40th Berlin International Film Festival


The 40th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 9 to 20 February 1990. The festival opened with Steel Magnolias by Herbert Ross, which was shown out of competition. The Golden Bear was awarded ex aequo to the American film Music Box directed by Costa-Gavras and Czechoslovak film Skřivánci na niti directed by Jiří Menzel. The retrospective of this edition included two programs: The Year 1945, dedicated to international productions released in 1945, and 40 Years Berlinale, dedicated to some of the most significant films presented during the past editions of the festival.

Jury

The following people were announced as being on the jury for the festival:
The following films were in competition for the Golden Bear:
English titleOriginal titleDirectorCountry
Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!¡Átame!Pedro AlmodóvarSpain
AngelsLos ángelesJacob BergerSpain, France, Switzerland, Belgium
The Asthenic SyndromeAstenicheskiy sindromKira MuratovaSoviet Union
Black SnowXie FeiChina
Born on the Fourth of JulyBorn on the Fourth of JulyOliver StoneUSA
Coming OutHeiner CarowEast Germany
Driving Miss DaisyDriving Miss DaisyBruce BeresfordUSA
Shadow MakersShadow MakersRoland JofféUSA
Sentenced to DeathA halálraítéltJános ZsombolyaiHungary
The Handmaid's TaleThe Handmaid's TaleVolker SchlöndorffUSA, West Germany
Herzlich willkommenHark BohmWest Germany
The GuardKaraulAleksandr RogozhkinSoviet Union
The Paper WeddingLes noces de papierMichel BraultCanada
Music BoxMusic BoxCosta-GavrasUSA
The Nasty GirlDas schreckliche MädchenMichael VerhoevenWest Germany
The SecretIl segretoFrancesco MaselliItaly
Silent ScreamSilent ScreamDavid HaymanUnited Kingdom
Larks on a StringSkřivánci na nitiJiří MenzelCzechoslovakia
The Winter WarTalvisotaPekka ParikkaFinland
A Woman's RevengeLa vengeance d'une femmeJacques DoillonFrance
The War of the RosesThe War of the RosesDanny DeVitoUSA

Out of competition

Retrospective

The following films were shown in the retrospective titled "The Year 1945":
English titleOriginal titleDirectorCountry
A Defeated PeopleHumphrey JenningsUnited Kingdom
A Diary for TimothyHumphrey JenningsUnited Kingdom
A Tree Grows in BrooklynElia KazanUSA
Fall of Berlin – 1945Берлин BerlinYuli RaizmanSoviet Union
Images from German citiesBilder aus deutschen StädtenGermany
Brief EncounterDavid LeanUnited Kingdom
Tragic HuntCaccia tragicaGiuseppe De SantisItaly
Girl No. 217Человек № 217 Chelovek No. 217Mikhail RommSoviet Union
The German newsreel of 1945Die Deutsche Wochenschau aus dem Jahr 1945Josef von BákyGermany
Night of the TwelveDie Nacht der ZwölfHans SchweikartGermany
Death MillsDie TodesmühlenHanuš BurgerGermany
Fahrt ins GlückErich EngelGermany
Fallen AngelOtto PremingerUSA
Germany, Year ZeroGermania anno zeroRoberto RosselliniItaly
Days of GloryGiorni di gloriaLuchino Visconti, Giuseppe De Santis and Marcello PaglieroItaly
Great Freedom No. 7Große Freiheit Nr. 7Helmut KäutnerGermany
Children of the Beehive蜂の巣の子供たち Hachi no su no kodomotachiHiroshi ShimizuJapan
Henry VLaurence OlivierUnited Kingdom
Here Is GermanyFrank CapraUSA
Hitler LivesDon SiegelUSA
Hollywood Victory CaravanWilliam D. RussellUSA
HungerHongerRudi HorneckerNetherlands
Hotel BerlinPeter GodfreyUSA
The BanditIl banditoAlberto LattuadaItaly
Ivan the TerribleИван Грозный Ivan GrozniySergei EisensteinSoviet Union
Victory of Women女性の勝利 Josei no shōriKenji MizoguchiJapan
KolbergKolbergVeit HarlanGermany
The Battle of the RailsLa Bataille du railRené ClémentFrance
Lapin tuhoBrita WredeFinland
Le 6 juin à l'aubeJean GrémillonFrance
ReunionLe RetourHenri Cartier-BressonFrance
The Ladies of the Bois de BoulogneLes Dames du Bois de BoulogneRobert BressonFrance
Children of ParadiseLes Enfants du ParadisMarcel CarnéFrance
The DamnedLes MauditsRené ClémentFrance
Let There Be LightJohn HustonUSA
Mathilde MöhringMathilde MöhringRolf HansenGermany
The Famous Sword Bijomaru名刀美女丸 Meitō BijomaruKenji MizoguchiJapan
Mildred PierceMichael CurtizUSA
NinotchkaErnst LubitschUSA
Objective, Burma!Raoul WalshUSA
Rome, Open CityRoma città apertaRoberto RosselliniItaly
San FranciscoWillard Van DykeUSA
Scarlet StreetFritz LangUSA
The Battle of San PietroJohn HustonUSA
The House on 92nd StreetHenry HathawayUSA
Die letzte ChanceDie letzte ChanceLeopold LindtbergSwitzerland
The Lost WeekendBilly WilderUSA
The Story of G.I. JoeWilliam A. WellmanUSA
The StrangerOrson WellesUSA
The True GloryGarson Kanin and Carol ReedUnited Kingdom, USA
They Were ExpendableJohn FordUSA
LowlandsTieflandLeni RiefenstahlWest Germany
The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail虎の尾を踏む男達 Tora no O o Fumu OtokotachiAkira KurosawaJapan
Hymn of the NationsAlexander HammidUSA
To the Shores of Iwo JimaUSA
Two PeopleTva människorCarl Theodor DreyerSweden
Two Down and One to GoFrank CapraUSA
Under the BridgesUnter den BrückenHelmut KäutnerGermany
Somewhere in EuropeValahol EurópábanGéza von RadványiHungary
Via MalaVia MalaJosef von BákyGermany
Encounter at the ElbeВстреча на Эльбе Vstrecha na ElbeGrigori Aleksandrov and Aleksey UtkinSoviet Union
War Comes to AmericaFrank Capra and Anatole LitvakUSA
The Annihilation of BerlinZaglada BerlinaJerzy BossakPoland

Awards

The following prizes were awarded by the Jury: