Germany in Autumn (1978): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1978, Germany in Autumn is a drama and documentary film directed by Volker Schlöndorff, running about 123 minutes.

What it’s about. Germany in Autumn does not have a plot per se; it mixes documentary footage, along with standard movie scenes, to give the audience the mood of Germany during the late 1970s. The movie covers the two month time period during 1977 when a businessman was kidnapped, and later murdered, by the left-wing terrorists known as the RAF-Rote Armee Fraktion (Red Army Fraction). The businessman had been kidnapped in an effort to secure the release of the orginal leaders of the RAF, also known as the Baader-Meinhof gang. When the kidnapping effort and a plane hijacking effort failed, the three most prominent leaders of the RAF, Andreas Baader, Gudrun Ensslin, and Jan-Carl Raspe, all committed suicide in prison. It has become an article of faith within the left-wing community that these three were actually murdered by the state.

Who’s in it. Germany in Autumn stars Hannelore Hoger as Gabi Teichert, Angela Winkler as Antigone, Vadim Glowna as Freiermuth and Katja Rupé as Franziska Busch, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.4/10, Germany in Autumn has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Germany in Autumn page.

If you liked it. Fans of Germany in Autumn tend to enjoy The Shawshank Redemption, The Godfather, Schindler's List and The Godfather Part II.