Helmut Käutner — Director (25)

Movie

Portrait of an Unknown Woman (1954)
Bildnis einer Unbekannten WikiData IMDb TMDB
other title: Bildnis einer Unbekannten / Portrait d'une inconnue …
Keller, a painter, while at the ballet is impressed with the beauty of Nicole and sketches her head on the body of a nude model. When it is shown, it causes embarrassment to Nicole's husband, Walter, a diplomat whose career is threatened.

Movie

The Fire Tongs Bowl (1970)
Die Feuerzangenbowle WikiData IMDb TMDB
other title: Die Feuerzangenbowle / El ponche
A successful author, who was educated by private teachers in his home instead of being sent to school with other boys, realizes he missed out on a lot fun in his younger years. He decides to make up for this and attends school classes disguised as a pupil.

Movie

Clothes Make the Man (1940)
Kleider machen Leute WikiData IMDb TMDB
other title: Kleider machen Leute / 人靠衣装 …
The daydreaming tailor Wenzel is fired from his job, because the fancy frock he was supposed to cut for the mayor, he instead made for himself. He is allowed, however, to take the frock, which he appropriated for himself and he puts it on as he leaves the shop. A puppeteer picks him up in his coach and addresses Wenzel as "Count". So is he received in Goldach, where people think he is Count Stroganoff, the ambassador to the Czar of Russia.

Movie

Sky Without Stars (1955)
Himmel ohne Sterne WikiData IMDb TMDB
other title: Himmel ohne Sterne / Ciel sans étoiles …
Anna is a factory worker in East Germany, but her five-year-old son Jochen lives with his grandparents in the West. Anna wants him to live with her, so she abducts him. Along the way she meets Carl, who helps her cross the border, and they fall in love.

Movie

The Zurich Engagement (1957)
Die Zürcher Verlobung WikiData IMDb TMDB
other title: Die Zürcher Verlobung / Compromiso en Zúrich …
Juliane Thomas is an ambitious but unemployed young writer. After breaking up with her lover she works at a dentist friend to make ends meet. One day she instantly falls in love with one of the patients (Jean Berner) and promptly writes a movie script about the encounter in which she projects her own fantasies about how things will turn out eventually. By coincidence this movie script is picked up by a film director who happens to be Berner's closest friend and from then on things become very complicated...

Movie

Great Freedom No. 7 (1944)
Große Freiheit Nr. 7 WikiData IMDb TMDB Douban
other title: 大自由7号 / Große Freiheit Nr. 7 …
Singing sailor Hannes, who now entertains the crowd at St. Pauli's Hippodrome after years at sea, promises his dying brother that he will take care of his ex-girlfriend Gisa. Taking Gisa to Hamburg to live with him, Hannes quickly falls in love with her, but soon has to face Gisa's affection for another man, Willem.

Movie

The Devil's General (1955)
DesTeufels General WikiData IMDb TMDB Douban
赫尔穆特·科伊特纳 actor: 库尔德·于尔根斯 / 玛丽安娜·科赫
other title: 魔鬼将军 / DesTeufels General …
The adaptation of the eponymous play by Carl Zuckmayer tells the story of renegade general Harras of the German Luftwaffe, who during WWII openly criticizes the Nazi regime. As a consequence, he is put under surveillance, and even imprisoned for a brief period of time. Still remaining outspoken, Harras realizes the horrific dimensions of this hopeless and injust war waged by Germany.

Movie

The Rest is Silence (1959)
Der Rest ist Schweigen WikiData IMDb TMDB Douban
赫尔穆特·科伊特纳 actor: Hardy Krüger / 彼得·范·埃克
other title: 余下的都是沉默 / Der Rest ist Schweigen …
The Rest Is Silence, a German-made attempt to update Shakespeare, is one of the best and least self-conscious of this minor genre. As indicated by the title, the film's script is a "mufti" version of {-Hamlet}, with young Hardy Kruger trying to prove that his uncle (Peter van Eyck) has killed his father. Direct references to the Shakespeare original abound, right down to the re-enactment of the crime for the benefit of the Uncle and the periodic appearances of the ghost of the hero's father. Interestingly, this 1960 film was released at the same time as a "straight" German version of {-Hamlet}, made for television and starring Maximillian Schell.

Movie

Royal Children (1950)
Königskinder Douban
other title: 国王的孩子 / Königskinder
昔日生活优越的布兰登堡的公主乌里克在二战结束后只能在南德的一座破旧城堡度日。没想到在这里,乌里克与来自平民阶层的保罗互生爱慕之意。为了维持生计,两个人一同导览了这座古老城堡的参观活动,游客们尤其是美国人,络绎不绝。突然有一天,与乌里克在战前订了婚 的塞萨利王储——亚历山大王子出现在面前。在保罗与未婚夫之间,在个人爱情与整个家族的财务状况之间,乌里克必须做出一个抉择……

Movie

Those Days (1947)
In jenen Tagen Douban
赫尔穆特·科伊特纳 actor: Gert Schäfer / Erich Schellow …
other title: 昔日 / In jenen Tagen …
1946年在战后的废墟中,两个男人在修理破旧汽车,并展开对人性的讨论。本片即以这辆废车的角度,通过在车中留下的一件件小物件,讲历任往昔车主的故事。 他们中,有匆忙出逃的政客,有不得志的音乐家,有分居又复合的老夫妇,有儿子判罪的夫人,有赴任的上尉…战争年代,人们的命运只能摇曳,但是依然有爱情、亲情等等在动荡中闪耀着美好的人性光芒。影片并没有气势恢弘的场面,却用普通人的生活串联起一段完整的历史。

Movie

黑色红灯区 (1961)
Schwarzer Kies Douban
other title: Schwarzer Kies / Sous le gravier noir …
In 1960, in a rural part of West Germany, an American military base is set up in a small village of 250 inhabitants. Now, 6000 soldiers are living in the region, and although no one really likes them, everybody is doing business with them. Some turn old barns in "typically American bars" where GIs can spend their pay for drinks; numerous prostitutes are visiting the region regularly to allow the Americans to forget about their homesickness for several costly minutes; others benefit from the construction of a military air base. Robert Neidhardt belongs to the last group. He is a disillusioned man who only wants to make some quick money. Robert supplies the gravel for the runway construction. But the black market turns out to be most profitable: Robert sells the gravel underhand to German contractors, thus earning twice with every delivery. But one night, Robert is pursued by the police who want to stop black market activities. On his flight, Robert runs over two pedestrians. Although the accident is not his fault, Robert does not go to the police, and his unscrupulousness takes him to extreme measures.

Movie

Monpti (1957)
Monpti Douban
other title: 鸳鸯梦 / 蒙普迪 …
这是一个浪漫有趣但有着悲剧式结局的故事。一位匈亚利画家在巴黎与一女孩相遇并坠入爱河,突然发现画家的卧室有一条女内裤。画家虽然纯洁无辜,但他对这条内裤的解释却滑稽而令人不能相信。所以当画家说出事实时,女孩非常生气,尽管她决心忘记画家的“外遇”。接下来的事就更严重了,女孩是个穷孩子,她唯恐说出真相后画家会对她不感兴趣,所以编造说自己是个富家女儿,有一个私人司机。她还带上画家到教堂参加家族葬礼,与自己亲戚见面并告诫亲戚们不要多说话。最后谎言暴露,女孩冲出去,被一辆车撞倒,在医院里他们又言归于好,可惜的是女孩几天后将要死亡…

Movie

Under the Bridges (1946)
Unter den Brücken WikiData IMDb TMDB Douban
other title: 在桥下 / Unter den Brücken …
Hendrik and Willi are the owners and crew of a canal barge. They travel up and down the Havel River, have girlfriends here and there, and dream of a “solid” life. One evening they observe a young girl, Anna, who is apparently about to jump off a bridge. They both run to save her, but are “disappointed” to find out that she only threw a ten mark note into the river in hopes of ridding herself of a bad memory. Anna is persuaded to travel back to Berlin as a “passenger” with them, and the two friends soon fall in love with her. After an insulting comment from Willi, Anna leaves the boat, and the two men make an agreement with one another: whoever wins Anna back must forfeit his claim to the barge. Feeling sure of himself, Willi goes on land and looks after her. However, he soon realizes that she is in love with Hendrik, and is honest enough to confess this realization to his friend. But his friendship with Hendrik is more important to him than their agreement, and so the three start a new life on board the barge, all together.