Cinema and Death
1988 · 46 min · ★ 6.5 · Documentary
“Why does cinema need death, when it can’t show it?” The filmmaker’s monologue and the discourse of images meet
Directed by Hartmut Bitomsky · Written by Hartmut Bitomsky
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B-52 · 2001B-52
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★ 10.01971
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“Six young people move through a city in order to establish the starting point of their joint action. But they can’t agree on the topic. In the end everybody goes their own way and leaves the city.” - Hartmut Bitomsky
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★ 9.01975
MovieDrama
A darkly comedic exploration of personal struggle and societal pressure, we follow the story of a middle-aged man named Max, who is trapped in a life of monotony and frustration. After a series of unexpected events, Max finds himself in increasingly absurd and challenging situations, forcing him to confront his own limitations and fears. With sharp humor and a critique of societal expectations, the film delves into the pressures that shape our lives and the lengths we go to in order to break free from them. A poignant yet quirky tale about bending to life's demands or breaking under the weight of it all.
Die UFA · 1992Die UFA
★ 8.51992
MovieDocumentary
Die UFA, a film essay about the eponymous German studio.
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★ 7.01982
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An unconventional essay film that interrogates the visual and ideological legacy of the Vietnam War. Blending staged scenes, archival footage, photographs, and philosophical dialogue, the film follows various characters — including an American soldier captured by North Vietnamese villagers — as they reflect on violence, memory, and image-making. Set partly in West Berlin and partly in reconstructed spaces representing Vietnam, the film avoids traditional dramatic narrative in favor of a fragmented montage of voices, documents, and reenactments. Interweaving love stories, political debate, and historical commentary, Farocki creates a critical reflection on how war is represented, seen, and imagined, both in cinema and in public consciousness. The result is a complex meditation on images as weapons and instruments of perception.
Playback · 1995Playback
★ 7.01995
MovieDocumentaryTV Movie
The film documents a debate about early 20th century films, mainly 1910 to 1920, from short news reels to excerpts from full-length movies. At Amsterdam's Film Museum, film directors, students, and film researchers and archivists look at the moving images and discuss their meaning, in the social and technical contexts. Moody live music was added to the edited film.
Reichsautobahn · 1986Reichsautobahn
★ 7.01986
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While working on "Deutschlandbilder" (1983), Hartmut Bitomsky was examining film material produced by the Nazi regime when he came across an abundance of footage documenting the planning and construction of motorways. In this found footage documentary he investigates what this material actually says: the motorway is stylized within it as a promise of progress and modernity, a "lifeline of the nation", less a straightforward piece of infrastructure than a prestige object, a work of art.
Closed Circuit · 1983Closed Circuit
★ 7.01983
MovieDramaThriller
IT specialist Victor Faber makes a living securing computers for large corporations and banks. His reclusive private life is upended when he falls in love with a strange woman named Juliet. Her friend convinces Faber to exploit his knowledge to rob a bank.
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MovieDocumentary
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★ 6.52008
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Workers Leaving the Factory · 1995Workers Leaving the Factory
★ 6.41995
MovieDocumentaryTV Movie
Using one of the Lumière Brothers' first films of workers leaving the Factory as his starting point, Farocki provides an insight to changes in industrial production, workers' strikes and motion pictures-- via images of workers leaving factories throughout the years.
Dust · 2007Dust
★ 6.42007
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Imaginary Architecture, the architect Hans Scharoun · 1995Imaginary Architecture, the architect Hans Scharoun
★ 6.01995
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Hans Scharoun has built houses which show not only structural substance and aesthetic forms but also how human beings should live in buildings. This depiction can only be imaginary - like reading invisible writing on walls. Bitomsky's film looks at several of Scharoun's buildings.
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