The best German films of all time
The top 3 according to 0 votes from people: Das Boot · M · The Lives of Others. (Updated Aug 1, 2026.)
The German films with the best ratings from Filmstarts users and the most mentions in critics' and magazines' lists (Tonspion, GIGA, film.at), from silent cinema to today.
Automatically translated (original in Deutsch). See the original
Top 20
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1
Das Boot
Wolfgang Petersen, 1981. A U-boat crew in World War II; at 4.44 out of 5 stars, the best-rated German film on Filmstarts.
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2
M
Fritz Lang, 1931. Peter Lorre as a child murderer hunted by police and underworld alike; one of the most important early sound films.
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3
The Lives of Others
Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, 2006. A Stasi captain spies on a writer; Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
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4
Metropolis
Fritz Lang, 1927. The divided city of the future and the robot Maria; the first film on UNESCO's Memory of the World register.
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5
Head-On
Fatih Akin, 2004. Birol Ünel and Sibel Kekilli in a marriage of convenience between Hamburg and Istanbul; Golden Bear.
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6
Nosferatu
F. W. Murnau, 1922. Max Schreck as Count Orlok; the cornerstone of horror cinema.
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7
Downfall
Oliver Hirschbiegel, 2004. Bruno Ganz as Hitler in his final days in the Führerbunker.
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8
Run Lola Run
Tom Tykwer, 1998. Franka Potente has 20 minutes to find 100,000 marks, in three variations.
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9
Wings of Desire
Wim Wenders, 1987. Bruno Ganz as an angel who wants to become human; Best Director at Cannes.
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10
Good Bye, Lenin!
Wolfgang Becker, 2003. A son hides the fall of the Berlin Wall from his mother.
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11
Paris, Texas
Wim Wenders, 1984. Harry Dean Stanton across the Texas desert, with music by Ry Cooder; Palme d'Or.
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12
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Robert Wiene, 1920. The key work of Expressionist cinema, with painted, slanted sets.
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13
Aguirre, the Wrath of God
Werner Herzog, 1972. Klaus Kinski as a conquistador searching for El Dorado on the Amazon.
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14
The Marriage of Maria Braun
Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1979. Hanna Schygulla in Germany's post-war economic miracle.
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15
All Quiet on the Western Front
Edward Berger, 2022. A new adaptation of Erich Maria Remarque's novel; four Oscars, including Best International Feature.
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16
Toni Erdmann
Maren Ade, 2016. A father in false teeth visits his career-driven daughter in Bucharest.
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17
System Crasher
Nora Fingscheidt, 2019. A nine-year-old girl no institution can cope with; eight German Film Awards.
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18
The Wave
Dennis Gansel, 2008. A teacher simulates an autocracy during a project week, with consequences.
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19
The Blue Angel
Josef von Sternberg, 1930. Marlene Dietrich as Lola Lola; the film made her a world star.
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20
The White Ribbon
Michael Haneke, 2009. Mysterious incidents in a northern German village before World War I; Palme d'Or.
Candidates
They don't make it into the top 20… yet. Vote for them to move them up.
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21
Victoria
Sebastian Schipper, 2015. A bank robbery in Berlin shot in a single 140-minute take.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
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Comments (2)
Systemsprenger hat mich völlig fertig gemacht. Helena Zengel ist unglaublich.
Das Boot auf eins, absolut verdient. Die Director's-Cut-Fassung ist noch besser.