List of German films of 1895–1918

This is a list of the most notable films produced in the German Empire until 1918, in year order.

It includes German films from the introduction of the medium to the resignation of the Emperor at the end of World War I. Many of these films laid the groundwork for German Expressionism.

For an alphabetical list of articles on films of the period see Category:Films of the German Empire.

1890s

Title	Director	Cast	Genre	Notes
1895
Akrobatisches Potpourri	Max & Emil Skladanowsky	Grunato family	Documentary	Release: Nov. 1
Bauerntanz zweier Kinder	Max Skladanowsky		Documentary	Release: Nov 1
Boxing Kangaroo	Max Skladanowsky	Mr Delaware	Documentary	Release: Nov 1
The German Emperor Reviewing His Troops	Birt Acres			Earliest known footage of Kaiser Wilhelm
Opening of the Kiel Canal	Birt Acres			Early footage of Kaiser Wilhelm
Serpentinen Tanz	Max Skladanowsky		Documentary	Release: Nov 1
1896
Leben und Treiben am Alexanderplatz	Max Skladanowsky
1897
Apotheose II	Max Skladanowsky
1898
Kaiser von Deutschland, der Kaiser von Österreich und der König von Sachsen am Tage der Jubiläumsfeier in Dresden				English: The Kaiser of Germany, the Kaiser of Austria and the King of Saxony on the day of the Jubilee Fair in Dresden
1899
German Lancers				A parade of the famous Second Guards, one of Emperor William's favorite regiments.
When the Bugle Sounds 'Charge'				An attack by the famous Second Guards Regiment of Emperor William's Army on the Paradefeld.

1900s

Title	Director	Cast	Genre	Notes
1900
Einzug unserer Chinakrieger in Berlin am 16.12.1900				English: The Entry of Our China Soldiers in Berlin on Dec. 16, 1900 (about Boxer Rebellion?)
Eine moderne Jungfrau von Orleans	Max Skladanowsky			English: A Modern Maid of Orleans
1901
Einzug der Königin von Holland mit ihrem Gemahl in Schwerin				English: The Entry of the Queen of The Netherlands with her Consort in Schwerin
1902
When Knighthood Was in Flower
1903
Mr. Krebs in seiner senationellen Schleifenfahrt	Arthur Robison			English: Mr. Krebs in his Sensational Bicycleride
Der lustige Ehemann	Otto Julius Bierbaum
1904
The Whistling Bowery Boy	Oskar Messter
Kämpfe vor Port Arthur				English: The Campaign for Port Arthur
1905
Eine Fliegenjagd oder Die Rache der Frau Schultze	Max Skladanowsky			English: Hunting a Fly; Or, The Revenge of Frau Schultze
Afrikanische Kriegsbilder			War documentary	English: African War Pictures
1906
Apachentanz	Oskar Messter, Albert Kutzner	Henny Porten, Rosa Porten		English: Apache Dance (A French dance)
Meißner Porzellan	Franz Porten, Oskar Messter	Henny Porten, Rosa Porten
1909
Prosit Neujahr 1910!	Guido Seeber		Animated film	First animated German film

1910-1914

Title	Director	Cast	Genre	Notes
1910
Arsène Lupin contra Sherlock Holmes	Viggo Larsen
Die geheimnisvolle Streichholzdose	Guido Seeber		Animated film	Available online here
Sumurûn	Max Reinhardt
1911
Der schwarze Traum	Urban Gad			German-Danish co-production; Danish: Den Sorte drøm
Die Suppe	Julius Pinschewer		partly animated film	An advertisement for Maggi-Wuerze Available online here
The Traitress	Urban Gad	Asta Nielsen, Max Obal, Robert Valberg	Drama
1912
In Nacht und Eis	Mime Misu			English: In Night and Ice; first German Titanic film ever made
Das Mirakel	Mime Misu
Der Nähkasten	Julius Pinschewer		animated film
The Oath of Stephan Huller	Viggo Larsen	Viggo Larsen, Wanda Treumann	Drama
Poor Jenny	Urban Gad
Schatten des Meeres	Curt A. Stark			English: In the Shadow of the Sea
Tanz der Flaschen (Kupferberg Gold)	Julius Pinschewer		animated film
Tanz der Flaschen (Maggi)	Julius Pinschewer		animated film	An advertisement for Maggi-Wuerze
1913
Der Film von der Königin Luise	Franz Porten			English: A Film of Queen Louise; in 3 parts
Die Insel der Seligen	Max Reinhardt
The Life and Works of Richard Wagner	Carl Froelich William Wauer	Giuseppe Becce, Olga Engl	biopic	[1]
Der neue Schreibtisch	Karl Valentin
Das rosa Pantöffelchen	Franz Hofer	Dorrit Weixler	Comedy
Der Steckbrief	Franz Hofer
The Student of Prague	Stellan Rye, Paul Wegener			English: A Bargain With Satan
The Weapons of Youth	Friedrich Müller	Gertrud Gräbner, Conrad Wiene
1914
The Armoured Vault	Joe May	Ernst Reicher, Hermann Picha, Fritz Richard	Thriller
Der Hund von Baskerville	Rudolf Meinert	Alwin Neuß, Friedrich Kühne	Crime
Detektiv Braun	Rudolf Meinert	Alwin Neuß, Friedrich Kühne	Crime
Eine Venezianische Nacht	Max Reinhardt
The Firm Gets Married	Carl Wilhelm	Victor Arnold, Ernst Lubitsch	Comedy
Die geheimnisvolle Villa	Joe May	Ernst Reicher, Werner Krauss
He This Way, She That Way	Robert Wiene	Max Zilzer, Manny Ziener	Comedy
The Iron Cross	Richard Oswald	Friedrich Kühne, Hedda Vernon, Hanni Weisse	Drama
Ivan Koschula	Richard Oswald	Rudolph Schildkraut, Hanni Weisse	Drama
The Man in the Cellar	Joe May	Ernst Reicher, Max Landa, Olga Engl	Thriller
Miss Piccolo	Franz Hofer	Dorrit Weixler, Ernst Lubitsch, Alice Hechy	Comedy
The Silent Mill	Richard Oswald	Alfred Abel, Ferdinand Bonn, Robert Valberg	Drama

1915

Title	Director	Cast	Genre	Notes
Aufs Eis geführt	Ernst Lubitsch	Ernst Lubitsch, Albert Paulig	Comedy	[2]
Berlin im Kriegsjahr	Carl Wilhelm		documentary
The Canned Bride	Robert Wiene	Margarete Kupfer, Guido Herzfeld	Comedy
The Dancer	Georg Jacoby	Leopoldine Konstantin, Bruno Kastner	Drama
Deutsche Kriegswoche	Carl Wilhelm		documentary
Fluch der Schönheit	D.J. Rector	Maria Carmi, Hans Mierendorff	Drama	[3]
Der Golem	Henrik Galeen, Paul Wegener
Ein Held des Unterseebootes	Walter Schmidthässler		documentary
Laugh Bajazzo	Richard Oswald	Rudolph Schildkraut, Alfred Abel, Hanni Weisse	Drama
Miss Piccolo	Franz Hofer	Dorrit Weixler, Ernst Lubitsch	Comedy
No Sin on the Alpine Pastures	Rudolf Biebrach	Henny Porten, Emmy Wyda, Lupu Pick	Comedy
Photographischer Wettbewerb			documentary
Robert and Bertram	Max Mack	Eugen Burg, Ferdinand Bonn	Comedy
The Tunnel	William Wauer	Friedrich Kayßler, Fritzi Massary	Drama
The Vice	Richard Oswald	Alfred Abel, Rosa Valetti, Arthur Wellin	Drama
Der Zahnteufel	Julius Pinschewer		partly animated film	An advertisement for Beiersdorfer Available online here
Zucker und Zimt	Ernst Lubitsch	Ernst Matray, Alice Hechy	Comedy	[4]

1916

Title	Director	Cast	Genre	Notes
Bogdan Stimoff	Georg Jacoby	Carl Goetz, Georg Reimers	Drama	Co-production with Austria and Bulgaria
The Confessions of the Green Mask	Max Mack	Alfred Abel, Reinhold Schünzel	Drama
Doktor Satansohn	Edmund Edel	Hans Felix, Marga Kohler, Ernst Lubitsch	Comedy	[5]
Frau Eva	Robert Wiene	Erna Morena, Emil Jannings	Drama
His Coquettish Wife	Hubert Moest	Hedda Vernon, Erich Kaiser-Titz, Reinhold Schünzel	Comedy
Homunculus	Otto Rippert	Olaf Fønss	Science fiction	6 part serial
The Knitting Needles	Hubert Moest, Otto Rippert	Erich Kaiser-Titz, Käthe Haack, Olga Engl	Comedy
Lehmann's Honeymoon	Robert Wiene	Guido Herzfeld, Arnold Rieck	Comedy
Leutnant auf Befehl	Ernst Lubitsch	Harry Liedtke, Max Gulstorff, Ossi Oswalda	Drama	[6]
Die Peitsche	Adolf Gartner	Ernst Reicher, Nelly Ridon	Drama	[7]
The Queen's Love Letter	Robert Wiene	Henny Porten, Arthur Schröder	Comedy
The Queen's Secretary	Robert Wiene	Käthe Dorsch, Ressel Orla	Comedy
The Robber Bride	Robert Wiene	Henny Porten, Friedrich Feher	Comedy
Rose on the Heath	Franz Hofer	Lya Ley, Fritz Achterberg	Drama
Rübezahl's Wedding	Rochus Gliese, Paul Wegener	Paul Wegener, Lyda Salmonova	Drama	[8][9][10]
Shoe Palace Pinkus	Ernst Lubitsch	Ernst Lubitsch, Guido Herzfeld	Comedy
The Sin of Helga Arndt	Joe May	Mia May, Frida Richard	Drama
Ein Tag bei der Armee Boehm-Ermolli			documentary
Tyrannenherrschaft – Aus Polens schwerer Zeit	Franz Porten			English: Tyrannical Overlords-From Poland's Dark Time
The Uncanny House	Richard Oswald	Werner Krauss, Reinhold Schünzel, Lupu Pick	Mystery	Released in three parts
Under the Spell of Silence	Hanna Henning	Reinhold Schünzel, Olga Engl	Drama
Vengeance Is Mine	Rudolf Meinert	Hans Mierendorff, Marie von Buelow	Crime
The Wandering Light	Robert Wiene	Henny Porten, Bruno Decarli	Drama
Werner Krafft	Carl Froelich	Eduard von Winterstein, Erika Glässner, Reinhold Schünzel	Drama	[11]
The Yogi	Paul Wegener, Rochus Gliese	Paul Wegener, Lyda Salmonova	Drama

1917

Title	Director	Cast	Genre	Notes
Badeleben im dritten Kriegsjahr an der Ostsee	William Karfiol		documentary
Berliner Leben im dritten Kriegsjahr Frühling 1917			documentary
Ein Boxkampf mit John Bull	Julius Pinschewer		Animated propaganda film	Available online here
The Diamond Foundation	Johannes Guter	Ernst Reicher, Marija Leiko, Frida Richard	Crime
Dornröschen	Paul Leni	Mabel Kaul, Harry Liedtke, Käthe Dorsch	Fairy tale
Dr. Hart's Diary	Paul Leni	Heinrich Schroth, Käthe Haack	War
Fear	Robert Wiene	Bruno Decarli, Conrad Veidt	Horror
Das fidele Gefängnis	Ernst Lubitsch	Harry Liedtke, Emil Jannings	Comedy	English: The Merry Jail
Frank Hansen's Fortune	Viggo Larsen	Viggo Larsen, Lupu Pick	Western
Germany and Its Armies Today			documentary	Compilation of war films edited together for export
The Giant's Fist	Rudolf Biebrach	Henny Porten, Johannes Riemann	Drama
Hans Trutz in the Land of Plenty	Paul Wegener	Paul Wegener, Lyda Salmonova, Ernst Lubitsch	Fantasy
Hilde Warren und der Tod	Joe May	Written by and starring Fritz Lang
Imprisoned Soul	Rudolf Biebrach	Henny Porten, Paul Bildt	Drama
Jan Vermeulen, the Miller of Flanders	Georg Jacoby	Fred Immler, Leo Lasko	War
John Bull	Julius Pinschewer		Animated propaganda film	Available online here
Let There Be Light	Richard Oswald	Bernd Aldor, Hugo Flink	Drama	Followed by three other parts
Life Is a Dream	Robert Wiene	Emil Jannings, Bruno Decarli	Drama
The Lord of Hohenstein	Richard Oswald	Bernd Aldor, Rita Clermont, Lupu Pick	Drama
The Lost Paradise	Bruno Rahn	Mady Christians, Erich Kaiser-Titz	Drama
The Love of Hetty Raimond	Joe May	Mia May, Bruno Decarli, Heinrich Peer	Drama
Die Marokkodeutschen in der Gewalt der Franzosen	Waldemar Hecker		documentary
The Man in the Mirror	Robert Wiene	Maria Fein, Bruno Decarli	Drama
The Marriage of Luise Rohrbach	Rudolf Biebrach	Henny Porten, Emil Jannings	Drama
Mountain Air	Rudolf Biebrach	Henny Porten, Paul Hartmann, Reinhold Schünzel	Comedy
The Onyx Head	Joe May	Max Landa, Leopoldine Konstantin	Crime
The Path of Death	Robert Reinert	Maria Carmi, Carl de Vogt, Conrad Veidt	Drama
The Picture of Dorian Gray	Richard Oswald	Bernd Aldor	Drama
The Princess of Neutralia	Rudolf Biebrach	Henny Porten, Paul Bildt	Comedy
The Ring of Giuditta Foscari	Alfred Halm	Emil Jannings, Harry Liedtke, Erna Morena	Drama
Das Säugetier	Robert L. Leonard		Animated propaganda film	Available online here
The Sea Battle	Richard Oswald	Emil Jannings, Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt	War
The Spy	Karl Heiland	Ferdinand Bonn, Ellen Richter, Conrad Veidt	Spy drama
Steadfast Benjamin	Robert Wiene	Arnold Rieck, Guido Herzfeld	Comedy
Unusable	Georg Jacoby	Adele Sandrock, Grete Diercks	Drama
Wedding in the Eccentric Club	Joe May	Harry Liedtke, Kathe Haack, Bruno Kastner	Drama	[12]
When Four Do the Same	Ernst Lubitsch	Ossi Oswalda, Emil Jannings	Comedy/Drama
When the Dead Speak	Robert Reinert	Maria Carmi, Carl de Vogt, Conrad Veidt	Drama
When the Heart Burns with Hate	Kurt Matull	Pola Negri, Hans Adalbert Schlettow	Drama

1918

Title	Director	Cast	Genre	Notes
The Adventure of a Ball Night	Viggo Larsen	Gertrude Welcker, Paul Bildt, Paul Biensfeldt	Adventure
Agnes Arnau and Her Three Suitors	Rudolf Biebrach	Henny Porten, Hermann Thimig, Kurt Ehrle	Comedy
Alraune, die Henkerstochter, genannt die rote Hanne	Eugen Illés, Joseph Klein
Die Augen der Mumie Ma	Ernst Lubitsch
The Ballet Girl	Ernst Lubitsch	Ossi Oswalda, Harry Liedtke, Margarete Kupfer	Comedy
The Beggar Countess	Joe May, Bruno Ziener	Mia May, Heinrich Peer, Johannes Riemann	Drama
The Blue Lantern	Rudolf Biebrach	Henny Porten, Ferdinand von Alten	Drama
Bukarest im dritten Kriegsjahr			documentary
Carmen	Ernst Lubitsch	Pola Negri, Harry Liedtke	Drama	aka Gypsy Blood
Colomba	Arzén von Cserépy	Erna Morena, Werner Krauss, Conrad Veidt	Drama
Countess Kitchenmaid	Rudolf Biebrach	Henny Porten, Heinrich Schroth	Comedy
Diary of a Lost Woman	Richard Oswald	Erna Morena, Conrad Veidt, Werner Krauss	Drama
Doctor Schotte	William Wauer	Albert Bassermann, Elsa Bassermann	Drama
Europe, General Delivery	Ewald André Dupont	Max Landa, Guido Herzfeld	Mystery
Father and Son	William Wauer	Albert Bassermann, Elsa Bassermann	Drama
Ferdinand Lassalle	Rudolf Meinert	Erich Kaiser-Titz, Hanna Ralph	Biopic
The Flight of Arno Jessen	Richard Eichberg	Ernst Rückert, Eva Speyer	Drama
The Foreign Prince	Paul Wegener	Paul Wegener, Lyda Salmonova	Drama
Five Minutes Too Late	Uwe Jens Krafft	Mia May, Johannes Riemann, Bruno Kastner	Thriller
The Flyer from Goerz	Georg Jacoby	Ellen Richter, Harry Liedtke	War
The Ghost Hunt	Johannes Guter	Ernst Reicher, Esther Carena, Aruth Wartan	Crime
His Majesty the Hypochondriac	Frederic Zelnik	Grete Diercks, Kurt Vespermann	Comedy
The Homecoming of Odysseus	Rudolf Biebrach	Henny Porten, Bruno Decarli	Comedy
Ikarus, the Flying Man	Carl Froelich	Gustav Botz, Esther Carena, Olga Engl	Spy drama	[13]
In the Castle by the Lake	Eugen Burg	Wanda Treumann, Reinhold Schünzel, Karl Beckersachs	Drama
Jettchen Gebert's Story	Richard Oswald	Mechthildis Thein, Conrad Veidt	Drama
The Lady, the Devil and the Model	Rudolf Biebrach	Henny Porten, Alfred Abel, Eugen Rex	Drama
Lorenzo Burghardt	William Wauer	Albert Bassermann, Elsa Bassermann, Käthe Haack	Drama
Mania	Eugen Illés	Pola Negri, Arthur Schröder	Drama
Midnight	Ewald André Dupont	Max Landa, Karl Beckersachs, Reinhold Schünzel	Crime
Ich möchte kein Mann sein	Ernst Lubitsch	Ossi Oswalda, Curt Goetz, Ferry Sikla
The Nun and the Harlequin	Alfred Halm	Frederic Zelnik, Lya Mara, Paul Bildt	Drama
Ein neuer Dreibund	Julius Pinschewer		Animated propaganda film	Available online here
The Pied Piper of Hamelin	Paul Wegener	Paul Wegener, Lyda Salmonova, Wilhelm Diegelmann	Drama
Precious Stones	Rudolf Biebrach	Paul Bildt, Henny Porten, Paul Hartmann	Drama
The Prisoner of Dahomey	Hubert Moest	Fritz Delius, Paul Hartmann	Drama
Put to the Test	Rudolf Biebrach	Henny Porten, Heinrich Schroth, Reinhold Schünzel	Comedy
The Rat	Joe May, Harry Piel	Heinrich Schroth, Olga Engl, Käthe Haack	Crime
Das Rätsel von Bangalor	Paul Leni, Alexander Antalffy
The Ringwall Family	Rudolf Biebrach	Henny Porten, Bruno Decarli, Kurt Vespermann	Drama
The Rosentopf Case	Ernst Lubitsch	Ernst Lubitsch, Trude Hesterberg, Margarete Kupfer	Comedy
The Sacrifice	Joe May	Mia May, Harry Liedtke, Anton Edthofer	Drama
Sadja	Adolf Gärtner, Erik Lund	Eva May, Hans Albers	Drama
The Salamander Ruby	Rudolf Biebrach	Bruno Decarli, Mechthildis Thein, Hugo Flink	Drama
Der Schreiber und die Biene	Julius Pinschewer		partly animated film	An advertisement for Eduard Beyer
The Seeds of Life	Georg Jacoby	Emil Jannings, Hanna Ralph	Drama	Released in three parts
The Serenyi	Alfred Halm	Lya Mara, Erich Kaiser-Titz, Conrad Veidt	Comedy
The Son of Hannibal	Viggo Larsen	Viggo Larsen, Käthe Haack	Drama
Spring Storms	Fern Andra	Fern Andra, Josef Peterhans, Reinhold Schünzel	Drama
The Story of Dida Ibsen	Richard Oswald	Anita Berber, Conrad Veidt	Drama
The Toboggan Cavalier	Ernst Lubitsch	Ossi Oswalda, Harry Liedtke	Comedy
The Victors	Rudolf Biebrach	Henny Porten, Arthur Bergen, Bruno Decarli	Drama
Waves of Fate	Joe May	Mia May, Erich Kaiser-Titz, Georg John	Drama
The Yellow Ticket	Eugen Illés	Pola Negri, Harry Liedtke, Victor Janson	Drama
Your Big Secret	Joe May	Mia May, Käthe Haack, Johannes Riemann	Drama
The Zaarden Brothers	William Wauer	Albert Bassermann, Elsa Bassermann, Marija Leiko	Drama

References

1. "What's on – Cinema | Barbican".
2. "Aufs Eis gefuhrt".
3. "The German Early Cinema Database: Film Supply 1895-1920: Infos".
4. "Zucker und Zimt".
5. "Doktor Satansohn".
6. "The German Early Cinema Database: Film Supply 1895-1920: Film: Leutnant auf Befehl". Archived from the original on 2017-04-05. Retrieved 2017-04-04.
7. "Die Peitsche".
8. "- YouTube". YouTube.
9. "Rübezahls Hochzeit | filmportal.de". Archived from the original on 2014-03-15. Retrieved 2017-11-12.
10. "Rübezahls Hochzeit". IMDb.
11. "German Films: Personal Info: Reinhold Schuenzel".
12. "Die HOCHZEIT IM EXCENTRIC-CLUB (1917)". Archived from the original on April 1, 2017.
13. "Ikarus, the flying Man (1918)".