# 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 |

## 1910-1912

| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes |
| 1910 |||||
| Arsène Lupin contra Sherlock Holmes | Viggo Larsen | Viggo Larsen, Paul Otto | Crime | 5 part serial |
| Die geheimnisvolle Streichholzdose | Guido Seeber | | Animated film | Available online here |
| Sumurûn | Max Reinhardt | | | |
| 1911 |||||
| Gipsy Blood | Urban Gad | Asta Nielsen | Drama | a.k.a. Heißes Blut |
| Das Liebesglück der Blinden [de] | Curt A. Stark [de], Heinrich Bolten-Baeckers | Henny Porten | Drama | English: The Love of a Blind Girl or The Happy Love of a Blind Girl |
| Den sorte drøm [da; de; fi; it; no] | Urban Gad | Asta Nielsen | Drama | a.k.a. Der schwarze Traum. German-Danish co-production |
| 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 |||||
| The Dance of Death | Urban Gad | Asta Nielsen | Drama | |
| In Nacht und Eis | Mime Misu | | Disaster | 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 | Asta Nielsen | Drama | |
| Der Schatten des Meeres [de] | Curt A. Stark [de] | Henny Porten | Drama | 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

| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes |
| Der Film von der Königin Luise [de] | Franz Porten | Hansi Arnstaedt | biopic | English: A Film of Queen Louise; in 3 parts |
| Die Insel der Seligen [de] | Max Reinhardt | Ernst Hofmann, Willy Prager, Wilhelm Diegelmann, Leopoldine Konstantin | Fantasy | |
| The Life and Works of Richard Wagner [de] | Carl Froelich William Wauer | Giuseppe Becce, Olga Engl | biopic | |
| Der neue Schreibtisch | Karl Valentin | Karl Valentin | Comedy | |
| The Other | Max Mack | Albert Bassermann | Thriller | |
| Das rosa Pantöffelchen [de] | Franz Hofer | Dorrit Weixler | Comedy | English: The Pink Slippers |
| Der Steckbrief [it] | Franz Hofer | Paul Meffert [de], Maria Forescu | | |
| The Student of Prague | Stellan Rye, Paul Wegener | Paul Wegener | Horror | English: A Bargain With Satan |
| The Weapons of Youth | Friedrich Müller | Gertrud Gräbner, Conrad Wiene | | Screenplay by Robert Wiene |

## 1914

| Title | Director | Cast | Genre |
| The Armoured Vault | Joe May | Ernst Reicher, Hermann Picha, Fritz Richard | Thriller |
| Detektiv Braun | Rudolf Meinert | Alwin Neuß, Friedrich Kühne | Crime |
| 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 |
| Der Hund von Baskerville | Rudolf Meinert | Alwin Neuß, Friedrich Kühne | Crime |
| The Iron Cross | Richard Oswald | Friedrich Kühne, Hedda Vernon, Hanni Weisse | Drama |
| Ivan Koschula | Richard Oswald | Rudolph Schildkraut, Hanni Weisse | Drama |
| Little Angel | Urban Gad | Asta Nielsen | Comedy |
| 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 |
| Eine venezianische Nacht [de] | Max Reinhardt | Alfred Abel, Maria Carmi | |

## 1915

| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes |
| Aufs Eis geführt | Ernst Lubitsch | Ernst Lubitsch, Albert Paulig | Comedy | |
| 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 | |
| Der Golem | Henrik Galeen, Paul Wegener | Paul Wegener | Horror | |
| Ein Held des Unterseebootes | Walter Schmidthässler | | documentary | |
| Laugh Bajazzo | Richard Oswald | Rudolph Schildkraut, Alfred Abel, Hanni Weisse | Drama | |
| 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 | Science fiction | |
| 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 | |

## 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 | |
| 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 | |
| Die Peitsche | Adolf Gartner | Ernst Reicher, Nelly Ridon | Drama | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |
| 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 | |