Otto Wernicke

An Italian-German crime film. One of Maria Montez's last films.

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Amore e sangue (released in the U.S. as "City of Violence"), the 1951 Marino Girolami (billed as "John Wolff") West German/Italian romantic action adventure war thriller.

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A doctor discovers a new medical cure with dangerous side effects, and takes the drug himself to test its limitations.

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"Who Drove the Grey Ford?" ("Wer fuhr den grauen Ford?") is a 1950 West German crime film directed by Otto Wernicke, marking his only directorial effort, and starring Wernicke as Kriminalkommissar Thieme alongside Ursula Herking, Hilde Sessak, and Wolfgang Neuss. The movie was filmed at numerous original locations in post-war Mannheim. It draws directly from a real-life 1949 post office robbery in Mannheim, exploring the social dislocations of the era through a documentary-style depiction of petty crime and moral dilemmas among young survivors of World War II. The plot centers on three young men scraping by through car stunts and minor cons in the uncertain landscape of Nachkriegsdeutschland, where one sensitive outsider, Peter "Penny," seeks to leave the life behind for love but is coerced into participating in a high-stakes robbery of a money transport. The heist unfolds according to plan, but Penny's well-intentioned yet careless action alerts the police...

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The first feature film to represent the Holocaust from a Jewish perspective. Shot on location at Landsberg, the largest DP camp in U.S.-occupied Germany, and mixing neorealist and expressionist styles, the film follows a Polish Jew and his family from pre-war Warsaw through Auschwitz and the DP camps.

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A group of people gathers back in the post-war ruins of a luxurious Munich hotel they inhabited at one point or another years before; each trying to cope with the tragic consequences of the war and their own actions.

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During Napoleon's victorious campaign in Germany, the city of Kolberg gets isolated from the retreating Prussian forces. The population of Kolberg refuses to capitulate and organizes the resistance against the French army, which immediately submits the city to massive bombardments.

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For a long time, Paul Warkentin had heard nothing from his father. The rift had occurred when Paul, despite passing his exams at agricultural school, decided not to take over his father's farm in West Prussia, but instead to go to Berlin to work for a publishing house. Now Paul has received news of his father's death, and he must return to his hometown to take possession of the farm as his heir.

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Inge Peters has a guilty conscience. She told her mother, that she’d be going to the weekend house at the lake with her friend Barbara, but in reality, the horny girl is taking Peter with her. She’s afraid, that if mom finds out, she’s gonna lecture her again, starting with the slogan, “In your time as it once was in mine …” So Inge spends her nights in bed dreaming dreams of young ladies breaking moral taboos … just like she did and about which she now has to deceive her mother. The next morning, she runs to the shore of the lake to spend time with her Peter, only to see mom standing before the two young teens.

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The moral is simple: keep your mouth shut, especially when you're working during the wartime in a factory, which produces racing cars only, or someone can (or even must) get murdered. Not a good movie, not a bad either. The ending is abrupt and artificial, which seems to be a common plague of Third Reich's crime movies. Gustav Fröhlich could never get rid of his silent era mannerisms and overacting. But on the other side, this film is not boring and has to offer some decent plot turns and acting.

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In 1912, the Titanic embarks on its inevitable collision course with history. In the wake of the over-spending required to build the largest luxury ship in the world, White Star Line executive Sir Bruce Ismay schemes to reverse the direction of his company's plummeting stock value. Onboard the Titanic, brave German 1st Officer Petersen struggles to convince his self-important British superiors not to overexert the ship's engines.

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For many years, old Mr. Brugg has been employed at the jewelry store owned by the elegant Mrs. Hellmers. His son Peter has also been working there for some time as a salesman and hopes for a promotion. When Mr. Brugg is knocked unconscious during a robbery, Mrs. Hellmers sends him into well-deserved retirement. Peter then takes over his father's position as manager, which forces him to break off contact with the young employee Charlotte – he wants to find a more suitable bride. He seems to have found her in Brigitte, Mrs. Hellmers' niece, but she doesn't want much to do with him.

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A horse trader from Berlin, once a farmer in Southwest Africa, manages to drive his children out of the house and anger his wife. After serious complications with his heart, which he tried to hide at first, he realizes how much he needs the love and support of his family. The oldest son returns from Argentina and proves his abilities.

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King Frederick II (aka "Frederick the Great") of Prussia is engaged in a major battle against the Austrian army at Kunersdorf, and things aren't going well. The Austrians are inflicting major casualties, and his army is beginning to crumble. Defeat seems inevitable when a combination of events gives him hope that he may pull victory from the jaws of defeat after all.

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Against the wishes of his adoptive father, Stefan Burgstaller decides to become a musician. He goes to Salzburg, where his girlfriend Veronika is already attending the conservatory. Stefan is also accepted at the school and even receives a scholarship because of his extraordinary talent. This paves the way for a carefree student life, which Stefan enjoys to the fullest. The fun-loving guy is popular everywhere, but he seems to be particularly fond of the slightly older waitress Anna, who works in the musicians' bar "Zur Bassgeige"...

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A Nazi propaganda film which aims to justify the invasion of Poland by portraying the plight of ethnic Germans in Poland who were discriminated against and oppressed by the Poles, and how they were saved by the intervention of the German army.

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In 1848, the freedom-loving Hungarian people, led by Ludwig Kossuth, rose up against the hated rule of the Austrian Habsburg dynasty. In its expansionist policy, the Austrian monarchy had long relied on Hungarian feudal lords who betrayed the interests of their people. The anger of the rebels was directed against the Austrian oppressors and their Hungarian supporters. Against the backdrop of these historical events, the personal fate of the Hungarian patriot Maria Ilona is shown.

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After many years in Africa, a man returns to his village in East Prussia to marry his intended bride. However, he finds himself drawn to another girl and contemplates running away with her.

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Across German screens at the outbreak of WWII streaks "DIII88: The New German Air Force Attacks", an aeronautic and maritime spectacle glorifying Hermann Goring's Luftwaffe and the spirit of the newly arisen Germany. Once war became imminent, Joseph Goebbels instructed the German film industry to initiate production of numerous militaristic projects, but DIII88 was initiated by the Propaganda Minister's rival, Goring, who commissioned several aviation pictures. DIII88 is not a war picture per se, because it takes place in peacetime, but the young, fresh-faced air aces enthusiastically look forward to the coming war. The propaganda is blatant: The only thing that matters is dedication to duty and unconditional commitment to the Fatherland.

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In the small town of New Frisco in Alberta, Canada, a stranger named Norton arrives, checks into the most expensive hotel room, and begins courting a saleswoman named Doris. Without revealing anything further to the residents, he starts tinkering with a piece of land outside of town, which arouses considerable interest in him. Inspector de Lacy also becomes very concerned about Norton, even though there is no evidence of any wrongdoing.

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New Year’s Eve should be a time of joy for everyone. But Herr Reinhardt has decided to take his life on this evening. During his last conversation with his friend, Dr. Storp, the good doctor convinced him to wait until the following morning to kick the bucket and instead spend a happy evening with him in the emergency room on Alexanderplatz. It turns out to be an instructive night for Reinhardt. Life’s different fates play out before his eyes.

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This is essentially a "Kraft durch Freude" propaganda film though the organization is never mentioned. A company's three day outing might very well be the last because bankruptcy is just around the corner. The people on the trip have all their individual problems and wishes, too. This episodic film might sound quite promising considering the basic idea but its script is determinedly optimistic and leads everything and anything to a happy end. The dramatic parts are finished in a rather implausible way, the comedic are terribly predictable. There's a badly misjudged singing scene in the bus, some bavarian shtick, the Regensburger Domspatzen are singing in Augsburg and so on...

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World War I, Eastern Front. A special battery consisting of thirteen soldiers and one cannon successfully holds back the enemy. But then the position of the gun is betrayed to the Russians and the cannon is destroyed. Each of the thirteen men is now suspected of being the traitor.

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