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Culture fact
The German-born Hans Zimmer
is a successful composer of
film music. He produced the
soundtracks of movies like
Rain Man, The Last Samurai,
The Lion King, and Gladiator,
among several dozen
other movies.




Hans Zimmer Soundtracks:













and many more ...

German music

German movie soundtracks

For DVDs and videos of German films, see our German films pages.
For books about German cinema, see our German books: German cinema section.

Popular & contemporary German music | German movie soundtracks | East German music
German classical music | German folk & traditional music | German Christmas carols
| Kinderlieder




Head On / Gegen die Wand (2004) | LISTEN
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  Downfall / Der Untergang | LISTEN
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The Edukators / Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei (2004) | LISTEN | DESCRIPTION: Featuring tracks from Franz Ferdinand, Depeche Mode, Leonard Cohen and Radio 4, along with German music such as Tocotronic and T. Raumschmiere, the soundtrack is an energetic reflection of The Edukators film, dealing with teenage rebellion and idealism in Germany. Directed and written by Hans Weingartner, the film features Daniel Brühl (who starred in 2002's Good Bye, Lenin!), the Evening Standard said of The Edukators '[It is a] gripping confrontation between a trio of disaffected youngsters and the fat-cat businessman whom they kidnap' while The Independent declared it to be "One of the Best Films at Cannes 2004'.
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Good Bye Lenin! (2003) || LISTEN | REVIEW: More somber and subdued than his usual work, Yann Tiersen's score for Good Bye Lenin! makes the perfect audio counterpart for the film's bittersweet but often funny story, which revolves around a family living in Communist Germany and is told from the viewpoint of the son, Alex. The family undergoes a number of hardships, including the father's escape to the West and the mother's subsequent breakdown. After she recovers, she becomes a fanatic for the Communist regime, until she sees the police beat up Alex at a pro-democracy rally. The shock gives her a heart attack, after which she lapses into a coma; when she revives, the Berlin Wall has fallen. A doctor warns Alex that any more stress could kill her, so he and the rest of the family pretend that they are still living under Communist rule. While no score could convey all of that, Tiersen's music does reflect the hesitancy and delicacy of the family's plight should their illusion be broken, as well as the comedy and the drama that ensue when it seems close to falling apart. Most of the score is dominated by thoughtful, rippling pianos that conjure up rainy days, as well as strings, woodwinds, and brass that add to the airs of urgency and madcap humor that dominate the film and its music. "Summer 78" introduces the score's main theme, a winding melody that is as lovely as it is sad. The version of "Summer 78" that is graced by Claire Pichet's ice water-pure vocals, "Watching Lara," "First Rendez-Vous," "Lara's Castle," and "Good Bye Lenin" itself all return to this theme in various ways, lending more warmth or more coolness as necessary. "Dishes," on the other hand, is the first of the sharply quirky, nearly chaotic pieces that inject some humor into the score. "The Decant Session," "The Deutsch Mark Is Coming," and "Preparations for the Last TV Fake" follow suit, with the emphasis on brass and woodwinds changing from track to track. Still other pieces, such as "Childhood 2," "Letters," and "Mother Will Die" -- which uses shimmering vibes and excerpts of hushed dialogue in a particularly striking way -- aim at a deeper level of memories and sorrow; Tiersen's subtly but significantly shifting compositions are almost always quite moving, and Good Bye Lenin! is no exception. Despite being a rather lengthy score, some of the cues are so short that it's a little difficult to enjoy them fully. This is a minor complaint, though; Good Bye Lenin! is one of those rare scores that is just as affecting and cohesive outside of the movie theater as it is inside of it. ~ Review by Heather Phares, All Music Guide
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  The Miracle of Bern / Das Wunder von Bern (2003)
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Nowhere in Africa / Nirgendwo in Afrika (2001) || LISTEN
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Run Lola Run / Lola rennt (1998) || LISTEN | REVIEW: German film Run Lola Run has been compared to a 70-minute rock video: nonstop action and music, and (for better or worse) not a whole lot of plot. But the premise works, as does the film's high-energy techno soundtrack. Most of the tunes on this disc are credited to the trio of Tykwer/Klimek/Heil--the threesome of film director Tom Tykwer, techno producer John Klimek, and Rynhold Heil (best known as the producer of German pop import 99 Luftballons by Nena). Included are several remixes of the movie's main themes, the bass-heavy "Rock Me" by Pills, and "Wish," featuring the vocals of Franka Potente (Lola herself). There are a ton of soundtracks that have employed dance music, but few work as successfully as Run Lola Run. There's a cohesiveness to this dark and furious mix of beats that your typical compilation just can't muster. ~ Review by Jason Verlinde
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The Princess and the Warrior / Der Krieger und die Kaiserin (2001) | LISTEN | REVIEW: The score/soundtrack for Tom Tykwer's The Princess & the Warrior is just as good as any "chill-out" themed compilation on the market, if not better, thanks to its consistency, its impeccably composed and arranged material, and the atmospheric alternate reality it creates. This is film music that complements the film itself perfectly and successfully exists apart from it; anyone who listens to the disc after viewing the film will inevitably get tugged back into it, and anyone who has not seen the film will undoubtedly feel as if they're being dropped into a dreamlike story of complicated, doomed relationships. For the film's music, Tykwer once again worked with Reinhold Heil and Johnny Klimek, who as a unit produced everything in conjunction with a number of collaborators. Dubbing themselves Pale 3, the trio (who had previously worked together on Tykwer's Winter Sleepers and Run Lola Run) enlisted a small roster of talented, accomplished vocalists: Skin (ex-Skunk Anansie), Anita Lane, Alison Goldfrapp, Louise Rhodes (Lamb), Beth Hirsch, the duo 12 Rounds, and actress/Run Lola Run star Franka Potente, who plays the lead role in the film. The first half of the disc is devoted to songs featuring the vocalists. Each vocalist played an active role, writing lyrics that have tie-ins to the story, contributing music, and ultimately chipping in with performances that rate well with (and generally fit stylistically alongside) their primary outlets. Atmospheric, hazy, and densely layered, the Pale 3 productions fit somewhere within electronica and ambient terrains with lively, intricate, subtle cores. The instrumental material that follows the seven vocal numbers paces within a similar realm, incorporating lush swathes of strings and the singular "infinite guitar" work of Michael Brook. Given Tykwer and company's production range and their knack for finding ideal and enthusiastic people to work with, it wouldn't be a surprise if his soundtracks begin to be anticipated as much as the films they're accompanying. ~ Review by Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
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Aimée & Jaguar (1999) | LISTEN
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Beyond Silence / Jenseits der Stille (1996) | LISTEN
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The Promise / Das Versprechen (1995)
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  Maybe ... Maybe not / Der bewegte Mann (1994) || LISTEN
[Note that though the list of song titles has been translated into English, songs are in German. See the German titles here.]
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Wings Of Desire / Der Himmel über Berlin (1987) || LISTEN | REVIEW: A little bit of everything can be found on this soundtrack to German director Wim Wenders's 1987 film: theme music, songs from the film, and even some dialogue. It's an eclectic mix, but it hangs together well, instantly evoking the moody, somber texture of Wenders's remarkable story of an angel's desire to once again become flesh and blood. Jürgen Knieper's solemn, meditative string compositions dominate the first half of the disc, interspersed with actor Bruno Ganz's reading of the Rainer Maria Rilke poem "Lied Vom Kindsein (Song of Childhood)"; it's a dramatic effect that works here almost as well as it does onscreen over sweeping panoramas of a still-divided Berlin. And even if you haven't seen the film, several songs featured prominently in it make this soundtrack an essential listen--namely, Nick Cave's relentlessly spooky "The Carny" and Crime and the City Solution's brilliantly droopy "Six Bells Chime." Elsewhere, we get full-length versions of songs heard only (tantalizingly!) in the background in the film, including Tuxedomoon's très européen "Some Guys" and Laurie Anderson's ethereal "Angel Fragments." Wunderbar! ~ Review by Steve Landau
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Das Boot (1981) || LISTEN
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The Blue Angel / Der blaue Engel (Marlene Dietrich) LISTEN | REVIEW: The remastered CD treatment of the soundtrack for Josef von Sternberg's 1930 classic Der Blaue Engel (The Blue Angel), with Emil Jannings and Marlene Dietrich, is reverently reissued without the disease of collector fetishism as an end point. The sound has been dramatically improved from any extant or early version; the 24-bit digital remaster contains all of the nuances of Frederick Hollander's orchestra playing the score, and captures Dietrich's plaintive voice faithfully, without embellishment, or any noticeable loss in dynamic. Musically, these are cabaret songs that play as significant part in the movie's plot, in terms of establishing the dimension and depth of the characters. As a listening experience, it is flawless, a beautiful document of the time and place, which is performed and recorded astonishingly well. This is an essential addition to any serious classic film soundtrack library. ~ Review by Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
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The Music from Rainer Werner Fassbinder Films | LISTEN
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German Movies: The UFA Years
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If you're interested in cinema,
see our list of German films on DVD & VHS
and our list of books on German cinema.



Popular & contemporary German music | German movie soundtracks | East German music
German classical music | German folk & traditional music | German Christmas carols | Kinderlieder
German books | German magazines | German newspapers | German film | German music

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