Deutscher Fernsehfunk

Aging Knights of the Round Table confront a fading realm as moral decay and disillusionment spread. King Arthur doubts the Grail quest; Gawain and Lancelot return unchanged or failed. Parzival, now a chronicler, refuses to revive past glories. Meanwhile Arthur’s heir Mordret rejects knighthood and the Grail’s existence…

Germany in the 18th century. Two brothers rebel against the narrow confines of the small state and feudal despotism. However, Franz and Karl Moor have very different motives: Franz is interested in satisfying his personal needs, power and wealth, while Karl has a vision of a new, better society. To achieve this, he needs support. He finds it in a gang of robbers, of which he becomes the leader. He soon learns that anarchy can neither rally the masses nor challenge the existing order.

Unusual camera angles and eyewitness accounts of the planning and construction process capture the spirit of the early GDR and the idea of socialist urban planning and architecture. The "National Development Program Berlin" envisaged Stalinallee as the focal point of a district of residential and high-rise buildings and as a model for the architecture and urban planning of the capital. The section of road between Strausberger Platz and Frankfurter Tor is considered the beginning of the construction of the "socialist capital of Germany - Berlin" and was designed in the style of socialist classicism, the so-called "Zuckerbäckerstil", by the architects Hermann Henselmann, Hanns Hopp.

Hitler's seizure of power in 1933 and his rule in the years that followed are transferred to the North American criminal world of the 1930s in a parable. Gangster boss Ui needs the protection of the ruling class to achieve his goals and offers his help to their representatives. They initially hesitate, but join forces after Ui violently gains their respect. His victory is perfect and the people fall silent before the revolvers of their "protectors". Ui takes the raised hands as a sign of approval... Bertolt Brecht wrote the play in 1941 in a Finnish asylum - the premiere only took place in Stuttgart after his death in November 1958. It has been staged at the Berliner Ensemble since 1959 - Ekkehard Schall has played Ui over 500 times since then. On January 13, 1974, the play was shown for the last time, recorded in color by GDR television.

Paul Stojahn spent many years abroad as a fitter. Now he returns to Berlin, no longer very young, and meets his grandson Markus. The news of Paul's return causes some confusion in the family. Grandma Renate in particular cannot forgive Paul for neglecting his family. Only Markus likes Paul very much because he can tell wonderful stories about Siberia and Africa. But as the family has a different opinion of their grandfather, a row breaks out and one day Markus receives a farewell letter.

In 1596, the Dutchman Willem Barents sets sail on a long voyage with two ships to find a north-eastern sea route to China for the Amsterdam merchants. Ice masses and storms force the prudent navigator Barents to separate from Rijp, the captain of the second ship, so that he can organize a rescue operation in Holland. Trapped in the polar winter, Barents and his crew hope for help...

East German short documentary

Illustrations (in the area of Crete) of 14 poems by seven modern Greek poets: Cavafy, Ritsos, Seferis, Sikelianos, Prevelakis, Kazantzakis, Christodoulou.

A biographical documentary about Ernst Thälmann.