DEFA & DOMRÖSE

The DEFA Festival at the b-ware! Ladenkino may be over, but our film art video library offers further masterpieces from the GDR era on DVD hire: from newly discovered gems to cult classics such as The Legend of Paul and Paula, starring the recently deceased DEFA diva Angelica Domröse.

Last weekend, DEFA Film Production celebrated its 80th anniversary. The b-ware! Ladenkino joined in, screening selected productions and offering opportunities for reunions and new discoveries. Above all, these classics demonstrated that post-war German cinema consisted not only of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Alexander Kluge, Werner Herzog or Margarethe von Trotta, but also of Konrad Wolf, Horst Seemann, Roland Gräf and Helke Misselwitz.

What’s more: our Filmkunst video library offers a selection of DEFA films that ended up in the ‘poison cabinet’ after their release – in other words, they were banned. And for a wide variety of reasons. Now available as rental DVDs for your home cinema.

However, the DEFA weekend was overshadowed by sad news: On 15 May, Angelika Domröse passed away at the age of 85. She was one of the DEFA’s biggest stars. Her career spanned film adaptations of classics such as EFFI BRIEST to the cult film THE LEGEND OF PAUL AND PAULA (1973), based on a story by Ulrich Plenzdorf (THE NEW SUFFERINGS OF YOUNG W.) A hit in both East and West. The soundtrack was provided by the legendary “Puhdys”. And Domröse exuded glamour in spades.

You can also hire THE LEGEND OF PAUL AND PAULA from the Filmkunst video library! And much more besides. Ask our customer service team!