭✭✭hinault


    Das Weisse Band (The white ribbon).


  • #6
    Skinback
    Closed Accounts Posts: 107 ✭✭Skinback


    Dont forget the amazing Heimat series.


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  • #7
    liah
    Closed Accounts Posts: 5,750 ✭✭✭liah


    Der Baader Meinhof Komplex, Herr Lehmann, Das Experiment, Das Boot, Das kleine Arschloch, Der kleene Punker, Der Untergang, Free Rainer, Das Leben der Anderen, and Gegen die Wand (haven't seen it yet but have heard good things).

    Will try to think of more. Decent mix.


  • #8
    JoseJones
    Registered Users Posts: 612 ✭✭✭JoseJones


    Berlin Calling especially if you're into electro music, it might not be for everybody tho.

    Soul Kitchen is excellent too, and would appeal to a wider audience than Berlin Calling.

    Edit: also Das Experiment, absolutely brilliant!


  • #9
    RachaelVO
    Registered Users Posts: 3,108 ✭✭✭RachaelVO


    Was gonna recommend Run Lola Run (bonkers movie) and Das Boot, but they've been highly recommended.

    You could also try and get Fawlty Towers in German, they loved it, and Andrew Sachs who plays Manuel, actually did his own dubbing cos he's bilingual (just a random fact for ya...)


  • #10
    MANUTD99
    Registered Users Posts: 1,162 ✭✭✭MANUTD99


    Thanks very much lads and lasses.

    Gonna sit down with Das Leben Der Anderen tonight.

    Will report back how I find the movie and how helpful I find it with my German..


  • #11
    peasant
    Registered Users Posts: 17,819 ✭✭✭✭peasant


    MANUTD99 wrote: »
    Goodbye Lennon .

    Good old Vladimir Ilyitch Uljanov is spinning in his mausoleum at that one ...and John won't be happy either :D

    good film though ...Das Leben der anderen is excellent.

    Papa ante Portas might be a bit much with little German and subtitles only ..that kind of humour doesn't translate that well, would give that one a miss as it would probably bore you to death


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  • #12
    MANUTD99
    Registered Users Posts: 1,162 ✭✭✭MANUTD99


    MANUTD99 wrote: »
    Thanks very much lads and lasses.

    Gonna sit down with Das Leben Der Anderen tonight.

    Will report back how I find the movie and how helpful I find it with my German..

    Just finished watching..

    Very good film. Was able to recognise small sentences and a good few words. Gonna try watch one German film per week


  • #13
    Bodhisopha
    Registered Users Posts: 4,068 ✭✭✭Bodhisopha


    The Counterfeiters


  • #14
    Inkblot
    Closed Accounts Posts: 24 ✭Inkblot


    I find most of the recent German movies horrible, mainly to do with the fact that the only topic they ever cover is Nazis or the GDR. But most of the more famous ones have already been named. I can only emphasize that Pappa Ante Portas is a real great movie, also by the same maker: Ödipussi.

    Newer comedies that I found quite funny are Der Wixxer and Neues vom Wixxer, which parody the Edgar Wallace movies of the 50s and 60s. Also very interesting might be Muxmäuschenstill.

    Another thing that might be worth trying is to get animated movies with the German dubbing, e.g. Disney movies. They might not be too hard to understand and the fact that the animated characters don't have voice of their own, doesn't ruin the dubbing as much as with real actors. And in some cases (like The Emperor's New Groove (or Ein Königreich für ein Lama as it is called in German) the German translation is even better. You could get these version probably from amazon.de and the good thing is that they will have the English soundtrack as well.


  • #15
    prinz
    Registered Users Posts: 14,598 ✭✭✭✭prinz


    Bodhisopha wrote: »
    The Counterfeiters

    Yeah, forgot that one. Another good movie. I picked that up in HMV actually, so they should still have copies about.
    Inkblot wrote: »
    I find most of the recent German movies horrible, mainly to do with the fact that the only topic they ever cover is Nazis or the GDR..

    They do excel at it though. Far better than anything the States has put out.. although as it's a particular interest of mine I would be fairly biased in that regard. :D

    I'd also suggest just looking at Hollywood films on DVD and check to see if any have the German version on it. A lot do. Dubbing is not great but I found it helped when I actually knew the movie through English first, then when I watched in German I had a good idea of what line was what.


  • #16
    pappyodaniel
    Registered Users Posts: 5,716 ✭✭✭pappyodaniel


    Goodbye Lenin was probably one of my favourite 'foreign' movies of the last decade. Another decent one would be the Edukators (not a misspelling).


  • #17
    who the fug
    Registered Users Posts: 4,041 ✭✭✭who the fug


    Skinback wrote: »
    Dont forget the amazing Heimat series.

    came into this thread just to recommend that one

    Excellent series, well worth watching whether you are learning German or not


  • #18
    Inkblot
    Closed Accounts Posts: 24 ✭Inkblot


    prinz wrote: »
    They do excel at it though. Far better than anything the States has put out.. although as it's a particular interest of mine I would be fairly biased in that regard. :D

    They should, since it is their own history. I find it always difficult when another country tries to make a movie about a country's past that is not its own. Sometimes the outcome can be quite interesting, but most of the time they overlook things or oversimplify.
    However I stopped watching these movies due to the fact that they covered the Nazis pretty exhaustively during my school years in Germany :D - (I could say I am traumatized by now), but I wonder if it is really the only thing the Germans can make (good as in internationally acclaimed) movies about. The comedies are unfunny most of the time, too. I might put myself in danger of getting kicked out, but I hated Goodbye Lenin.
    It had a good premise, but as always with German comedies, it didn't turn out to be funny and the ending ruined the whole movie for me.

    On a sidenote and back to topic here: I heard that Herr Lehmann should be good movie. Haven't seen it though. And there was another one about Turkish-German relationships, which was quite nice. IIRC it is called Evek ich will.


  • #19
    prinz
    Registered Users Posts: 14,598 ✭✭✭✭prinz


    Inkblot wrote: »
    I might put myself in danger of getting kicked out, but I hated Goodbye Lenin. It had a good premise, but as always with German comedies, it didn't turn out to be funny and the ending ruined the whole movie for me..

    You're not alone. I was warned off it too by a German. She didn't like it much either so I haven't seen it.


  • #20
    MANUTD99
    Registered Users Posts: 1,162 ✭✭✭MANUTD99


    Just finished watching Goodbye Lenin.

    It was ok, I thought Das Leben der Anderen was better. I could understand more sentences in Lenin though.

    I actually quite like films about the DDR. Very interesting!


  • #21
    munchkin_utd
    Registered Users Posts: 7,820 ✭✭✭munchkin_utd


    prinz wrote: »
    I'd also suggest just looking at Hollywood films on DVD and check to see if any have the German version on it. A lot do. Dubbing is not great but I found it helped when I actually knew the movie through English first, then when I watched in German I had a good idea of what line was what.
    thats a good idea!

    I remember watching clueless once in a nightclub with the sound off.
    No problem following it, I already knew what was going on!

    Dubbed tv series too might be worth watching in german.
    Most of the converstaions are about coming or going or being somewhere at a certain time. All simple sentence constructions.
    (i.e. not complicated german like a dissussion on the merits of a change in the constitutional system, which is a lot of messing with conditional tense and that)

    Seriously though. Something like CSI is all a series of questions and answers, PLUS for the english speaker they sometimes use anglicised versions of a word in order to keep the lip sync in tact.
    i.e. Farm is Bauernhof in German. But I noticed last week that they used Farm, pronounced like in Irish Feirm, instead when dubbing a programme.

    EDIT:
    as an example, heres the entire first series (1000 mins!) of Law and order New York.
    http://www.amazon.de/Law-Order-erste-Staffel-DVDs/dp/B00009L4OV/ref=pd_cp_d_1
    Audio in German or English , subtitles also in German or english
    Costs a tenner plus 6 euro postage flat rate (you can add unlimited other dvds for no extra cost)

    theres other stuff you could throw in like the premium edition of der Untergang for 15 euro incl subtitles in English, although mostly german films have no foreign subtitles so you'd want to be careful
    http://www.amazon.de/Untergang-Premium-2-DVDs/dp/B0002Z16HY/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300959018&sr=1-1-fkmr1
    And das wunder von Bern for 6 yoyo !
    http://www.amazon.de/Das-Wunder-Bern-Louis-Klamroth/dp/B00011SU8W/ref=sr_1_3?s=dvd&ie=UTF8&qid=1300959296&sr=1-3
    just search for "englische untertitel" on amazon.de and all available dvds will come up!


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  • #22
    MANUTD99
    Registered Users Posts: 1,162 ✭✭✭MANUTD99


    Anyone know of more films about the DDR.

    Not so much at the time around the fall of the wall but more about life during the DDR


  • #23
    peasant
    Registered Users Posts: 17,819 ✭✭✭✭peasant


    MANUTD99 wrote: »
    Anyone know of more films about the DDR.

    Not so much at the time time of the fall of the wall but more about life during the DDR

    This is an actual DDR film ...a love story really. Fairly non-political, but shot in the actual DDR and with DDR actors ...no subtitles though

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpPqUfqIEck


    I know of no period films (neither east nor west German) that actually looked at the DDR critically or even just described day to day life. DDR film making was heavily controlled, they had to stay within the party line. Western TV/film basically wasn't interested (and there may have been an element of not wanting to upset the tetchy relationship)


  • #24
    MANUTD99
    Registered Users Posts: 1,162 ✭✭✭MANUTD99


    peasant wrote: »
    This is an actual DDR film ...a love story really. Fairly non-political, but shot in the actual DDR and with DDR actors ...no subtitles though

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpPqUfqIEck


    I know of no period films (neither east nor west German) that actually looked at the DDR critically or even just described day to day life. DDR film making was heavily controlled, they had to stay within the party line. Western TV/film basically wasn't interested (and there may have been an element of not wanting to upset the tetchy relationship)

    Came accross a film called Sonnenallee..

    Ever seen it? I'm thinking to buy


  • #25
    peasant
    Registered Users Posts: 17,819 ✭✭✭✭peasant


    MANUTD99 wrote: »
    Came accross a film called Sonnenallee..

    Ever seen it? I'm thinking to buy

    Nope, sorry ..don't know it


  • #26
    Inkblot
    Closed Accounts Posts: 24 ✭Inkblot


    My father likes it a lot, but I haven't seen it. However it was critically acclaimed, so I don't think you can go wrong, especially if you are interested in the DDR. :)


  • #27
    Popel
    Registered Users Posts: 74 ✭✭Popel


    Sonnenallee is a great film. It's quite a feel good film despite the disillusionment it shows. I highly recommend it.


  • #28
    prinz
    Registered Users Posts: 14,598 ✭✭✭✭prinz


    MANUTD99 wrote: »
    Anyone know of more films about the DDR.
    Not so much at the time around the fall of the wall but more about life during the DDR

    There was an old English language film "Night Crossing" with John Hurt and Beau Bridges that was based in East Germany from the early 80's. It was a Disney film - but more adult orientated. Portrayed day to day life in the East pretty well IIRC as well as the bureaucracy and suspicion that seems to have been ever-present.

    http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082810/


  • #29
    Carry
    Registered Users Posts: 1,024 ✭✭✭Carry


    peasant wrote: »
    I know of no period films (neither east nor west German) that actually looked at the DDR critically or even just described day to day life. DDR film making was heavily controlled, they had to stay within the party line. Western TV/film basically wasn't interested (and there may have been an element of not wanting to upset the tetchy relationship)


    How about "Spur der Steine"?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traces_of_Stones
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETSUkeMwnVY

    A DDR-production from 1966 and a classic!


  • #30
    LifesgoodwithLG
    Registered Users Posts: 126 ✭✭LifesgoodwithLG


    Skinback wrote: »
    Dont forget the amazing Heimat series.


    Ah man I HATED Heimat with a passion. Man walks up hill..... man walks down hill , shot in real time, Life is far too short for me ever to watch Heimat again. God that takes me back to college and not the fun bits.
    Liked Lola Rennt and Goodbye Lenin, First German film I watched for fun was ' Wir Kinder von Bahnhof Zoo'


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  • #31
    Lawrence1895
    Registered Users Posts: 7,627 ✭✭✭Lawrence1895


    'Wir KInder vom Bahnhof Zoo' is a good movie indeed, but a bit grim and therefore not suitable for everybody. Just a little warning there ;)


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