Movie Listings by Genre

Director: Robert Wiene    More Info
Starring: Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt, Friedrich Feher, Hans Heinrich von Twardowski, Lil Dagover, Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Rudolf Lettinger, Hans Lanser-Rudolf, Ludwig Rex, Elsa Wagner

 This German Expressionist film tells the gruesome story of murder and terror set among black shadows painted across geometrically irregular streets and rooftops running zigzag among leaning chimneys. Dr. Caligari (Werner Krauss) is a hypnotist who travels with a carnival and displays a sleepwalker named Cesare (Conrad Veidt) as his attraction. While performing in a small, German town, murders take place, and when Francis' (Friedrich Feher) best friend Alan (Hans Heinrich von Twardowski) is killed, Francis connects the murder to Caligari. He accuses Caligari of committing the murders, but the police ignore him. When Francis performs his own investigation, he finds clues indicating that Caligari has ordered Cesare to commit the murders, and after a brutal confrontation with Caligari, Francis ensures that Caligari will be locked away in an asylum.

Director: Abel Gance    More Info
Starring: Severin-Mars, Ivy Close, Gabriel de Gravone, Pierre Magnier, Georges Terof, Max Maxudian, Gil Clary

 Both Sesif (Severin-Mars) and his son, Elie (Gabriel de Gravone), are in love with Norma (Ivy Close) who was adopted years ago by Sesif after he rescued her from a train accident. Their love leads to a tragic fight on a mountaintop, which results in even the victor becoming the loser.

Director: F.W. Murnau    More Info
Starring: Max Schreck, Gustav von Wangenheim, Alexander Granach, Greta Schroder, Georg H. Schnell, Ruth Landshoff, John Gottowt, Gustav Botz, Max Nemetz, Wolfgang Heinz

 This early film version of Bram Stoker's "Dracula" is an excellent example of the era of German Expressionism. One looks at Count Orlok's (Max Schreck) pointed ears, rodent teeth, and extra-long fingernails and knows he is up to no good. The story begins when real estate agent Hutter (Gustav von Wagenheim) arrives to close a sale with Count Orlok and cuts his own finger. Orlok's reaction to Hutter's blood clues Hutter that there is more to Orlok than meets the eye. Orlock then moves into a house across the street from Hutter and his wife Ellen (Greta Schroder), and the death toll rises. Now, Ellen sets out to bring an end to Orlok's activities and uses information from "Book of the Vampires" to bring about his end.

Director: Fritz Lang    More Info
Starring: Paul Richter, Margarete Schon, Theodor Loos, Hanna Ralph, Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Georg John, Gertrud Arnold, Hans Carl Mueller, Hans Adalbert Schlettow, Hardy von Francois

 This classic of German mythology is told in two parts. First, Siegfried (Paul Richter) gains immortality after slaying a dragon. The second part tells of his wife, Kriemhild (Margarete Schoen), seeking revenge after he was slain. The first part is sometimes found separately with a title of "Siegfried," and the second part may be found as "Kriemhild's Revenge."

Director: Sergei M. Eisenstein    More Info
Starring: Aleksandr Antonov, Vladimir Barsky, Grigori Aleksandrov, Mikhail Gomorov, Sergei M. Eisenstein, Aleksandr Levshin, Ivan Bobrov, N. Poltavtseva, Konstantin Feldman, Prokopenko

 This classic silent film by the legendary Sergei Eisenstein is about the mutiny of the crew of a Russian battleship. The massacre of civilians who have come to greet the ship's arrival at Odessa is one of the most penetrating scenes in film history and includes the unforgettable scene of the baby carriage careening down the magnificent Odessa Steps.

Director: Abel Gance    More Info
Starring: Albert Dieudonne, Vladimir Roudenko, Gina Manes, Alexandre Koubitzky, Annabella, Antonin Artaud, Abel Gance, Edmond Van Daele, Suzanne Bianchetti, Nicolas Koline

 This masterpiece encompasses Napoleon's life from the time he was a young military school cadet (Vladimir Roudenko) enjoying pillow and snowball fights through his rise as a military officer (Albert Dieudonne) deciding to side with the Republic during the French Revolution. The story includes Napoleon's imprisonment during the Reign of Terror and his meeting with fellow-prisoner Josephine (Gina Manes). Their romance and subsequent marriage are also included in the film. The story ends when Napoleon rouses the French troops and advances into Italy where he stands on top of a mountain while an eagle flies nearby.