Baal

Baal

1970 · 84 min · ★ 5.5 · Drama

An exploration of the cult of the genius, an anti-heroic figure who chooses to be a social outcast and live on the fringe of bourgeois morality.

Directed by Volker Schlöndorff · Written by Volker Schlöndorff

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

Criterion Channel

Rent or Buy

Apple TV StoreFandango At Home

Cast

Trailers & Videos

Make it a double feature

3h 12m together

Both from Volker Schlöndorff.

More from Volker SchlöndorffSee all →

Visitation
NEW
Visitation · 2026
Visitation
★ 8.02026
MovieDrama
A plot of land, a house by the lake, its changing inhabitants. This one plot of land reflects 70 years of German history from Weimar, the Nazis, the war, the Soviet occupation and reconstruction to the fall of the GDR.
The Fire WithinThe Fire Within · 1963
The Fire Within
★ 7.61963
MovieDrama
Depressed Alain Leroy leaves the clinic where he was detoxified. He meets friends, acquaintances and women, trying to find a reason to continue living.
Last Year at MarienbadLast Year at Marienbad · 1961
Last Year at Marienbad
★ 7.41961
MovieDramaRomance
At a weekend gathering, a man tells a woman that they had spent time there together a year prior. But, the woman has no recollection whatsoever and is convinced that he is simply fabricating the encounter. The more he speaks about their activities the previous year however, the more compelling he becomes. The question remains however – did they meet previously or not?
Le DoulosLe Doulos · 1962
Le Doulos
★ 7.41962
MovieDramaThriller
Enigmatic gangster Silien may or may not be responsible for informing on Faugel, who was just released from prison and is already involved in what should be a simple heist. By the end of this brutal, twisting, and multilayered policier, who will be left to trust?
Léon Morin, PriestLéon Morin, Priest · 1961
Léon Morin, Priest
★ 7.11961
MovieDramaRomance
Barny, although a Marxist, is intrigued by the mysteries of religion. In confession, she teases a priest, Léon Morin, but he is a young and intelligent man and ready to discuss anything.
Cave of Forgotten DreamsCave of Forgotten Dreams · 2010
Cave of Forgotten Dreams
★ 7.12010
MovieDocumentary
Werner Herzog gains exclusive access to film inside the Chauvet caves of Southern France, capturing the oldest known pictorial creations of humankind in their astonishing natural setting.
DiplomacyDiplomacy · 2014
Diplomacy
★ 7.02014
MovieDramaHistory
On the night of August 24, 1944, the fate of Paris rests with General von Choltitz, who plans to destroy the city on Hitler's orders. As the general prepares to detonate explosives throughout the capital, Swedish consul Raoul Nordling uses diplomacy in a desperate bid to convince him to defy the orders and save Paris.
The Lost Honor of Katharina BlumThe Lost Honor of Katharina Blum · 1975
The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum
★ 7.01975
MovieDrama
After a chance encounter with a wanted man, a woman is harassed by the police and press until she takes violent action.
The Tin DrumThe Tin Drum · 1979
The Tin Drum
★ 7.01979
MovieDramaHistory
In 1924, Oskar Matzerath is born in the Free City of Danzig. At age three, he falls down a flight of stairs and stops growing. In 1939, World War II breaks out.
Death of a SalesmanDeath of a Salesman · 1985
Death of a Salesman
★ 6.91985
MovieDramaTV Movie
Willy Loman, an aging, failing salesman, struggles to accept reality and his failure to achieve the American Dream.
Young TörlessYoung Törless · 1966
Young Törless
★ 6.61966
MovieDrama
At an Austrian boys' boarding school in the early 1900s, shy, intelligent Törless observes the sadistic behavior of his fellow students, doing nothing to help a victimized classmate—until the torture goes too far. Adapted from Robert Musil's acclaimed novel, Young Törless launched the New German Cinema movement and garnered the 1966 Cannes Film Festival International Critics' Prize for first-time director Volker Schlöndorff.
The OgreThe Ogre · 1996
The Ogre
★ 6.41996
MovieDramaWar
Frenchman Abel Tiffauges is a naive man who lives a simple life working as a mechanic. Falsely accused of being a child abuser, he is recruited as a soldier when World War II begins, but is captured soon and taken to the heart of Nazi Germany.
Coup de GrâceCoup de Grâce · 1976
Coup de Grâce
★ 6.41976
MovieWarDrama
A countess loves her brother's Prussian-officer friend in the 1919 Baltic area.
VoyagerVoyager · 1991
Voyager
★ 6.21991
MovieRomanceDrama
April 1957: Rational engineer Faber's plane crashes in Mexico, where he learns that he became a father in 1938. He takes a ship from NYC to France and meets cute, young Sabeth. Is it fate?
Michael Kohlhaas - The RebelMichael Kohlhaas - The Rebel · 1969
Michael Kohlhaas - The Rebel
★ 6.21969
MovieDrama
In medieval times, a horse merchant is forced by a noble to leave part of his stock as payment for crossing his land. Upon returning, he finds his horses near death, and when the noble refuses to compensate him, the merchant fights unsuccessfully against the injustice.
Circle of DeceitCircle of Deceit · 1981
Circle of Deceit
★ 6.21981
MovieDramaWar
To escape his crumbling marriage, German journalist Laschen travels to Beirut during the fights between Christians and Palestinians to produce an essay. Together with his photographer, he meets some influential people and discovers the everyday face of the war.

More Like This

QuillsQuills · 2000
Quills
★ 7.22000
MovieDrama
In early 19th-century France, the Marquis de Sade is confined to an asylum where his forbidden writings continue to circulate beyond its walls. As the authorities tighten control, a clash unfolds between the Marquis’ unyielding imagination, the reformist ideals of the Abbé in charge, and the repressive measures of a doctor sent to silence him. Desire, power, and censorship collide in a battle over freedom of expression.
Henry VHenry V · 1989
Henry V
★ 7.11989
MovieWarDrama
In 1415, in the midst of the Hundred Years' War, the young King Henry V of England embarks on the conquest of France.
CabaretCabaret · 1972
Cabaret
★ 7.41972
MovieMusicRomance
Inside the Kit Kat Club of 1931 Berlin, starry-eyed singer Sally Bowles and an impish emcee sound the clarion call to decadent fun, while outside a certain political party grows into a brutal force.
Beautiful ThingBeautiful Thing · 1996
Beautiful Thing
★ 7.31996
MovieComedyDrama
During a long, hot summer on the Thamesmead Estate in Southeast London, three teenagers edge towards adulthood.
Steel MagnoliasSteel Magnolias · 1989
Steel Magnolias
★ 7.21989
MovieDramaComedy
A young beautician, newly arrived in a small Louisiana town, finds work at the local salon, where a small group of women share a close bond of friendship and welcome her into the fold.
The Flower of EvilThe Flower of Evil · 2003
The Flower of Evil
★ 6.12003
MovieDramaThriller
Three generations of a wealthy Bordeaux family are caught in the crossfire when Anne decides to run for mayor, thanks to a political pamphlet that revives an old murder scandal.
KinseyKinsey · 2004
Kinsey
★ 6.62004
MovieDrama
Kinsey is a portrait of researcher Alfred Kinsey, driven to uncover the most private secrets of a nation. What begins for Kinsey as a scientific endeavor soon takes on an intensely personal relevance, ultimately becoming an unexpected journey into the mystery of human behavior.
MacbethMacbeth · 1971
Macbeth
★ 7.11971
MovieWarDrama
Scotland, 11th century. Driven by the twisted prophecy of three witches and the ruthless ambition of his wife, warlord Macbeth, bold and brave, but also weak and hesitant, betrays his good king and his brothers in arms and sinks into the bloody mud of a path with no return, sown with crime and suspicion.
The Madness of King GeorgeThe Madness of King George · 1994
The Madness of King George
★ 6.81994
MovieComedyDrama
Aging King George III of England is exhibiting signs of madness, a problem little understood in 1788. As the monarch alternates between bouts of confusion and near-violent outbursts of temper, his hapless doctors attempt the ineffectual cures of the day. Meanwhile, Queen Charlotte and Prime Minister William Pitt the Younger attempt to prevent the king's political enemies, led by the Prince of Wales, from usurping the throne.
BugBug · 2007
Bug
★ 6.12007
MovieDramaHorror
In Oklahoma, Agnes, a lonely waitress living in an isolated and dilapidated roadside motel, meets Peter, a quiet and mysterious man with whom she establishes a peculiar relationship.
A Serious ManA Serious Man · 2009
A Serious Man
★ 6.72009
MovieComedyDrama
It is 1967, and Larry Gopnik, a physics professor at a quiet Midwestern university, has just been informed by his wife Judith that she is leaving him. He scrambles to find a semblance of meaning as he loses control of nearly every aspect of his life.
Water Drops on Burning RocksWater Drops on Burning Rocks · 2000
Water Drops on Burning Rocks
★ 6.42000
MovieDramaRomance
In 1970s Germany, Léopold, a 50-year-old businessman, picks up and seduces 20-year-old Franz, who swiftly moves into his apartment. The dynamic between them intensifies with the sudden arrival of their ex-girlfriends.
LucasLucas · 1986
Lucas
★ 6.71986
MovieComedyDrama
A brilliant but socially inept 14-year-old experiences heartbreak for the first time when his two best friends – Cappie, an older-brother figure, and Maggie, the new girl with whom he is in love – fall for each other.

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter