The Fair

The Fair

1960 · 102 min · ★ 7.2 · Drama

In 1959, in a small German village, the annual fair is set up. When a carousel is fixed firmly in the ground, a fair worker discovers a skeleton, a steel helmet, and a machine gun. The skeleton belongs to Robert Mertens, a plain soldier, who deserted in 1944 und flew to his home village. But when he arrived, no one wanted to help him, neither his former friends nor the minister, or even his own parents.

Directed by Wolfgang Staudte · Written by Claus Hubalek

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Rent or Buy

Amazon VideoApple TV Store

Cast

Make it a double feature

3h 14m together

Both from Wolfgang Staudte.

More from Wolfgang StaudteSee all →

Yesterday's TomorrowYesterday's Tomorrow · 1978
Yesterday's Tomorrow
9.01978
MovieDrama
On a winter day in 1961, 31-year-old Anna Eichmayr crosses the Grosshesseloher bridge in Munich, she suddenly stops in the middle of the bridge, opens a manhole and plunges into the depths. The film traces the young woman's life in flashbacks. It goes back to 1945.
Der eiserne GustavDer eiserne Gustav · 1979
Der eiserne Gustav
8.51979
SeriesDrama
The stern and reserved Gustav Hartmann, known as "Iron Gustav", is the last Berlin cab driver. At the end of the 1920s, his time is over as horse-drawn cabs are replaced by automobile cabs. He is threatened with impoverishment. His family wants to have him incapacitated. So he sets off on one last great journey that takes him from Berlin to Paris and back. A reporter with a nose for a big story accompanies him, Gustav becomes famous, returns to Berlin in triumph and, having become a gentle and approachable person, reconciles with his family.
Heimkehr ins GlückHeimkehr ins Glück · 1933
Heimkehr ins Glück
8.31933
MovieComedy
After a burn-out Karl spends time in his home region, the Black Forest. His car gets lost and is picked up by penniless magician Amadori who enjoys posing as wealthy entrepreneur Karl while Karl reunites with the love of his youth, Liesl.
Das Gewehr überDas Gewehr über · 1939
Das Gewehr über
8.01939
MovieWar
Destination DeathDestination Death · 1964
Destination Death
8.01964
MovieDrama
A group of West German men on a stag party find themselves stranded in a Montenegrin village inhabited only by vengeful women since all their men were shot during the war.
The CommissionerThe Commissioner · 1969
The Commissioner
8.01969
SeriesDramaCrime
Der Kommissar is a German television series about a group of detectives of the Munich homicide squad. All 97 episodes, which were shot in black-and-white and first broadcast between 1969 and 1976, were written by Herbert Reinecker and starred Erik Ode as Kommissar Herbert Keller. Keller's assistants were Walter Grabert, Robert Heines, and Harry Klein who, in 1974, was replaced by his younger brother Erwin Klein.
MS FranziskaMS Franziska · 1978
MS Franziska
8.01978
SeriesFamily
MS Franziska is a German television series.
Die PawlaksDie Pawlaks · 1982
Die Pawlaks
8.01982
SeriesDrama
All Quiet on the Western FrontAll Quiet on the Western Front · 1930
All Quiet on the Western Front
7.81930
MovieDramaWar
When a group of idealistic young men join the German Army during the Great War, they are assigned to the Western Front, where their patriotism is destroyed by the harsh realities of combat.
The Sea WolfThe Sea Wolf · 1971
The Sea Wolf
7.71971
SeriesAction & Adventure
Writer Humphrey van Weyden is thrown overboard in a shipwreck in the Bay of San Francisco, and is rescued by the seal-hunting schooner 'Ghost' under the command of the brutal Captain Wolf Larsen.
The HussyThe Hussy · 1978
The Hussy
7.51978
MovieWesternAdventure
An unemployed engineer working as a driver at an oil company hears about a lost Inca treasure and goes in search of it.
Lockruf des GoldesLockruf des Goldes · 1975
Lockruf des Goldes
7.51975
SeriesAction & Adventure
America at the end of the 19th century: news spreads like wildfire that gold has been found in the Klondike. Half of America is in an uproar. Among the adventurers is the young lawyer Elam Harnish from San Francisco. Over the next few months, he experiences unique adventures with the hard search for gold, the merciless nature and the shrewd stock market sharks of the big city...
The Blue AngelThe Blue Angel · 1930
The Blue Angel
7.31930
MovieDrama
Prim professor Immanuel Rath finds some of his students ogling racy photos of cabaret performer Lola Lola and visits a local club, The Blue Angel, in an attempt to catch them there. Seeing Lola perform, the teacher is filled with lust, eventually resigning his position at the school to marry the young woman. However, his marriage to a coquette -- whose job is to entice men -- proves to be more difficult than Rath imagined.
RotationRotation · 1950
Rotation
7.11950
MovieDrama
The mechanic Behnke wants to join the Nazi party to secure a good living. However, after his Jewish neighbors have been taken away, he changes his views. Trying to remain "a non-political man," he withdraws from reality and becomes a Nazis laborer.
Cannon SerenadeCannon Serenade · 1958
Cannon Serenade
7.01958
MovieWarComedy
TannenbergTannenberg · 1932
Tannenberg
7.01932
MovieWar
Shortly after the outbreak of World War I August 1914, Eastern Front. The Russian surprise attack on the northeasternmost part of the country causes serious problems for the German defenders.

More Like This

Ashes and DiamondsAshes and Diamonds · 1958
Ashes and Diamonds
7.41958
MovieDramaWar
A young academy soldier, Maciek Chelmicki, is ordered to shoot the secretary of the KW PPR. A coincidence causes him to kill someone else. Meeting face to face with his victim, he gets a shock. He faces the necessity of repeating the assassination. He meets Krystyna, a girl working as a barmaid in the restaurant of the "Monopol" hotel. His affection for her makes him even more aware of the senselessness of killing at the end of the war. Loyalty to the oath he took, and thus the obligation to obey the order, tips the scales.
StromboliStromboli · 1950
Stromboli
7.11950
MovieDrama
After the end of WWII, a young Lithuanian woman and a young Italian man from Stromboli impulsively marry, but married life on the island is more demanding than she can accept.
The Best of YouthThe Best of Youth · 2003
The Best of Youth
8.02003
MovieDramaHistory
After a fateful encounter in the summer of 1966, the lifepaths of two brothers from a middle-class Roman family diverge, intersecting with some of the most significant events of postwar Italian history in the following decades.
Mona Lisa SmileMona Lisa Smile · 2003
Mona Lisa Smile
6.92003
MovieDramaHistory
Katherine Watson is a recent UCLA graduate hired to teach art history at the prestigious all-female Wellesley College, in 1953. Determined to confront the outdated mores of society and the institution that embraces them, Katherine inspires her traditional students, including Betty and Joan, to challenge the lives they are expected to lead.
NurembergNuremberg · 2025
Nuremberg
7.62025
MovieHistoryDrama
In postwar Germany, an American psychiatrist must determine whether Nazi prisoners are fit to go on trial for war crimes, and finds himself in a complex battle of intellect and ethics with Hermann Göring, Hitler's right-hand man.
Late SpringLate Spring · 1949
Late Spring
8.01949
MovieDrama
Noriko is perfectly happy living at home with her widowed father, Shukichi, and has no plans to marry -- that is, until her aunt Masa convinces Shukichi that unless he marries off his 27-year-old daughter soon, she will likely remain alone for the rest of her life. When Noriko resists Masa's matchmaking, Shukichi is forced to deceive his daughter and sacrifice his own happiness to do what he believes is right.
In TranzitIn Tranzit · 2008
In Tranzit
5.52008
MovieDramaRomance
Nazi POWs suspected of heinous acts are locked up in a Soviet women's prison run by vengeful female guards. To weed out the guilty, the innocent must pay. Can supposed enemies turn into great loves? Based on a true post-World War II story, this drama stars Thomas Kretschmann, John Malkovich and Vera Farmiga in a bitter game of cat and mouse and a battle between hate and humanity, mercy and revenge.
Bad Day at Black RockBad Day at Black Rock · 1955
Bad Day at Black Rock
7.31955
MovieWesternDrama
One-armed war veteran John J. Macreedy steps off a train at the sleepy little town of Black Rock. Once there, he begins to unravel a web of lies, secrecy, and murder.
EichmannEichmann · 2007
Eichmann
6.02007
MovieHistoryDrama
Based upon the final confession of Adolf Eichmann, made before his execution in Israel, of his role in Hitler's plan for the final solution.
The Murderers Are Among UsThe Murderers Are Among Us · 1946
The Murderers Are Among Us
6.81946
MovieDramaRomance
After returning from a concentration camp, Susanne finds a traumatized ex-soldier living in her apartment in bombed out Berlin. Together the two try to move past their experiences during WWII.
MirrorMirror · 1975
Mirror
7.91975
MovieDramaHistory
A dying man in his forties recalls his childhood, his mother, the war and personal moments that tell of and juxtapose pivotal moments in Soviet history with daily life.
The Last VermeerThe Last Vermeer · 2019
The Last Vermeer
6.52019
MovieDramaHistory
A soldier and member of the Dutch resistance investigates stolen art in the wake of the Second World War, including a Vermeer sold to the Nazis by a flamboyant forger.
EuropaEuropa · 1991
Europa
7.31991
MovieCrimeDrama
Just after World War II, an American takes a railway job in Germany, but finds his position politically sensitive with various people trying to use him.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter