Demmin Cantos

Demmin Cantos

2023 · 214 min · Documentary

Hans Jürgen Syberberg grew up in the town of Demmin, the subject of his current film. The history of the town, in which a mass suicide with hundreds of deaths took place at the end of the Second World War, plays an important role. In his film, Syberberg documents his attempts, initiated decades ago, to re-establish Demmin's central market square as a place of community. A café was revived where people could watch films, drink coffee and sing together. Two architectural firms even presented concrete plans for a redesign of the square. Syberberg's commitment is not intended to restore "old conditions", but to give a place and a community back its lost center.

Directed by Hans-Jürgen Syberberg · Written by Hans-Jürgen Syberberg

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

Cast

Hans-Jürgen Syberberg Self

Make it a double feature

9h 41m together

Demmin Cantos

The Night

Both from Hans-Jürgen Syberberg.

More from Hans-Jürgen SyberbergSee all →

Fünfter Akt, siebente Szene. Fritz Kortner probt Kabale und Liebe

Fünfter Akt, siebente Szene. Fritz Kortner probt Kabale und Liebe · 1965

Fünfter Akt, siebente Szene. Fritz Kortner probt Kabale und Liebe

MovieDocumentary

This documentation of a Kortner stage rehearsal shows in detail and fascinatingly how Kortner developed psychological tensions with meticulous precision in linguistic expression and gestural construction.

Hitler: A Film from Germany

Hitler: A Film from Germany · 1977

Hitler: A Film from Germany

SeriesDramaWar & Politics

A structure-free, four-part examination of the rise and fall of the Third Reich. Each part explores a different topic, from Hitler's cult of personality in propaganda to how said propaganda was associated with pre-Nazi German cultural, spiritual, and national heritage to the Holocaust and the ideology behind it, particularly from Himmler's point of view.

The Night

The Night · 1985

MovieDocumentary

An installation film that consists of a six-hour-long monologue performed by Edith Clever, who reads texts by Syberberg and many different authors, such as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Heinrich von Kleist, Plato, Friedrich Hölderlin, Novalis, Friedrich Nietzsche, Eduard Mörike, Richard Wagner, William Shakespeare, Samuel Beckett, and Chief Seattle.

Fräulein Else

Fräulein Else · 1987

TV adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler’s eponymous book with Edith Clever as the only film actress.

Edith Clever liest Joyce

Edith Clever liest Joyce · 1987

Edith Clever liest Joyce

In her Berlin apartment, where the S-Bahn and long-distance trains pass by, the actress Edith Clever reads Molly Bloom’s monologue from James Joyce’s “Ulysses”.

A Dream, What Else?

A Dream, What Else? · 1995

A Dream, What Else?

A requiem for the now-defunct German state of Prussia.

Theodor Hierneis oder Wie man ehem. Hofkoch wird

Theodor Hierneis oder Wie man ehem. Hofkoch wird · 1973

Theodor Hierneis oder Wie man ehem. Hofkoch wird

The film consists of a monologue performed by Walter Sedlmayr, who plays Theodor Hierneis, the chef at the court of Ludwig II of Bavaria. The screenplay was written by Syberberg and Sedlmayr and is based on the memoirs of Hierneis.

Hitler: A Film from Germany

Hitler: A Film from Germany · 1978

Hitler: A Film from Germany

MovieDramaHistory

A structure-free, four-part examination of the rise and fall of the Third Reich. Each part explores a different topic, from Hitler's cult of personality in propaganda to how said propaganda was associated with pre-Nazi German cultural, spiritual, and national heritage to the Holocaust and the ideology behind it, particularly from Himmler's point of view.

Die Grafen Pocci - einige Kapitel zur Geschichte einer Familie

Die Grafen Pocci - einige Kapitel zur Geschichte einer Familie · 1968

Die Grafen Pocci - einige Kapitel zur Geschichte einer Familie

MovieDocumentary

The noble family of the Poccis owns the Ammerland castle on Lake Starnberg. The current lord of the castle leads a secluded, small life as a farmer, Unimog driver, horse lover, drummer and soccer player.

Fritz Kortner spricht Monologe für eine Schallplatte

Fritz Kortner spricht Monologe für eine Schallplatte · 1966

Fritz Kortner spricht Monologe für eine Schallplatte

Fritz Kortner performs a monologue.

Romy: Anatomy of a Face

Romy: Anatomy of a Face · 1967

Romy: Anatomy of a Face

MovieDocumentary

Documentary about young actress Romy Schneider, capturing just the right moment between her first career as a young actress in mainstream "Unterhaltungskino" ("entertainment cinema") and her second one as acknowledged European arthouse actress.

Parsifal

Parsifal · 1982

MovieDramaMusic

A psychological interpretation of the opera mixing in references to the history of Germany, Wagner’s life, German literature and philosophy. The action is centered on Wagner’s death mask. Kundry is the main character – one might read the film as the story of her redemption rather than that of Amfortas.

Scarabea – How Much Land Does a Man Need?

Scarabea – How Much Land Does a Man Need? · 1969

Scarabea – How Much Land Does a Man Need?

A Teutonic lecher on vacation has a wager with some local peasants that he can't make a walking circle from sunrise to sunset to secure some coveted land. The middle-aged businessman embarks on his journey only to be slowed down by the beautiful reporter Scarabea. With thoughts of drunkenness and sex on his warped mind, the man tries to circumnavigate the parcel of property. The story is a retelling of an ancient folk tale told by Tolstoy where the initial victim bets his soul to Satan against the land he desires.

Karl May

Karl May · 1974

MovieHistoryDrama

This ethereal, three-hour biopic starring Helmut Käutner as the writer Karl May interprets «a German hero's life» and thereby paints a picture of an entire era.

San Domingo

San Domingo · 1970

This surrealistic experimental film finds the son of a young nobleman staying with hash-smoking hippies in a seamy section of Munich. He falls for a hippie girl who is involved in shaking down the young man's parents for money. She falls in love with the young man but the group continues to extract money from the parents in return for their wayward son. When he discovers the shakedown, his rage leads to tragedy for the star-crossed lovers.

The Confessions of Winifred Wagner

The Confessions of Winifred Wagner · 1978

The Confessions of Winifred Wagner

MovieDocumentary

Winifred, the geriatric daughter-in-law of the famed composer Richard Wagner, talks about her cultural and political influence during the Third Reich. Yet in contradiction to the films's title, Winifred confesses nothing. The contradictions within her discourse do, however, reveal the extent of her delusions and political commitment as an unrepentant fascist. She paradoxically describes herself as a completely apolitical being, adamant that her classification as a grade three Nazi at the end of the war was a grave injustice. Still Winifred cannot contain her amusement when she recalls that after the collapse of the Third Reich, she was the only person left in Germany who would admit that she was a Nazi.

More Like This

Couldn't load this row right now.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter