Peter Baumgartner talks about his life and work as a DoP for Erwin C. Dietrich and Jess Franco.

Spring 1945, the "Greater German Reich" is crumbling in the face of imminent military defeat. In Brandenburg, not far from Berlin, four 15-year-old teenagers have discovered a food depot that has been buried by war debris. They discover a cellar full of hams, sausages, preserves and tinned food. Paradise seems to have broken out for the four of them, even before the general horror comes to an end. But Antek, one of the four boys, soon discovers a little boy who has escaped from a concentration camp and has found a hiding place right here, in the cellar, on this island of plenty, in order to survive the Nazi madness after all. His name is Abiram and he is now dependent for better or worse on the goodwill of Willi, Antek, Zick and Paule, who are almost the same age.

Margarita is found, naked and bloody in a luxurious house and is promptly taken to a mental institute. The doctors and nurses meant to take care of her aren't exactly who they seem and a mysterious figure, clad in black, circles the premise at night, offing nubile young women.

An antique bed relates passionate stories about various people who have made love on it throughout the decades of the 20th century. Said folks include a sweet young virgin, a sly prostitute who helps a jilted woman get revenge on her unfaithful husband, a German soldier fighting in World War II who's on leave for two hours, and a carefree modern couple.

A series of vignettes depict different sexual fantasies.

Simon, the leader of a police special unit, becomes caught up in a complex scheme involving bribery and money-laundering, as well as an affair with the beautiful wife of a government official investigating organized crime and political corruption. After the official is kidnapped, the chase leads to a dramatic conclusion high in the Bavarian Alps.

Anna and Edith are colleagues at an insurance company. Their male chef uses the women's business success to his own advances. Anna's husband would prefer her to be at home. Anna and Edith become a couple, but it doesn't end with a romantic rendez-vous. Together, and with the help of their female colleagues, they want to improve their work conditions.

Donizetti's opera as film.