The Third Reich era of Germany ("Nazi Germany") lasted from Adolf Hitler's assumption of power on 30 January 1933 to Karl Dönitz's surrender at the end of World War II on 8 May 1945. While not as highly regarded as films of the preceding Weimar Republic era, the films of Nazi Germany, mainly made under control of Joseph Goebbels, hold a fascination for many, both as historical documents of one of the most important periods of 20th century history, as well as for their own artistic merit. While some of them are popular only within the Neo-Nazi subculture, comedies starring Heinz Rühmann rank among the favourites of all Germans, and the propaganda films of Leni Riefenstahl have been influential, though controversial.
A total of 1,084 feature films were shown in cinemas in Nazi Germany.
Note: This year includes films released during both the Weimar and Nazi eras
See main article: List of German films of 1933.
See main article: List of German films of 1934.
See main article: List of German films of 1935.
See main article: List of German films of 1936.
See main article: List of German films of 1937.
See main article: List of German films of 1938.
See main article: List of German films of 1939.
See main article: List of German films of 1940.
See main article: List of German films of 1941.
See main article: List of German films of 1942.
See main article: List of German films of 1943.
See main article: List of German films of 1944.
See main article: List of German films of 1945.
Note: These were series of films that, in most cases, spanned multiple years.
| width=29% | Title | width=16% | Director | width=18% | Cast | width=11% | Genre | width=26% | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agfa-Schmalfilm-Monatsschau | Produced by IG Farben | ||||||||
| Degeto Weltspiegel | |||||||||
| Deulig-Tonwoche | |||||||||
| Die Deutsche Monatsschau | The German Monthly Show; newsreel series | ||||||||
| Die Deutsche Wochenschau | The German Weekly Show; newsreel series | ||||||||
| Deutscher Sport im Kriegsjahr | Produced by IG Farben | ||||||||
| Echo der Heimat | |||||||||
| Die Frontschau | The Front Show; Series of technical films shown to soldiers before they were sent to the Eastern Front | ||||||||
| Junges Europa | |||||||||
| Panorama | Monthly news human interest series; in color | ||||||||
| Tobis-Wochenschau | |||||||||
| Ufa-Auslands-Tonwoche | |||||||||
| Ufa-Europa-Woche | |||||||||
| UFA Tonewoche | |||||||||
Films that could not be complete or released until after the end of World War II.
| width=29% | Title | width=16% | Director | width=18% | Cast | width=11% | Genre | width=26% | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eine alltägliche Geschichte | Gustav Fröhlich, Marianne Simson, Karl Schönböck | An everyday story | |||||||
| Am Ende der Welt | Brigitte Horney, Attila Hörbiger, Bogusław Samborski | At the end of the world | |||||||
| Das Ghetto | Documentary | Filmed in 1942, never finished; subject of the 2010 documentary A Film Unfinished | |||||||
| Wolfgang Liebeneiner | Heinrich George, Marianne Hoppe, Hilde Krahl, Viktor de Kowa, Gustav Knuth | Life Continues | |||||||
| Das kalte Herz | Karl Ulrich Schnabel | Filmed in 1933 and released 2016 | |||||||
| Das Mädchen Juanita | Wolfgang Staudte | Documentary | |||||||
| Hans Steinhoff | Hans Albers | In Agfacolor | |||||||
| Tiefland | Leni Riefenstahl | Filmed 1940–1944, the film was completed after World War II and released in 1954 | |||||||
| Unter den Brücken | Helmut Käutner | Under the Bridges |