Entertainment

East Germany Cinema

Top 50 films from East Germany (out of 50 in catalog), ranked by TMDB rating.

50 rows8 columns1 views0 downloadsSource: TMDBUpdated: 2/21/2026
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The Adventures of Werner Holt1,965Joachim KunertDrama, History7.816GermanTwo 17-year-olds, Werner Holt and Gilbert Wolzow, are pulled out of school and into Hitler's army. Gilbert becomes a fanatical soldier; but at the front, Werner begins to understand the senselessness of war.
I Was Nineteen1,968Konrad WolfDrama, History, War7.319GermanA young soldier enters Germany with Soviet troops at the end of WWII, feeling like a stranger in his homeland. As he meets Germans, he grapples with his ambivalence, realizing he is both a victor and one of the vanquished. His inquisitive nature leads him to confront the atrocities and lies he encounters along the way.
Mercenaries' Trap1,982Sergiu NicolaescuWar, Adventure7.311RomanianThe movie is based on a true story from the end of WWI, in Transylvania. A nobleman who owned some land in Transylvania returns home to find a part of his fortune burned to ashes during late 1918 when power was trasfered from AustroHungary to Romania. Looking for revenge, he ordered the killing of innocent Romanian peasants from a neighbouring village, which he suspected to be guilty for the losses he suffered. A Romanian officer from Romanian Transylvanian Volunteers Corp, decides to help the villagers to face the menace of the nobleman
Les Misérables1,958Jean-Paul Le ChanoisDrama7.2120FrenchIn 19th century France, Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a relentless policeman named Javert. The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in France.
Liberation: The Fire Bulge1,968Yuri OzerovDrama, War7.228RussianThe "Fiery Arc" tells of a grandiose battle on the Kursk Bulge in the summer of 1943. Here was the largest tank battle in the history of World War II. Along with the personal fate of the heroes, the film shows battle scenes, the activities of headquarters and intelligence, those who worked at the front and in the rear.
Liberation: The Last Assault1,971Yuri OzerovWar, Drama7.123RussianIn Berlin, Lieutenant Yartsev's infantry and Tzvetaev's battery fight their way in the U-Bahn. Captain Neustroev's company is selected to hoist the Victory Banner atop the Reichstag.
To Kill a Dragon1,988Mark ZakharovDrama, Fantasy757RussianDragon is a bloody dictator, who kills every opponent. People live hopelessly, until Lancelot comes to save the beautiful Elsa. Lancelot can only win, if all people become free from fear, that is feeding the Dragon's power. Dragon's multiple personalities, ranging from a "dragon" to a "samurai" to a "Nazi", scare the hell out of all people, except Lancelot. Finally Dragon drops all his masks, to become the most dangerous of his incarnations - "himself". And the battle begins
The Witches of Salem1,957Raymond RouleauDrama, History6.945FrenchSalem 1692. The young Abigail, seduced and abandoned by John Proctor, accuses John's wife of being a witch in revenge. A series of tragic trials soon befall Salem as fear and suspicion blur the lines of reality.
Liberation: Breakthrough1,969Yuri OzerovWar, Drama6.925RussianFascist Italy's prime-minister Mussolini is arrested following the Allies landing in Sicily. Meanwhile, Soviet troops plan their offense towards Kyiv. Lt. Col. Lukin's regiment crosses the Dnieper river as the division's vanguard. Unbeknownst to them, they're merely a ploy to mislead the Germans so the rest of the army can catch them off guard.
Liberation: The Battle of Berlin1,971Yuri OzerovWar, Drama6.826RussianIn this the fourth episode, “Battle of Berlin,” the Soviets start their assault on Berlin, and Stalin negotiates with the other Allies.
The Laughing Man1,966Walter HeynowskiDocumentary6.817GermanPosing as West German journalists, East German documentary filmmakers Heynowski and Scheumann pay a visit to the notorious Nazi-turned-mercenary Siegfried “Kongo” Müller, pump him with booze, and get him to talk about his life and war campaigns in Africa.
Carbide and Sorrel1,963Frank BeyerComedy6.811GermanAfter the second World War, Dresden has a lot of reconstructing to do. To get the cigarette factory he once worked for running again, Kalle has to travel to Wittenberg - the only place where carbide can be found. Once there, Kalle find himself in the unfortunate situation of having to hitchhike his way back to Dresden, transporting seven heavy barrels of carbide. However, his inventiveness and optimistic attitude help transform the grueling task into an adventurous, entertaining, and funny journey.
The Story of Little Mook1,953Wolfgang StaudteFantasy, Family6.639GermanAn old man living in an oriental city tells the story of his life to a group of kids: He too was once a young boy by the name of Little Muck - much...
The Gleiwitz Case1,961Gerhard KleinDrama, History, Thriller6.610GermanTo justify their invasion of Poland at the start of WWII, Nazi high command hatches a secret plan: six Polish men from an SS training camp are sent on a special mission to the town of Gleiwitz, to fake a Polish raid on Germany. The ‘provoked’ Germans will thus launch a ‘counterattack’ on Poland.
Coming Out1,989Heiner CarowDrama, Romance6.545GermanPhilipp, a closeted teacher, is dating a female colleague to keep up appearances. One night he stumbles into a gay bar and falls for a man. Transformed by this love, he is no longer afraid to face up to who he is.
Snow-White and Rose-Red1,979Siegfried HartmannFantasy, Family6.531GermanIn an enchanted forest, the princely brothers Michael and Andreas get lost and are transformed, by a mountain spirit who jealously guards his underground treasure, into animals until the unlikely event of sincere love from a human. The only persons who may be able to give such love are the local commoner sisters Snow-white and Rose-red, who are kind and helpful by nature and stand to harvest unimagined rewards.
The Kaiser's Lackey1,951Wolfgang StaudteDrama, History, Comedy6.523GermanDiederich Heßling is scared of everything and everyone. But as he grows up, he comes to realize that he has to offer his services to the powers-tha...
The Tinder Box1,959Siegfried HartmannFantasy, Family6.517GermanA young soldier discovers three chests of copper, silver and gold and an old tinder-box in the hollow of an old oak tree. He is now rich. But he squanders the money until it is all gone. All he has left is the old tinder-box. He uses it to light a small pipe and three large dogs come to his rescue. Based on the fairy-tale by Hans Christian Anderson.
Der Baulöwe1,980Georgi KissimovComedy6.511GermanThe successful entertainment artist Ralf Keul must develop his land on the Baltic Sea or else ultimately give it up. Inexperienced yet courageous, he hurls himself into the undertaking, which spares him no unpleasantness. He battles over the transportation and procurement of materials, constantly on the verge of a nervous breakdown, while his craftsmen offer little additional assistance.
The Youth of Peter1,981Sergei GerasimovHistory, Drama6.410RussianThe years of the tsar’s adolescence and youth were permeated with deadly danger coming from some of the Boyars, the rebellious Streltsy and Tsarevna Sophia who aspired for power. But already at that early time Peter demonstrates a profound, bright intellect, a strong will and the sense of purpose, which help him disarm both his open and secret enemies.
Berlin - Ecke Schönhauser...1,957Gerhard KleinDrama, Romance6.315GermanThe corner Schönhauser Allee in East Berlin is the main meeting-point for a group of adolescents. Dieter is a construction worker who falls in love with Angela. She, in turn, spends time with the clique whenever her mother is occupied with her new lover. "Kohle" stays away from home to avoid his dad's alcohol problem, and Karl-Heinz is on his way to becoming a small-time criminal. Due to their interest in western music and culture they are regarded as no-goods and rowdies. Things get interesting when an incident forces Dieter and "Kohle" to escape to West Germany. Written by c.winter
The Rabbit Is Me1,965Kurt MaetzigDrama, Romance6.312GermanMaria, a young student sees her brother Dieter going to prison for sedition against the state. She starts an affair with Paul, a judge who turns out to be the one who sentenced her brother, which eventually leads to a confrontation.
The Singing Ringing Tree1,957Francesco StefaniFantasy, Family, Horror6.241GermanA brave prince must seek the fabled singing, ringing tree in order to win the heart of a beautiful princess.
Divided Heaven1,964Konrad WolfDrama, Romance6.221GermanAfter a breakdown, Rita returns to her childhood village in 1961. As she recovers, she remembers the past two years: her love for the chemist Manfred, ten years her senior; how his enthusiasm about his new chemical process turned to bitter disappointment in the face of official rejection; how he escaped to West Berlin a few weeks before the Wall was built and hoped that she would follow him …
Naked Among Wolves1,963Frank BeyerDrama, War6.221GermanBased on a true story of inmates at KZ Buchenwald that risked their lives to hide a small Jewish boy shortly before the liberation of the camp.
Solo Sunny1,980Konrad WolfDrama, Music6.132GermanSunny is the singer of band trying to establish itself in the music-scene of East-Berlin. They play regular gigs in small towns, but Sunny feels out of touch with the audience and her life as a whole. She begins a relationship with the amateur saxophonist and studied philosopher Ralph who writes her a very personal song - but his obsession with death and unfaithful lifestyle is not for her. After getting into a quarrel with a band member who harasses her and telling off a show-host she is thrown out of the band. Abandoned, she struggles to regain control over her life.
Trace of Stones1,966Frank BeyerDrama, Comedy, Romance6.128GermanBad planning and shortages prevail on an East German construction site. Foreman Hannes Balla uses unconventional methods to overcome the problems. ...
Heart of Stone1,950Paul VerhoevenFamily, Drama, Fantasy6.125GermanLavish adaptation of Wilhelm Hauff′s fairy tale: Young charburner Peter Munk dreams of joining the upper class. He makes a deal with the sinister Holländer-Michel, who offers to trade Peter′s human heart for one made of stone. Once he has the "cold heart" in his body, Peter eventually strikes a fortune and enjoys great wealth, but at the same time, he becomes a bitter and emotionless man – and, having lost all traces of humanity, even murders his wife Lisbeth. Only then does Peter Munk finally realize what has become of him, and he decides to regain his real heart from Holländer-Michel.
Gritta of the Rats' Castle1,985Jürgen BrauerAdventure, Family, Fantasy6.115GermanThe tale of young Gritta who lives with her father, an unsuccessful inventor. When her new stepmother tries to put her away in a convent she discovers some dark secrets there.
Liberation: Direction of the Main Blow1,970Yuri OzerovWar, Drama6100RussianThis five part epic war drama gives a dramatized detailed account of Soviet Union's war against Nazi Germany during world war two. Each of the five parts represents a separate major eastern front campaign.
Seven Freckles1,978Herrmann ZschocheDrama, Romance622GermanEast Germany 1978. Karoline and Robert, teenagers who used to live in the same house until Robert's family moved, meet again at this year's holiday-camp. First love, first nude experience, first self-made theatre performance of "Romeo and Juliet". A look at the east-German youth in the late seventies.
The Golden Goose1,964Siegfried HartmannFantasy, Family620GermanKlaus lives with his two brothers Kunz and Franz in a little village. Together, they ply their trade as cobblers in a small workshop. But the workload rests mainly on the shoulders of ill-treated Klaus. When Kunz and Franz go off into the forest to chop wood for fuel they run into an old woman who asks them for some wine and bread. Rudely and gruffly, they refuse her request and return home without any wood. Klaus then has to set out and he meets the old woman as well. He gladly offers her his frugal meal which is suddenly turned into pancakes and good wine. In addition, he receives a golden goose for his kindness. The bird possesses a an unusual characteristic: all those who are prying, nosy, envious and rapacious get stuck to it and become glued to one another.
Snow White1,961Gottfried KolditzFantasy, Family618GermanHated by her jealous and bloodthirsty stepmother, Snow White flees a murder attempt and seeks shelter in the woods with seven kindly dwarfs. Feeling she is safe from harm, Snow White welcomes the disguised queen into her home...with fatal consequences.
Men and Beasts1,962Sergei GerasimovDrama610RussianThe plot is based on the dramatic fate of the Red Army commander Aleksei Ivanovich Pavlov. Having been captured in January 1942 and being among the displaced persons, he didn't immediately decide to return to the USSR. Having rolled around the foreign country for 17 years, Aleksei nevertheless returned to his homeland. He goes to his brother in the south of the country to Sevastopol. Aleksei accidentally meets the doctor Anna Andreyevna, who was saved from death in besieged Leningrad. She travels by car from Moscow and also to the south, with her daughter Tanya; she suggests he join them. Aleksei tells about his life on the road.
The Legend of Paul and Paula1,973Heiner CarowDrama, Romance5.827GermanPaul and Paula have had bad experiences with love: Paul is financially well off but has lost all affection for his wife, and Paula leads a troublesome life raising two children on her own. They meet and discover a strong passion for each other. Life seems like a dream when they're together - but their short flights from the burdens of reality are once and again interrupted by Paul's ties to family and career.
Chingachgook: The Great Snake1,967Richard GroschoppAdventure, Western5.820GermanChingachgook, a Mohawk-born Delaware warrior, strives to rescue his wife Wahtawah from the clutches of an enemy camp of Huron. Joined by his trusted huntsman Deerslayer, the two confront racist pioneers and brutal British soldiers in their quest. Deerslayer catches the desire of Judith and thus the jealousy of her suitor, Harry. The action of the story functions like a seesaw, characters continuously traveling back and forth between a house on the lake and the Huron camp until the violent climax.
Hot Summer1,968Joachim HaslerComedy, Music5.811GermanIn this East German teen musical, a group of girls are planning to take their summer vacation together on the Baltic coast. When a loud and obnoxious group of boys intrudes on their holiday, the girls are horrified to learn that the boys have the same vacations plans as them. The two groups quarrel with each other and compete over a number of things, but gradually an attraction starts to form.
Forbidden Love1,990Helmut DziubaRomance, Drama5.714German18-year old Georg and 13-year old Barbara have been playing together as children. Play becomes love later, which leads to a catastrophe , as their parents are hostile leading to file a report to the court, as Barbara is still under age.
The Goose Princess1,989Konrad PetzoldFamily, Fantasy5.710GermanThe story of the goose princess and her faithful horse Falada.
Mother Holly1,963Gottfried KolditzFamily5.525GermanThe widow has an ugly and lazy daughter, Pechmarie, and a beautiful and hard-working step-daughter, Goldmarie. Because Pechmarie is her real daught...
King Thrushbeard1,965Walter BeckFantasy, Family5.524GermanA fairy-tale about a beautiful but very haughty princess Anna who cruelly mocks each of her suitors. Finally she is forced by the king to marry a beggar. The poor life, hard work and love teach the princess a lesson and turn her into a loving and kind person.
Rumpelstiltskin and the Golden Secret1,960Christoph EngelFantasy, Family5.115GermanEast German adaptation of Grimm‘s fairy tale "Rumpelstiltskin". A boastful miller pretends that his daughter Marie can spin straw into gold, and so she is locked into a room full of straw and ordered to spin it into gold by the next morning. A little man appears and offers his help in exchange for Marie's necklace. The greedy treasurer makes Marie spin twice more until the only thing she has left to give the little man is the promise of her first-born child…
Born in '451,966Jürgen BöttcherDrama, Romance5.113GermanOriginally banned in 1966, East German director Jürgen Böttcher's tale of love and disillusionment among two newlyweds attempting to navigate the treacherous world of marriage was never officially released in his homeland until after reunification in 1990.
The Silent Star1,960Kurt MaetzigScience Fiction4.880GermanA mysterious magnetic spool found during a construction project is discovered to have originated from Venus. A rocket expedition to Venus is launched to discover the origin of the spool and the race that created it.
The Sons of Great Bear1,966Josef MachDrama, Western, Adventure4.814GermanAs American settlers encroach on the lands of the Lakota people, Tokei-ihto witnesses the murder of his father at the hands of Red Fox, who wanted information on where the tribe finds its gold. Two years later, at the height of the Great Sioux War, Tokei-ihto and Red Fox meet again.
The Brave Little Tailor1,956Helmut SpießFantasy, Family4.711GermanWhen Prince Vain got his shirt fixed, he proclaims that he had slain two lizards in front of the tailor's house - "two in one strike". When the tailor swats seven flies at once, he sows himself a banner saying "seven in one strike", and together with his bird he starts a journey into the world to pronounce his deed.
The Frog Prince1,988Walter BeckFantasy, Family4.617GermanHenriette is a princess; she is playing with her ball, but drops it into a well. A talking frog replaces it with a golden ball, on condition that he can eat and drink with her, and rest in her bed. She accepts, but then is repelled at the thought of the frog eating and drinking with her, etc., but her Father makes her do so. In her bedroom, the frog turns into a handsome prince, and she falls in love with him, but he leaves immediately because of her broken promises. She pines and eventually seeks him out, braving various tests of her truthfulness in the process.
Little Red Riding Hood1,962Götz FriedrichFantasy, Family4.611GermanLittle Red Riding-Hood lives together with her parents in a house on the edge of the forest. Her friends are a bunny, a squirrel and a bear. The little girl is always prepared to help, friendly, innocent and even unsuspecting, for she does not hold anyone capable of doing anything bad. Little Red Riding-Hood often visits her grandmother who lives in the depths of the forest. But her way there is a dangerous one: the wolf and its lackey, the fox, terrorize everyone with their evil deeds. One day, Little Red Riding-Hood is caught in their net.
In the Dust of the Stars1,976Gottfried KolditzScience Fiction4.520GermanA radio signal attracts a team of astronauts to a mysterious planet. Once there, they are warmly welcomed by an alien race, but are soon suspicious of what is really occurring on this strange land.
Trail of the Falcon1,968Gottfried KolditzDrama, Western, Adventure4.214GermanIn the latter half of the 19th century, gold is discovered in the Black Hills, sacred land of the Lakota people. Gold diggers, profiteers and adventurers flock to the region. Among them is the hard-hearted land speculator Bludgeon, who tries to expel the Lakota using brutal methods. Lakota warriors retaliate, and soon the gold diggers' town becomes a battlefield.
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