Movies/Shows in Early Modern Germany

by josiahschmidt | created - 18 Oct 2018 | updated - 21 Dec 2020 | Public

Films and television shows set in pre-20th century (i.e. before 1900) Germanic Europe (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, etc.). Organized alphabetically.

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1. 12 Paces Without a Head (2009)

108 min | Adventure, Biography, Comedy

East Fresia 1401: era of feared sea pirates Klaus Störtebeker and Gödeke Michels is coming to an end.

Director: Sven Taddicken | Stars: Ronald Zehrfeld, Matthias Schweighöfer, Oliver Bröcker, Hinnerk Schönemann

Votes: 450

12 Paces Without a Head (German: Zwölf Meter ohne Kopf) is a 2009 film set in the North Sea in 1401. The film centers on the German folk hero Klaus Störtebeker, who was a pirate at the time. The title comes from a legend which asserts that when he was captured by the Hanseatic League, he struck a deal with his captors that every one of his men whom he could walk past after being decapitated, would be let go. Störtebeker's body allegedly managed to make twelve paces before collapsing.

2. The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1943)

Not Rated | 110 min | Comedy, Adventure, Fantasy

This lavish, impudent, adult fairy tale takes the viewer from 18th-century Braunschweig to St. Petersburg, Constantinople, Venice, and then to the moon using ingenious special effects, stunning location shooting.

Director: Josef von Báky | Stars: Hans Albers, Wilhelm Bendow, Michael Bohnen, Hans Brausewetter

Votes: 2,185

The film opens at an 18th-century ball, where Baron Hieronymus von Münchhausen is propositioned by a young woman who is engaged to another man. He graciously rejects her advance, and as she leaves, she asks him to turn on the light. The camera follows his hand to a modern light switch, and the young woman drives off in an automobile. The next day, the Baron, out of his costume and in modern dress, regales two of his guests with stories of the famous Baron Münchhausen, to whom his guests think he is distantly related.

Biopic on famous architect Andreas Schlüter who built the Berlin Stadtschloss for Frederick I of Prussia during the 18th century. Directed by Herbert Maisch.

Anne-Liese of Dessau (German:Die Anne-Liese von Dessau) is a 1925 German silent historical film directed by James Bauer and starring Maly Delschaft, Werner Pittschau and Julia Serda. It portrays the life of Anna Louise Föhse in the late 17th and early 18th centuries.

5. Amadeus (1984)

R | 160 min | Biography, Drama, Music

87 Metascore

The life, success and troubles of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as told by Antonio Salieri, the contemporaneous composer who was deeply jealous of Mozart's talent and claimed to have murdered him.

Director: Milos Forman | Stars: F. Murray Abraham, Tom Hulce, Elizabeth Berridge, Roy Dotrice

Votes: 428,355 | Gross: $51.97M

6. Barry Lyndon (1975)

PG | 185 min | Adventure, Drama, War

89 Metascore

An Irish rogue wins the heart of a rich widow and assumes her dead husband's aristocratic position in 18th-century England.

Director: Stanley Kubrick | Stars: Ryan O'Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee, Hardy Krüger

Votes: 183,215

Barry Lyndon is a 1975 British-American period drama film by Stanley Kubrick, based on the 1844 novel The Luck of Barry Lyndon by William Makepeace Thackeray. It stars Ryan O'Neal, Marisa Berenson, Patrick Magee, Leonard Rossiter and Hardy Krüger. The film recounts the early exploits and later unraveling of a fictional 18th-century Irish rogue and opportunist who fights in the Seven Years' War in Germany.

7. Beloved Clara (2008)

107 min | Biography, Drama, Music

A look at the lives of 19th-century composers Clara and Robert Schumann.

Director: Helma Sanders-Brahms | Stars: Martina Gedeck, Pascal Greggory, Malik Zidi, Aline Annessy

Votes: 303

Geliebte Clara ("Beloved Clara") is a Franco-German-Hungarian 2008 film, directed by Helma Sanders-Brahms about the pianist Clara Schumann and her marriage with the composer Robert Schumann.

8. Die Entlassung (1942)

110 min | Drama, History

A sequel to 1940's "Bismarck", Bismarck is dismissed by an under-pressure Wilhelm II. Then the treaty with Russia is in peril as the leader is left with the dilemma of who could complete Bismarck's work.

Director: Wolfgang Liebeneiner | Stars: Emil Jannings, Margarete Schön, Christian Kayßler, Theodor Loos

Votes: 106

Showing the growing estrangement between Emperor Wilhelm II and Reichskanzler Otto von Bismarck, Bismark's dismissal in Berlin in March 1890 and the intrigues by Geheimrat von Holstein from Auswärtiges Amt. Directed by Wolfgang Liebeneiner.

9. The Blue Swords (1949)

99 min | Drama

A biography of Johann Friedrich Böttger, who in 1709 invented the first white porcelain in Europe. The apprentice apothecary and assistant to a "gold producer" fled from the Prussian King -... See full summary »

Director: Wolfgang Schleif | Stars: Hans Quest, Ilse Steppat, Alexander Engel, Herbert Hübner

Votes: 13

Die blauen Schwerter is an East German film. It was released in 1949, and is set in the early 18th century.

10. The Brothers Grimm (2005)

PG-13 | 118 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy

51 Metascore

Will and Jake Grimm are traveling con-artists who encounter a genuine fairy-tale curse which requires true courage instead of their usual bogus exorcisms.

Director: Terry Gilliam | Stars: Matt Damon, Heath Ledger, Monica Bellucci, Petr Ratimec

Votes: 126,300 | Gross: $37.92M

The Brothers Grimm is a 2005 adventure fantasy film directed by Terry Gilliam. The film stars Matt Damon, Heath Ledger, and Lena Headey in an exaggerated and fictitious portrait of the Brothers Grimm as traveling con-artists in French-occupied Germany, during the early 19th century. However, the brothers eventually encounter a genuine fairy tale curse which requires real courage instead of their usual bogus exorcisms.

11. Kadetten (1939)

94 min | Drama, War

During the 18th century's Seven-Year War, a group of young Prussian army cadets are captured by Russian soldiers. After enduring brutal treatment, the cadets come up with a plan to escape ... See full summary »

Director: Karl Ritter | Stars: Mathias Wieman, Carsta Löck, Andrews Engelmann, Theo Shall

Votes: 40

Cadets (German: Kadetten) is a 1939 German historical war film directed by Karl Ritter and starring Mathias Wieman, Carsta Löck and Andrews Engelmann. The film is set in 1760, against the backdrop of the Austro-Russian Raid on Berlin during the Seven Years' War. It depicts a group of Prussian cadets holding off superior Russian forces.

12. Charité (2017– )

TV-MA | 45 min | Drama, History, Sci-Fi

The series describes the accomplishments of several famous German physicians and scientists at the prestigious Charité hospital in Berlin during its history.

Stars: Alicia von Rittberg, Mala Emde, Nina Gummich, Sesede Terziyan

Votes: 3,795

13. Der Choral von Leuthen (1933)

91 min | Biography, Drama, History

The story of the rise to power of King Frederick II (aka "Frederick the Great") of Prussia of his military campaigns to make Prussia a major power in Europe.

Directors: Carl Froelich, Walter Supper, Arzén von Cserépy | Stars: Otto Gebühr, Olga Tschechowa, Elga Brink, Harry Frank

Votes: 78

Der Choral von Leuthen (The Hymn of Leuthen) was a 1933 German film depicting Frederick the Great, directed by Carl Froelich. The film was loosely based on the novel Fridericus by Walter von Molo. It presented Frederick as an inspired leader.

Clavigo is a 1970s television movie directed by Marcel Ophüls, based on the play Clavigo by Goethe. The movie is the film version of a play staged and directed by Fritz Kortner. This play premiered 1969 im Deutschen Schauspielhaus, Hamburg, Germany. It was first acclaimed at the Berliner Theatertreffen 1970. The story is set in the 1760s.

15. Hrabina Cosel (1968)

139 min | Biography, History, Romance

"The Countess Cosel" is based on the true story of the beautiful Anna Constantia von Brockdorff, a German noblewoman who became mistress of Augustus the Strong, King of Poland and Elector ... See full summary »

Director: Jerzy Antczak | Stars: Jadwiga Baranska, Mariusz Dmochowski, Stanislaw Jasiukiewicz, Daniel Olbrychski

Votes: 88

Hrabina Cosel (The Countess Cosel) is a 1968 Polish film directed by Jerzy Antczak. The film is based on Józef Ignacy Kraszewski’s novel Hrabina Cosel, a historical romance set in the court of Augustus the Strong, the first of the two Saxon kings of Poland, at the turn of the 17th to 18th century.

Beloved Augustin (German: Der liebe Augustin) is a 1940 historical film directed by E.W. Emo and starring Paul Hörbiger, Michael Bohnen and Hilde Weissner. The story is set in Vienna, Austria in the 1680s.

17. The Duellists (1977)

PG | 100 min | Drama, War

70 Metascore

France, 1801. Due to a minor perceived slight, mild-mannered Lieutenant d'Hubert is forced into a duel with hot-headed irrational Lieutenant Feraud. The disagreement ultimately results in scores of duels spanning several years.

Director: Ridley Scott | Stars: Keith Carradine, Harvey Keitel, Albert Finney, Edward Fox

Votes: 26,738 | Gross: $0.20M

A 1977 British historical film set in early 19th century Germany, following the conflict between Lieutenant Gabriel Feraud and Lieutenant Armand d'Hubert as they duel across Germany during the Napoleonic Wars.

18. Begegnung mit Werther (1949)

88 min

The infatuated young Werther (Horst Caspar) meets in a village at a festivity the beautiful Lotte (Heidemarie Hatheyer) and falls in love with her. But Lotte is already engaged. Werther ... See full summary »

Director: Karl-Heinz Stroux | Stars: Horst Caspar, Heidemarie Hatheyer, Paul Klinger, Rudolf Reiff

Encounter with Werther (German:Begegnung mit Werther) is a 1949 West German drama film directed by Karl-Heinz Stroux and starring Horst Caspar, Heidemarie Hatheyer and Paul Klinger. The book was set around the writing of the novel The Sorrows of Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

19. The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1974)

Not Rated | 110 min | Biography, Drama, History

A young man named Kaspar Hauser suddenly appears in Nuremberg in 1828, barely able to talk or walk, and bearing a strange note.

Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Bruno S., Walter Ladengast, Brigitte Mira, Willy Semmelrogge

Votes: 18,919

The film follows Kaspar Hauser, who lived the first seventeen years of his life chained in a tiny cellar with only a toy horse to occupy his time, devoid of all human contact except for a man, wearing a black overcoat and top hat, who feeds him. One day, in 1828, the same man takes Hauser out of his cell, teaches him a few phrases, and how to walk, before leaving him in the town of Nuremberg. Hauser becomes the subject of much curiosity, and is exhibited in a circus before being rescued by Professor Georg Friedrich Daumer, who patiently attempts to transform him.

Die Entscheidung des Tilman Riemenschneider is a 1954 East German television film written by Hermann Rodigast about the medieval wood carver Tilman Riemenschneider.

21. Fall of Eagles (1974)

50 min | Drama, History, War

The collapse of three great European dynasties: the Romanovs, the Habsburgs, and the Hohenzollerns.

Stars: Michael Hordern, Charles Kay, Barry Foster, Gayle Hunnicutt

Votes: 667

22. Faust (1926)

Not Rated | 107 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror

The demon Mephisto wagers with God that he can corrupt a mortal man's soul.

Director: F.W. Murnau | Stars: Gösta Ekman, Emil Jannings, Camilla Horn, Frida Richard

Votes: 16,640

23. Faust (III) (2011)

Not Rated | 140 min | Drama, Fantasy, Mystery

65 Metascore

A despairing scholar sells his soul to Satan in exchange for one night with a beautiful young woman.

Director: Aleksandr Sokurov | Stars: Johannes Zeiler, Anton Adasinsky, Isolda Dychauk, Georg Friedrich

Votes: 5,763 | Gross: $0.06M

Faust is a 2011 Russian film directed by Alexander Sokurov. Set in the 19th century, it is a free interpretation of the Faust legend and its respective literary adaptations by both Johann Wolfgang von Goethe as well as Thomas Mann. The dialogue is in German. The film won the Golden Lion at the 68th Venice International Film Festival. At the 2012 Russian Guild of Film Critics Awards the film was awarded the prizes for Best Film, Best Director (Alexander Sokurov), Best Script (Yuri Arabov) and Best Male Supporting Actor (Anton Adasinsky).

24. The Flute Concert of Sans-Souci (1930)

88 min | Drama, History

The story of the rise to power of King Frederick II (aka Frederick the Great) of Prussia and his military campaigns to make Prussia a major power in Europe.

Director: Gustav Ucicky | Stars: Otto Gebühr, Renate Müller, Hans Rehmann, Walter Janssen

Votes: 53

The Flute Concert of Sanssouci (German: Das Flötenkonzert von Sans-souci) is a 1930 German drama film directed by Gustav Ucicky and starring Otto Gebühr.[1] It was part of the popular cycle of Prussian films.

The Girl from Barnhelm (German:Das Fräulein von Barnhelm) is a 1940 German historical comedy film directed by Hans Schweikart and starring Käthe Gold, Ewald Balser and Fita Benkhoff. It is an adaptation of the 1767 play Minna von Barnhelm by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing.

26. Friederike (1932)

80 min | Drama

Based on Franz Lehar's operetta, about the first woman whom the great German writer Goethe fell in love with.

Director: Fritz Friedmann-Frederich | Stars: Mady Christians, Hans Heinz Bollmann, Veit Harlan, Eduard von Winterstein

Votes: 11

Frederica (German: Friederike) is a 1932 German historical musical drama film directed by Fritz Friedmann-Frederich (de) and starring Mady Christians, Hans-Heinz Bollmann (de) and Veit Harlan.[1] It is based on the 1928 operetta of the same name by Franz Lehar which depicts the love affair between Friederike Brion and the young Goethe.

27. Fridericus (1937)

97 min | Drama

In 18th century Europe, King Friedrich II of Prussia leads his army through the seven-years-war with neighboring states, and after numerous near defeats, eventually brings a victorious army back to Berlin.

Director: Johannes Meyer | Stars: Otto Gebühr, Hilde Körber, Lil Dagover, Agnes Straub

Votes: 86

Fridericus is a 1937 German historical film directed by Johannes Meyer and starring Otto Gebühr, Hilde Körber and Lil Dagover. It is based on the life of Frederick II of Prussia. It was part of the popular cycle of Prussian films.

28. Fridericus Rex - 1. Teil: Sturm und Drang (1922)

Drama

Part 1 of a four part series of biographical films about king Friedrich II of Prussia focuses on his early life, his love of music and his father's displeasure with it.

Director: Arzén von Cserépy | Stars: Otto Gebühr, Albert Steinrück, Gertrud de Lalsky, Erna Morena

Votes: 10

Fridericus Rex (German: Fridericus Rex - 1. Teil: Sturm und Drang) is a 1922 German silent historical film directed by Arzén von Cserépy and starring Otto Gebühr, Albert Steinrück and Gertrud de Lalsky. It portrays the life of the eighteenth century monarch Frederick the Great.

29. Friedrich Schiller - Der Triumph eines Genies (1940)

102 min | Drama

Friedrich Schiller - The triumph of a genius.

Director: Herbert Maisch | Stars: Heinrich George, Lil Dagover, Horst Caspar, Friedrich Kayßler

Votes: 88

Friedrich Schiller – The Triumph of a Genius (German: Friedrich Schiller – Der Triumph eines Genies) is a 1940 German film, based on the novel Passion by Norbert Jacques. The film focuses on the early career of the German poet Friedrich Schiller.

30. The Girl and the Legend (1957)

90 min | Drama

London, 1730. Daniel Defoe, author of Robinson Crusoe, lives in poverty. When his son Tom steals the original text of Robinsons's forbidden book, the youth of London, led by Maud (Romy Schneider), revolt.

Director: Josef von Báky | Stars: Romy Schneider, Horst Buchholz, Erich Ponto, Mathias Wieman

Votes: 216

The Girl and the Legend (German: Robinson soll nicht sterben) is a 1957 German drama film directed by Josef von Báky. The story is set in the 1730s.

31. Der große König (1942)

118 min | Drama, History, War

A story of Prussian king (from 1740 to 1786) Frederick II the Great.

Director: Veit Harlan | Stars: Otto Gebühr, Kristina Söderbaum, Gustav Fröhlich, Hans Nielsen

Votes: 321

The Great King (German: Der große König) is a 1942 German drama film directed by Veit Harlan and starring Otto Gebühr. It depicts the life of Frederick the Great, who ruled Prussia from 1740 to 1786.

32. Heidi (2015)

111 min | Drama, Family

A story of a young girl who lives in the Swiss Alps with her goat herding Grandfather.

Director: Alain Gsponer | Stars: Anuk Steffen, Anna Schinz, Lilian Naef, Bruno Ganz

Votes: 7,099

33. The House of Rothschild (1934)

Passed | 88 min | Biography, Drama, History

The wealthy Rothschild family undergoes prejudice from the anti-Semitic society they live within.

Directors: Alfred L. Werker, Sidney Lanfield | Stars: George Arliss, Boris Karloff, Loretta Young, Robert Young

Votes: 1,325

The House of Rothschild is a 1934 American film written by Nunnally Johnson from the play by George Hembert Westley, and directed by Alfred L. Werker. It chronicles the rise of the Rothschild family of European bankers in the 18th century.

Hungarian hussars under András Hadik occupy Berlin for one day in the 1757 Berlin raid during the Seven Years' War before the Prussian Army arrives. Directed by Erwin Stranka.

36. Immortal Beloved (1994)

R | 121 min | Biography, Drama, Music

The life and death of the legendary Ludwig van Beethoven. Besides all the work he is known for, the composer once wrote a famous love letter to a nameless beloved, and the movie tries to ... See full summary »

Director: Bernard Rose | Stars: Gary Oldman, Jeroen Krabbé, Isabella Rossellini, Johanna ter Steege

Votes: 26,221 | Gross: $9.91M

Immortal Beloved is a 1994 film about the life of composer Ludwig van Beethoven (played by Gary Oldman). The story follows Beethoven's secretary and first biographer Anton Schindler (Jeroen Krabbé) as he attempts to ascertain the true identity of the Unsterbliche Geliebte (Immortal Beloved) addressed in three letters found in the late composer's private papers. Schindler journeys throughout the Austrian Empire interviewing women who might be potential candidates as well as through Beethoven's own tumultuous life.

In the nineteenth century, a young Jewish woman living in the part of Poland controlled by Austria, meets an Austrian Count at a ball held by one of her father's business associates. After he rescues her from the unwanted attentions of a Polish army officer, they fall in love. She falls pregnant, and they live together in a Common-law marriage. Her family are horrified by the match and make her an outcast. Distraught by this, she ultimately commits suicide by drowning herself in a lake.

38. Jungfer, Sie gefällt mir (1969)

105 min | Comedy

A Saxon village in 1792: While the Prussians go against France, the haymaking takes place in the village and the resolute Marthe catches her daughter Ev with the village blacksmith Ruprecht in the hay.

Director: Günter Reisch | Stars: Wolfgang Kieling, Monika Gabriel, Jan Spitzer, Rolf Ludwig

Votes: 20

Jungfer, Sie gefällt mir is an East German film. It was released in 1969 and the story is set in the 1790s.

Queen Louise (German: Königin Luise) is a German silent historical film. The film portrays the short life of Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of the Prussian monarch William III.

40. Königin Luise (1957)

100 min | Drama

The life of Luise de Mecklenburg-Strelitz, wife of Frederick Wilhelm II of Prussia, and her opposition to Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars.

Director: Wolfgang Liebeneiner | Stars: Ruth Leuwerik, Dieter Borsche, Bernhard Wicki, René Deltgen

Votes: 69

The film depicts the life of Louise of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, the wife of Frederick William III of Prussia, and her stand against Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars. It was one of a number of films made during the 1950s that portrayed historical royal Germany in a positive manner.

41. The Last Valley (1971)

PG | 128 min | Adventure, Drama, War

During the Thirty Years' War of 1600s, a band of Protestant mercenaries peacefully coexist with German Catholic villagers in a hidden idyllic mountain valley untouched by war.

Director: James Clavell | Stars: Michael Caine, Omar Sharif, Florinda Bolkan, Nigel Davenport

Votes: 3,585 | Gross: $0.25M

42. Liselotte von der Pfalz (1966)

99 min | Comedy

The story of free-spirited German Princess Liselotte who, giving in to her father's wish, marries Philippe, the Duke of Orleans. Initially she is met with arrogance by her new husband and ... See full summary »

Director: Kurt Hoffmann | Stars: Heidelinde Weis, Harald Leipnitz, Karin Hübner, Hans Caninenberg

Votes: 82

Liselotte of the Palatinate (German: Liselotte von der Pfalz) is a 1966 West German historical comedy film directed by Kurt Hoffmann and starring Heidelinde Weis, Harald Leipnitz and Karin Hübner. It portrays the marriage of the German princess Liselotte of the Palatinate to the brother of Louis XIV and her adventures at the French court.

43. Lisztomania (1975)

R | 103 min | Biography, Comedy, Music

Composer and pianist Franz Liszt (Roger Daltrey) attempts to overcome his hedonistic life-style while repeatedly being drawn back into it by the many women in his life and fellow composer Richard Wagner (Paul Nicholas).

Director: Ken Russell | Stars: Roger Daltrey, Sara Kestelman, Paul Nicholas, Ringo Starr

Votes: 3,121

Lisztomania is a 1975 film by Ken Russell about the nineteenth century composer Franz Liszt. The screenplay is derived, in part, from a "kiss-and-tell" book, Nélida by Marie d'Agoult (1848), about her affair with Liszt.

44. Luther (2003)

PG-13 | 123 min | Biography, Drama, History

47 Metascore

During the early sixteenth century, idealistic German monk Martin Luther, disgusted by the materialism in the Catholic Church, begins the dialogue that will lead to the Protestant Reformation.

Director: Eric Till | Stars: Joseph Fiennes, Bruno Ganz, Peter Ustinov, Alfred Molina

Votes: 16,007 | Gross: $5.79M

45. Maria Theresa (2017–2021)

200 min | Biography, Drama, History

In the time of absolute monarchies, political intrigue, and diplomacy through marriage, love is not a word associated with marriage. And a ruling Empress? Not even imaginable. But a bright ... See full summary »

Stars: Vojtech Kotek, Tatiana Pauhofová, Martin Pechlát, Zuzana Stivínová

Votes: 630

Maria Theresia (Czech: Marie Terezie) is a 2017 Austrian-Czech historical film. Maria Theresa Walburga Amalia Christina (13 May 1717 – 29 November 1780) was the only female ruler of the Habsburg dominions and the last of the House of Habsburg.

46. Marie Antoinette (2006)

PG-13 | 123 min | Biography, Drama, History

64 Metascore

The retelling of France's iconic but ill-fated queen, Marie Antoinette. From her betrothal and marriage to Louis XVI at 14 to her reign as queen at 19 and to the end of her reign as queen, and ultimately the fall of Versailles.

Director: Sofia Coppola | Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Jason Schwartzman, Rip Torn, Steve Coogan

Votes: 121,987 | Gross: $15.96M

The first part of the movie takes place in 18th-century Austria.

47. Massacre in the Black Forest (1967)

82 min | Action, Drama, History

In the first half of the first century A.D., the Teutonic tribes, led by Arminius The Terrible, rebel against the cruel and conquering Roman Empire. In raging torments and blood curdling ... See full summary »

Directors: Ferdinando Baldi, Rudolf Nussgruber | Stars: Cameron Mitchell, Antonella Lualdi, Hans von Borsody, Beba Loncar

Votes: 134

Massacre in the Black Forest (German: Hermann der Cherusker - Die Schlacht im Teutoburger Wald) is a 1967 historical drama film set on the northeast frontier of the Roman Empire facing the area of Germania in A.D. 9. The film centers on Hermann, a chieftain of the Cherusci Germanic tribe (in what is now Hesse), who drew three Roman legions into an ambush in the Teutoburg Forest, known as the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest.

The Master of Nuremberg (German: Der Meister von Nürnberg) is a 1927 German silent historical comedy film directed by Ludwig Berger and starring Rudolf Rittner, Max Gülstorff and Gustav Fröhlich. It is based on the 1868 opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg by Richard Wagner. The story is set in the 16th century.

Mazurka der Liebe is an East German film. It was released in 1957. It is an adaptation of the 1882 operetta Der Bettelstudent. The story is set in the early 18th century.

50. Mesmer (1994)

Not Rated | 107 min | Biography, Drama

A biography of the 18-century Viennese physician Franz Anton Mesmer, who used unorthodox healing practices based on his theory of "animal magnetism."

Director: Roger Spottiswoode | Stars: Donal Donnelly, David Burke, Peter Dvorsky, Alan Rickman

Votes: 1,134

In 18th century Vienna, Franz Anton Mesmer believes he is able to heal patients by drawing out something unique from inside his patients. However, the only ones who seem to have improvements are the young ladies he helps. His controversial methods and their consequences lead him to leave Vienna and head to Paris. However, once there, he takes advantage of his unique methods to provide entertainment, which he is censured for by other doctors.

51. Mir nach, Canaillen (1964)

103 min | Adventure, Comedy

Preußen, 1730. Leutnant von Übbenau (Fred Düren) macht sich auf ins Hannöversche, um Rekruten zu pressen. Sein König, kriegerisch veranlagt, braucht mächtig viele Kerls, "die er in die ... See full summary »

Director: Ralf Kirsten | Stars: Manfred Krug, Monika Woytowicz, Fred Düren, Carola Braunbock

Votes: 70

Follow Me, Scoundrels (German: Mir nach, Canaillen!) is a 1964 East German historical adventure film directed by Ralf Kirsten and starring Manfred Krug, Monika Woytowicz and Fred Düren. The story is set in the 1730s.

52. Mozart's Sister (2010)

Not Rated | 120 min | Biography, Drama, Music

71 Metascore

A reimagined account of the early life of Maria Anna 'Nannerl' Mozart, five years older than Wolfgang, and a musical prodigy in her own right.

Director: René Féret | Stars: Marie Féret, Marc Barbé, Delphine Chuillot, David Moreau

Votes: 1,615 | Gross: $0.71M

Mozart's Sister (French title: Nannerl, la sœur de Mozart) is a 2010 French drama film written and directed by René Féret, and starring two of his daughters. It presents a fictional account of the early life of Maria Anna Mozart, nicknamed Nannerl, who was the sister of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his only sibling to survive infancy.

The Mill at Sanssouci (German: Die Mühle von Sanssouci) is a 1926 German silent historical film directed by Siegfried Philippi and Frederic Zelnik and starring Otto Gebühr, Lissi Lind and Jakob Tiedtke. The film is part of the popular cycle of Prussian films. The title alludes to the Historic Mill of Sanssouci constructed in the 18th century.

54. My Name Is Bach (2003)

97 min | Biography, Drama

Composer Johann Sebastian Bach is introduced to King Frederick II of Prussia in 1747. The aging composer and the young monarch clash and a battle of egos ensues.

Director: Dominique de Rivaz | Stars: Vadim Glowna, Jürgen Vogel, Karoline Herfurth, Anatole Taubman

Votes: 358

Mein Name ist Bach is a 2003 Swiss film directed by Dominique de Rivaz. The story centers around the musical composer Johann Sebastian Bach in the 1740s.

55. Nosferatu (1922)

Not Rated | 94 min | Fantasy, Horror

Vampire Count Orlok expresses interest in a new residence and real estate agent Hutter's wife.

Director: F.W. Murnau | Stars: Max Schreck, Alexander Granach, Gustav von Wangenheim, Greta Schröder

Votes: 105,511

Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (translated as Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror; or simply Nosferatu) is a 1922 German Expressionist horror film, directed by F. W. Murnau, starring Max Schreck as the vampire Count Orlok. The film, shot in 1921 and released in 1922, was an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula (1897). The film is set in 1838 in fictional Wisborg, Germany.

56. Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)

PG | 107 min | Drama, Horror

79 Metascore

Count Dracula moves from Transylvania to Wismar, spreading the Black Plague across the land. Only a woman pure of heart can bring an end to his reign of horror.

Director: Werner Herzog | Stars: Klaus Kinski, Isabelle Adjani, Bruno Ganz, Roland Topor

Votes: 40,571

Nosferatu the Vampyre is a 1979 West German horror film written and directed by Werner Herzog. Its original German title is Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (Nosferatu: Phantom of the Night). The film is set primarily in 19th-century Wismar, Germany and Transylvania, and was conceived as a stylistic remake of F. W. Murnau's 1922 German Dracula adaptation Nosferatu.

57. The Novel of Werther (1938)

85 min | Drama, Romance

Herr Werther, a new magistrate to the Grand Duchy of Walheim who is a violinist and poet, seems to have fate on his side as he meets and pursues a beautiful local woman, Charlotte. But as ... See full summary »

Director: Max Ophüls | Stars: Pierre Richard-Willm, Annie Vernay, Jean Galland, Jean Périer

Votes: 267

The Novel of Werther (French: Le Roman de Werther) is a 1938 French historical drama film directed by Max Ophüls and starring Pierre Richard-Willm, Annie Vernay and Jean Galland. It is based on the 1774 novel The Sorrows of Young Werther by Goethe.

The Old Fritz (German: Der alte Fritz) is a 1928 German silent historical film directed by Gerhard Lamprecht and starring Otto Gebühr, Julia Serda and Bertold Reissig.[1] Part of the cycle of Prussian Films, it was released in two parts. Gebühr played the role of Frederick the Great on many occasions during the Weimar Republic and Nazi Germany.

Pestalozzi's Mountain (German: Pestalozzis Berg) is a 1989 East German–Swiss drama film set in the 1790s.

60. Pope Joan (2009)

149 min | Drama, History, Romance

A woman of English extraction born in the German city of Ingelheim in the ninth century disguises herself as a man and rises through the Vatican ranks.

Director: Sönke Wortmann | Stars: Johanna Wokalek, David Wenham, John Goodman, Iain Glen

Votes: 9,113

Shortly after the death of Charlemagne, a girl called Johanna is born in Ingelheim am Rhein. She is the daughter of a village priest (Iain Glen). He also rules his wife (Jördis Triebel) and family with a rod of iron, though his Saxon wife still secretly worships the pagan god Wotan. Even so, Johanna grows up to be an articulate girl, who intensively studies the Bible, unbeknownst to her father. After her eldest brother's sudden death, their father wants to send his second son Johannes to the cathedral school in Dorestad, but when the teacher Aesculapius (Edward Petherbridge) visits them in Ingelheim, Johanna proves to be far more capable of dealing with the Scriptures than Johannes.

61. The Prince of Homburg (1997)

89 min | Drama, History, Romance

The Prince of Homburg, disobeys orders and leads a cavalry charge in battle against the Swedes, which leads to victory. He is court martialled however for disobeying orders and sentenced to... See full summary »

Director: Marco Bellocchio | Stars: Andrea Di Stefano, Barbora Bobulova, Toni Bertorelli, Anita Laurenzi

Votes: 471

62. Die Rache der Wanderhure (2012 TV Movie)

120 min | Drama, Romance

Marie and her husband Michel Adler have a happy life until Michel has to go to war against the Hussites for König Sigismund but does not come back. She not believe on his dead and starts her journey to find out what really happened to him.

Director: Hansjörg Thurn | Stars: Alexandra Neldel, Bert Tischendorf, Julian Weigend, Johannes Krisch

Votes: 421

The Revenge of the Whore (German: Die Rache der Wanderhure) is a 2012 television film, based on the novel Die Kastellanin written by Iny Lorentz. It is the sequel of the 2010 television film The Whore. Set in the 15th century, Marie played by Alexandra Neldel and her husband Michel Adler played by Bert Tischendorf have a happy life until Michel has to go to war against the Hussites for König Sigismund but does not come back. Marie does not believe that he is dead and starts her journey to find out what really happened to him.

63. The Rise of Catherine the Great (1934)

Not Rated | 95 min | Biography, Drama, History

Straightforward biography of the Russian Empress, up to her assumption of the throne.

Directors: Paul Czinner, Alexander Korda | Stars: Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Elisabeth Bergner, Flora Robson, Gerald du Maurier

Votes: 740

The Rise of Catherine the Great (also titled Catherine the Great) is a 1934 British historical film based on the play The Czarina by Lajos Bíró and Melchior Lengyel, about the rise to power of Catherine the Great. It was directed by Paul Czinner, and stars Elisabeth Bergner as Catherine, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., as Grand Duke Peter, Dorothy Hale as Countess Olga, and Flora Robson as Empress Elizabeth.

Robert and Bertram (German: Robert und Bertram) is a 1928 German silent comedy film directed by Rudolf Walther-Fein and starring Harry Liedtke, Fritz Kampers and Elizza La Porta. It is based on the 1856 Gustav Räder play Robert and Bertram about the adventures of two wandering vagrants.

65. Saraband (1948)

Approved | 96 min | Biography, Drama, History

Young Sophie Dorothea marries Prince George Louis but it's far from a love match. Then she falls for Swedish Count Philip Christoph von Königsmark.

Director: Basil Dearden | Stars: Stewart Granger, Joan Greenwood, Flora Robson, Françoise Rosay

Votes: 624

Sophie Dorothea (Joan Greenwood) seeks solace from dashing Count Philip Konigsmark (Stewart Granger) when her husband Prince George Louis (Peter Bull), later to become King George I of Great Britain, wants nothing to do with her. The lovers are brought down by a jealous Countess Platen (Flora Robson).

66. The Scarlet Empress (1934)

Passed | 104 min | Drama, History, Romance

A German noblewoman enters into a loveless marriage with the dim-witted, unstable heir to the Russian throne, then plots to oust him from power.

Director: Josef von Sternberg | Stars: Marlene Dietrich, John Lodge, Sam Jaffe, Louise Dresser

Votes: 7,240

Sophia Frederica (Marlene Dietrich) is the daughter of a minor German prince and an ambitious mother. She is brought to Russia by Count Alexei (John Davis Lodge) at the behest of Empress Elizabeth (Louise Dresser) to marry her nephew, Grand Duke Peter (played as a half-wit by Sam Jaffe in his film debut). The overbearing Elizabeth renames her Catherine and reinforces the demand the new bride issue an heir to the throne.

The Shepherd from Trutzberg (German: Der Schäfer vom Trutzberg) is a 1959 West German historical romance film directed by Eduard von Borsody and starring Heidi Brühl, Hans von Borsody and Franziska Kinz. It is a heimatfilm, based on a novel by Ludwig Ganghofer. The story is set in the 15th century.

Die schöne Lurette is an East German film. It is an adaptation of the operetta Belle Lurette by Jacques Offenbach. The story is set in the 1760s.

69. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows (2011)

PG-13 | 129 min | Action, Adventure, Mystery

48 Metascore

Detective Sherlock Holmes is on the trail of criminal mastermind Professor Moriarty, who is carrying out a string of random crimes across Europe.

Director: Guy Ritchie | Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Jared Harris, Rachel McAdams

Votes: 480,705 | Gross: $186.85M

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a 2011 period action mystery film directed by Guy Ritchie and produced by Joel Silver, Lionel Wigram, Susan Downey, and Dan Lin. It is the sequel to the 2009 film Sherlock Holmes, and features the Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson characters created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The film takes place in 1891, partially in Germany.

70. The Student Prince (1954)

Approved | 107 min | Musical, Romance

A prince has a romance with a barmaid before he must give up personal happiness for duty.

Director: Richard Thorpe | Stars: Ann Blyth, Edmund Purdom, John Ericson, Louis Calhern

Votes: 993

Young Prince Karl (Edmund Purdom), of a small kingdom within the German Empire, is sent off near the turn of the 20th century to get a university education in Heidelberg, Baden-Wuerttemberg. His grandfather (Louis Calhern) was one of a handful of petty kings within German-speaking central Europe. Fictional Karlsburg is small, but fiercely proud of its history and traditions.

71. Der Schneider von Ulm (1978)

120 min | Drama, History

Albrecht Ludwig Berblinger dreams of flying. By chance he gets to know the airship designer Jakob Degen and sees his flying objects in action.

Director: Edgar Reitz | Stars: Tilo Prückner, Vadim Glowna, Hannelore Elsner, Harald Kuhlmann

Votes: 101

The Tailor from Ulm (German: Der Schneider von Ulm) is a 1979 West German drama film directed by Edgar Reitz of Heimat fame. It is the true story of a German pioneer aviator, Albrecht Berblinger, in the late 18th century

The Dancer Barberina (German: Die Tänzerin Barberina) is a 1920 German silent historical drama film directed by Carl Boese and starring Lyda Salmonova, Otto Gebühr and Harry Liedtke. It portrays the relationship between Frederick the Great and the dancer Barberina Campanini in eighteenth century Prussia.

73. Die Tänzerin von Sanssouci (1932)

87 min | Drama, History

The beautiful dancer Barberina lies at the foot of Europe. Frederick II, King of Prussia, too, wants to engage her in his opera house. When she refuses, he lets her take her under military ... See full summary »

Director: Frederic Zelnik | Stars: Otto Gebühr, Lil Dagover, Rosa Valetti, Hans Stüwe

Votes: 19

The Dancer of Sanssouci (German: Die Tänzerin von Sans Souci) is a 1932 German historical drama film directed by Frederic Zelnik and starring Otto Gebühr, Lil Dagover and Rosa Valetti. Set at the court of Frederick the Great the film is part of a group of Prussian films made during the era. It portrays the interaction between Frederick and the celebrated dancer Barberina Campanini. Gebühr had previously appeared as Frederick in a silent film The Dancer Barberina about their relationship.

74. They'll Never Surrender (II) (1934)

70 min | Drama, History

The story of William Tell, who, according to Swiss legend, was forced by the Austrians to shoot an apple off his son's head with a bow and arrow.

Directors: H. Manning Haynes, Heinz Paul | Stars: Hans Marr, Edmund Willard, Dennis Aubrey, Charles Cullum

Thomas Muentzer is a 1956 East German film about the life of the 16th-century Protestant theologian and peasant leader Thomas Muentzer, directed by Martin Hellberg.

76. Torrents of Spring (1989)

PG-13 | 101 min | Drama, Romance

A young Russian aristocrat found himself in a difficult situation before his wedding - the temptation of a different way of life was revealed to him.

Director: Jerzy Skolimowski | Stars: Timothy Hutton, Nastassja Kinski, Valeria Golino, William Forsythe

Votes: 428 | Gross: $0.11M

Torrents of Spring is a 1989 British-French-Italian drama film written and directed by Jerzy Skolimowski and starring Timothy Hutton, Nastassja Kinski and Valeria Golino. It is based on the novel of the same name by Ivan Turgenev. Set in 1840, the film follows a young Russian aristocrat, Dimitri Sanin, who is torn between the love of a beautiful German pastry-shop girl, Gemma Rosselli, and a Russian seductress, Princess Maria Nikolaevna.

77. Treffen in Travers (1988)

101 min | Drama, History

In the fall of 1793, the essayist and naturalist Georg Forster meets his estranged wife, Therese, and her lover Ferdinand Huber. Over the course of three days and nights, and in the shadow ... See full summary »

Director: Michael Gwisdek | Stars: Hermann Beyer, Corinna Harfouch, Uwe Kockisch, Susanne Bormann

Votes: 22

Treffen in Travers is a 1988 German drama film directed by Michael Gwisdek. The film is set in the 1790s.

78. The Tudors (2007–2010)

TV-MA | 60 min | Drama, History, Romance

A dramatic series about the reign and marriages of King Henry VIII.

Stars: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Henry Cavill, Anthony Brophy, James Frain

Votes: 81,260

Part of Season 3 is set in Cleves, Germany

Wallenstein is a 1925 German silent historical film directed by Rolf Randolf and starring Fritz Greiner, Eduard von Winterstein, Ernst Rückert. The film's sets were designed by the art director Robert A. Dietrich. It depicts the life of the Imperial General Albrecht von Wallenstein during the Thirty Years War. It was released in two separate parts, as was common for epics during the era.

The Whore (German: Die Wanderhure) is a 2010 German television film, adapted from a novel by the same name. The film is set in Konstanz, Germany in the years 1414 and 1415.

81. William Tell (1924)

180 min | Drama

The story of the legendary hero and archer from Switzerland, who lead his country to freedom from tyranny.

Director: Emil Harder | Stars: Felix Orelli, Robert Kleinert, Joseph Imholz, Maria Bernhard-Ulbrich

83. William Tell (1955 TV Movie)

A made-for-television movie that followed the legend of Wilhelm Gorkeit of Tellikon (William Tell), a brave archer and hero. As the stories say, he shot an apple off of his son's head, and then lead the rebellion for freedom in Switzerland.

Star: James Arness

84. William Tell (1958–1959)

30 min | Adventure, Family, History

Depicts the legend of William Tell, who, as the stories say, shot an apple off of his son's head and lead the rebellion to free Switzerland.

Stars: Conrad Phillips, Willoughby Goddard, Jennifer Jayne, Richard Rogers

Votes: 212

85. Wilhelm Tell (1960)

100 min | Adventure, Drama, Family

A 1960 Swiss adventure film directed by Michel Dickoff and Karl Hartl and starring Robert Freitag, Wolfgang Rottsieper and Alfred Schlageter. It is based on the traditional folk story of ... See full summary »

Directors: Michel Dickoff, Karl Hartl | Stars: Robert Freitag, Alfred Schlageter, Heinz Woester, Hannes Schmidhauser

Votes: 82

86. Crossbow (1987–1989)

26 min | Action, Adventure, Drama

In Switzerland in the 14th Century, William Tell and his son Matthew are imprisoned by the tyrannical Gessler. Having split the apple on his son's head with his crossbow, much to Gessler's ... See full summary »

Stars: Will Lyman, Jeremy Clyde, Nick Brimble, David Barry Gray

Votes: 515

87. The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962)

G | 135 min | Adventure, Biography, Comedy

The story of Wilhelm and Jacob Grimm, and three of their stories.

Directors: Henry Levin, George Pal | Stars: Laurence Harvey, Claire Bloom, Karlheinz Böhm, Walter Slezak

Votes: 2,160 | Gross: $14.17M

The story focuses on the Grimm brothers, Wilhelm (Laurence Harvey) and Jacob (Karlheinz Böhm), and is biographical and fantastical at the same time. They are working to finish a history for a local Duke (Oscar Homolka), though Wilhelm is more interested in collecting fairy tales and often spends their money to hear them from locals. Tales such as "The Dancing Princess" and "The Cobbler and the Elves" are integrated into the main plot. One of the tales is told as an experiment to three children in a book store to see if publishing a collection of fairy tales has any merit. Another tale, "The Singing Bone", is told by an old woman (Martita Hunt) in the forest who tells stories to children, while the uninvited Wilhelm secretly listens through an open window. The culmination of this tale involves a jeweled dragon and features the most involved usage of the film's special effects.

88. Young Goethe in Love (2010)

Not Rated | 102 min | Biography, Romance

55 Metascore

After aspiring poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe fails his law exams, he's sent to a sleepy provincial court to reform. Instead, he falls for Lotte, a young woman who is promised to another man.

Director: Philipp Stölzl | Stars: Alexander Fehling, Miriam Stein, Moritz Bleibtreu, Volker Bruch

Votes: 3,075 | Gross: $0.16M

Young Goethe in Love (originally titled Goethe!) is a 2010 German historical drama film directed by Philipp Stölzl and starring Alexander Fehling, Miriam Stein, and Moritz Bleibtreu. It is a fictionalized version of the early years of the poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and the events forming the basis of his novel The Sorrows of Young Werther.

Sword and Shield (German: Zopf und Schwert - Eine tolle Prinzessin) is a 1926 German silent historical romance film directed by Victor Janson and Rudolf Dworsky and starring Mady Christians, William Dieterle and Albert Steinrück. It is in the Prussian films tradition. The story is set in the 1730s.



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