Werner Pledath

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The military officer Manfred von der Lohe has just been on a training course in the USA. During atomic bomb tests there, he was radioactively contaminated and has been incurably ill ever since. In order not to endanger the planned nuclear armament of the Bundeswehr and the economic interests involved, von der Lohe and his wife Eleonore are to disappear. But the couple turns to Professor Soltau, an anti-nuclear activist. Their goal is to inform the public about the danger …

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Ed Martin witnesses a murder at the hotel. Although the perpetrator is caught, he had previously taken papers from the victim's bag that prove a criminal connection between politicians and gangsters. The murderer's silence is bought with his release. But as the case has stirred up too much dust, a new perpetrator has to be found: Ed Martin, who witnessed everything. Beaten half to death, he confesses to the crime, but later recants. In the meantime, he has also found friends who want to defend him. Then he is found dead in his cell. The police who hanged him claim suicide.

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This film is the first of a two-part historical and biographical portrait of the communist politician and anti-fascist Ernst Thälmann. In early November 1918, Ernst Thälmann is an unwilling soldier serving on the western front. As the revolutionary movement at home is threatened by the betrayal of the Social Democrats and fissures in the working class, Thälmann calls on his fellow soldiers to put down their weapons and unite with the workers in the communist struggle at home. Thälmann’s qualms about which side he is fighting on continue, but when the local police attempt to prevent a shipment of provisions and supplies from reaching the people in Petrograd, he intervenes and the ship is unloaded. With this moment of clarity, Thälmann continues to follow his political convictions and joins the workers at the Hamburg uprising in October 1923.

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East German propaganda film about an American army base trying to take away land from a West German village.

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After Jochen saves police officer Erich's life, the two men become close friends and Erich helps Jochen get a job working for Berlin's local train system. But Jochen falls into the hands of the beautiful West Berlin agent Ellen, who convinces him to participate in acts of sabotage against the trains. All of a sudden, Jochen is making a lot more money and even Erich's former girlfriend Inge becomes interested in him. But everything begins to unravel when Erich observes his friend's illegal activity on one of his nightly rounds.

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The ship stoker Heini Holler leaves Greece for health reasons and reports to the consulate of fascist Germany. The consul sends him back to Hamburg. He had previously reported him to the Gestapo there as politically suspicious. On his arrival, Holler is immediately arrested. His comrades kidnap the consul and demand an exchange for Heini, which is to take place in Marseille. The Gestapo agree to this as a pretense and secure the support of the French police to arrest the kidnappers. However, the solidarity of the sailors in Marseille is stronger and Heini is able to cure his lung disease in the Soviet Union.

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New teacher Heider takes up his post with great enthusiasm. His unconventional ideas meet with incomprehension and mistrust from the old head teacher Ruppert. When a boy has an accident on a school trip, the children blame Heider. The parents turn against him and he is suspended from his job. But Ruppert has come to respect the new boy. He does not believe he is to blame. Meanwhile, the children are preparing the next mischief. They want to blow up a ruin with explosives found in the forest. Heider is able to prevent this at the last minute. He is rehabilitated and everyone happily awaits his return to school.

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The brothers Theo and Gustav Benthin pull profits through smuggling in divided Germany: Theo in the West and Gustav in the East. The East German police catch on quickly, however, and Gustav is arrested. The small band of smugglers disperses, with Gustav’s chauffer Peter Naumann fleeing to the West and his sister choosing the East after struggling to find work and lodging in the West.

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Penniless Peter Schild looks for work when arrived in Germany. Working as a private eye he has to observe a young lady who is willing to marry an unemployed actor against the will of her parents.

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The story of Johann Friedrich Böttger, an apothecary’s apprentice and alchemist’s assistant. Fleeing from the Prussian King, he goes to Saxony, where King Frederick August the Strong takes him to a fortress and demands that he create gold. Böttger is equipped with everything he would need for the task, but he has known for a while that actual gold production is a myth and instead experiments with porcelain—white porcelain, as the Chinese are said to possess. In 1709, he finally succeeds in surprising the King with the "white gold," the first white porcelain made in Europe, he hopes for freedom.

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Ten years ago, the "Andree case" was seemingly solved. Now criminal investigator Husfeld is to reopen it, as doubts have arisen about the guilt of Helga Andree, who was convicted at the time. She is said to have pushed her former rival, the singer Elinor Gyldenborg, off the roof garden and killed her. Husfeld seeks advice from his friend, the writer Volkmar Hollberg. He turns the case into a radio play, which is broadcast on the radio under the title The Jump from the Roof Garden. The broadcast brings back memories of the night of the crime for those present at the time...

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The film centres around the young woman Erika, desperately seeking for love and escape from the depression of the times, drifting, and in the end becoming involved with a circle of rich people who sell goods for sexual favours.

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The young Eva Heldmann has inherited a publishing house, which she is running in an exemplary fashion. However, she still has a co-heir, Stefan Gudewill, who is considered a good-for-nothing and who has been missing since he was 18 years old. With the help of a detective, Eva locates Stefan in a small town and goes to pay him off so she can run the publishing house alone. When she finally meets Stefan and gets to know him, she is convinced that he really is a good-for-nothing. But due to his rather swashbuckling style, she falls in love with him against her will. The two come together, but then split after a misunderstanding. Eva leaves, convinced she will never see him again. Yet one day, a new employee from the shipping department comes to her and Eva recognizes that it is Stefan, who wants to work his way up from the bottom to become a worthy partner.

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Edith Gedeye, the ward of Consul Schober, wants to meet and stay with Harald, her fiancee. On the morning of her intended departure from the house, the manservant Winkelmann finds the corpse of the consul. Suspicion quickly falls on both Edith and Harald, because the Consul had a fight with Edith about Harald and Harald has been in need of some money for a long time.

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Professor Lorenz is nominated for the highest accolade of his profession, and he smiles about his sons' juvenile mismanagement of private funds. Then he learns that one of them has forged the professor's signature on several IOUs.

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The niece of a wealthy manufacturing aunt has secretly married. Her husband has lost his way during the night in his pajamas at a spa and ended up on the balcony of an attractive singer.

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A circus film made as a deliberately escapist release at a time when the Second World War was starting to turn against Germany and its allies.

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A dramatization of the melodramatic story that inspired the popular opera, Pagliacci.German language version of a film simultaneously shot in an Italian version.

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Professor Dr. Burkhardt is a much celebrated surgeon. Obsessed with his career, he is always available when an unexpected operation comes up. That his personal life is suffering because of this obsession is something the successful doctor doesn't notice. His wife Vera, who, after the death of their three year old son, is always alone anyway, feels increasingly neglected. And the love, which she apparently isn't able to get from her husband, she seeks from Dr. Groone, her husband's assistant.

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A German wartime biography of Rudolf Diesel, inventor of the Diesel engine. The movie links the importance of the engine to the war by starting the movie with newsreel clips of German Navy U-boats in action.

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Movie adaptation of the Leoncavalo's famous opera. A troupe of traveling actors is being welcomed by villagers in Calabria in the summer of 1866.

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German chancellor Otto von Bismarck promises the dying emperor Wilhelm I. to be loyal to his grandson. But the gap between young Kaiser Wilhelm II. and old Bismarck is rapidly widening. It soon appears that an era is coming to an end.

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Already a famous painter, Rembrandt van Rijn is commissioned to paint the Amsterdam Archers' Guild. But upon completion of the picture, the men of the guild feel duped, because they don't consider themselves flatteringly depicted in the painting. They therefore decline to pay for the work. During this dispute, the painter finds out his wife is close to death. He finds himself terribly lonely after her passing and suffers from depression until he decides once more to marry.

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Xanten am Rhein, 1870/1871. Roffer Rottwinkel has two sons. His favorite is Mathias, whom he prefers to Lonius, a quiet and introspective man. Lonius, for his part, is shyly revering Christine ... and his brother's in love with her, too. For this reason, the father sends Lonius away, to fight in the Franco-Prussian War, which turns the introverted boy into a brave and strong man. Highly decorated, he returns home. In the meantime, his brother Mathias and Christine are unhappily married. Mathias is slipping more and more and finally becomes a con man. As Lonius is still very much in love with Christine, he wishes to save his father's business from ruin and rebels against his brother, who now goes to extremes.

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As the son of a fashion house owner in Zurich, Hans Haberland apparently can offer his lovers any article of clothing, for which they're willing to sell themselves. His current girl-toy Lizzie wants this fantastic, sky blue dress -- but it's that dress exactly, which his father has just sold to a business buddy in Berlin. Oh, the shortages and traumas of war one has to put up with!

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A biographical film of Otto von Bismarck, the Prime Minister of Prussia, and how he and his policies - including aggressive war - helped to unite Germany.

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Music student Verena finds herself torn between two stepbrothers: the carefree Alexander, with whom she is pregnant, and the serious Clemens, who, continuing his father's work, is developing a new drug. Alexander has fallen into deep debt through a dubious business deal and is forced to rely on his brother's help, who sends him to America. Meanwhile, Clemens offers Verena his country house, where she gives birth. Clemens and Verena slowly grow closer. But then Alexander returns, having found honest work and wanting to be a good father to his child. However, when he realizes that Verena has fallen in love with his brother, he angrily drives off and is seriously injured in a car accident. He is saved by Clemens' new drug. The brothers reconcile, and Verena stays with Clemens.

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