Episode 1: Jochen and Marion
It’s a birthday celebration for the family matriarch (Luise Ullrich) as her grandson Jochen (Gottfried John) goes out to buy more champagne for his annoying aunt Klara (Christine Oesterlein) is when he meets Marion (Hanna Schygulla) who is trying to buy pickles from a vending machine. The two immediately fall in love as Jochen introduces her to his family as she would later befriend Jochen’s sister Monika (Renate Roland) who is trying to find a friend to talk to due to her strained marriage to Harald (Kurt Raab). The episode also has Jochen dealing with problems at his job working at a factory making tools where he comes up with a plan that he hopes would help the workers only for their bonuses to be pulled. It all plays into this man falling in love and trying to do good for everyone he works including a middle-aged foreman in Kretzschmer (Victor Curland) who sympathizes with the workers.
Episode 2: Grandma and Gregor
Grandma and her new boyfriend Gregor (Werner Finck) go apartment hunting throughout the city as they discover not just the high prices for the apartments but also places with terrible locations. Upon discovering a place that they feel is suitable for them despite its expensive yet fair price, they see that a local library is shutting down as they decided to turn the place into a kindergarten for the neighborhood children to play despite being unable to get a permit to hold such a place. Yet, it would take mothers from the neighborhood, Jochen, Marion, and several of Jochen’s co-workers to help out. The episode also play into Jochen and Marion’s growing relationship as her little brother Manni (Thorsten Massinger) would attend the kindergarten along with Monika’s daughter Sylvia (Andrea Schober). Another subplot involves Franz (Wolfgang Schenck) trying to become the new full-time foreman with the support of Jochen and other co-workers.
Episode 3: Franz and Ernst
The episode revolves around Franz trying to pass a foreman exam despite the fact that he’s not very good at math and the company has already hired a new foreman from another company in Ernst (Peter Gauhe) despite a promise to Franz that he would get the job if he passed his exam. Jochen and Marion help out as does his fellow co-workers while Jochen’s best friend Manfred (Wolfgang Zerlett) gets to know Ernst as he learns more about him where a stunt to get Ernst fired backfires only for Ernst to take action to the surprise of everyone. The episode also includes a subplot in which Jochen’s father Wolf (Wolfried Lier) is unhappy at how quiet his apartment has been until Grandma comes up with an idea for him to quarrel with someone as things don’t work out.
Episode 4: Harald and Monika.
Gottfried and Marion take a huge step into their relationship though Gottfried’s first encounter with Marion’s mother (Brigitte Mira) is awkward leading to Marion’s mother being disapproving of the relationship. The two discuss the future of their relationship as they go to family and friends for advice as they both make a decision that would impact everyone. The episode also play into the disintegrating relationship between Harald and Monika as the latter turns to Gottfried, Marion, her parents, and her grandmother for help as she wants a divorce but Harald wants custody of their daughter leading to many issues. It would all culminate at a wedding party for Gottfried and Marion where a lot happens including the resolution over Marion and Harald with the unexpected help of Klara.
Episode 5: Irmgard and Rolf.
When news that a new factory is to be built at the other side of town that would force workers to be relocated making things for them including Gottfried difficult just as he and Marion bought a new apartment. It also makes things worse for Marion’s friend/co-worker Irmgard (Irm Hermann) who had just began a relationship with one of Gottfried’s co-workers in Rolf (Rudolf Waldemar Brem) as they met at Gottfried and Marion’s wedding party. Gottfried, Franz, and the other workers come up with a plan they would hope that would benefit them as they turn to the factory’s head manager Dr. Betram (Klaus Lowitsch) who reads their proposals and takes it into consideration. The episode also plays into Manfred’s longing for Monika who embarks into a relationship with a man that is trying to pull her into a scheme. Gottfried and Marion concoct a big plan as it relates to the apartment that Gottfried’s parents would own as a way to plan for their future with Rolf and Irmgard living with them as they would succeed but Marion laments over the role of working people as it relates to everything Gottfried is working for.
The TV miniseries follows the lives of the Epp family as they live in Cologne, West Germany as they deal with many social and political changes that occur in their lives. Yet, for all of the chaos and dysfunction that looms within the family is a lot of love no matter how much they annoy each other sometimes. Even as various individuals in the family would embark their own lives with Gottfried and Marion being in the center along with Gottfried’s grandmother and her boyfriend Gregor being this support system for Gottfried, Monika, and Marion. Even as Marion’s younger brother Manni and Monika’s daughter Sylvia become friends at the kindergarten that Grandma and Gregor would run. Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s script play into the many schematics that would occur throughout the family as well as the people that surround them including Gottfried’s co-workers who often help out with Gottfried also helping them out as well.
Fassbinder’s direction is engaging for the way he portrays the life of a working-class family in Cologne as each episode opens with the notable locations of the city and the closing shot would be of a factory next to a canal as a canal boat would pass by. The city would be a key character in the film with Fassbinder using certain locations and such to play into this world that these characters live in as it is this world that is vibrant for many involved despite the fact that there’s also things that the working class doesn’t have. While there are some wide shots to play into some of the locations, much of Fassbinder’s direction remains intimate with its usage of close-ups and medium shots. Even in scenes where conversations occur as he would pan the camera from one area to another or to use a dolly-tracking shot to circle around a table. Yet, Fassbinder would also play into this world that is the factory that would include bits such as a wide shot of all of the men showering with glimpses of full-frontal nudity along with other quirks that add to miniseries relating to humor and drama.
Fassbinder also plays into the family dynamic as Wolf always likes to get into arguments and such with his wife Kathe (Anita Bucher) always trying to get him to calm down and make him see reason. Yet, whenever there’s a party and he’s drunk. He is this jovial and lively person that wants to dance with every woman in the party but also be extremely loving towards Kathe as it plays into a man who has a hard time dealing with reality unless he gets drunk and not worry too much. Fassbinder also play into a lot of things such as the fact that Grandma and Gregor likes to eat at a restaurant surrounded by pet birds while Gottfried and Marion often hang out at certain places they like with American and British music in the background. Fassbinder maintains this atmosphere that does feel loose but also has this element of socialist ideals in the way Gottfried, Marion, Grandma, and Gregor approach things in wanting to help people though it is about getting paid fairly for Gottfried and Marion while Grandma and Marion want to help out. The series’ ending at five episodes, instead of the original eight that Fassbinder had intended to, is about everything Gottfried and Marion had worked for but also this realization into the way the world works with Grandma and Gregor seeing a hopeful world for everyone around them. Overall, Fassbinder crafts a heartfelt and whimsical film about the life of a working class family in Cologne, West Germany.
Cinematographer Dietrich Lohmann does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on low-key yet colorful natural lighting for some of the interiors along with the usage of available light for some exterior scenes at night. Editor Marie Anne Gerhardt does excellent work with the editing with its approach to jump-cuts as well as some straight cuts for some dramatic and humorous moments. Production designers Manfred Lutz, Kurt Raab, and costume designer Gisela Rocken do amazing work with the look of the homes that the characters live in as well as the office that Marion works at with Irmgard as well as the factory that Jochen works at and the kindergarten that Grandma and Gregor run with Rocken creating some unique clothing of the times including some of the dresses that Marion and Monika wear.
The sound work of Gerhardt Trampert is superb for its natural approach to sound as it plays to everything that is happening as well as some unique sound effects that add to the film’s humor and drama. The music by Jean Gepoint is wonderful for its playful score with its usage of woodwinds and folk instruments as it play into this working class environment these characters live in with a soundtrack that includes various German pop tunes of the times as well as music from Janis Joplin, Gilbert O’Sullivan, Neil Young, Leonard Cohen, Ennio Morricone, Spooky Tooth, the Drifters, Elvis Presley, Little Richard, the Rolling Stones, Paul Anka, the Everly Brothers, Bobby Darin, Paul Anka, and the Velvet Underground .
The film’s marvelous cast feature some notable small roles and appearances from Eva Mattes as a café waitress, Ulli Lommel as Marion’s ex-boyfriend Peter, Margit Carstensen as a woman who used to run the library that would become the kindergarten that Grandma and Gregor would run, Klaus Lowitsch as the factory manager Dr. Betram who is willing to listen to the workers for their demands knowing what good could come from it, Brigitte Mira as Marion’s mother who doesn’t approve of Gottfried at first until she gets to know him and his family, Ruth Drexel as Franz’s wife, Katrin Schaake as a landlady, Christine Oesterlein as the bourgeois aunt Klara who is a drama queen to the family, and Hans Gromball as a man Monika meets after her divorce in the fifth episode who tries to get her and Grandma into a money investment that Grandma is suspicious about. In the roles of various co-workers that Jochen works with in the factory include Victor Curland as the old foreman Kretzschmer as a man that everyone likes, Rainer Hauer as supervisor Gross, Karl Scheydt as Peter, Grigorios Karipidis as the Italian immigrant Giuseppe, Peter Gauhe as Kretzschmer’s replacement Ernst who didn’t want the job as he would help Franz in getting the job, Hans Hirschmuller as Jurgen, Herb Andress as the often cynical Rudiger who dislikes Giuseppe because he’s a foreigner, El Hedi ben Salem as another immigrant worker in Arbeiter, and Rudolf Waldemar Brem as Rolf whom Irmgard would meet at a party and fall for.
Wolfgang Schenck is terrific as Franz as a kindly man whom the workers like as they vouch for him as a foreman despite his poor math until Ernst helps him. Andrea Schober and Thorsten Massinger are superb in their respective roles as Monika/Harald’s daughter Sylvia and Marion’s younger brother Manni as two adolescent kids who befriend each other at Grandma and Gregor’s kindergarten with the latter helping the former over her issues with her dad. Wolfgang Zerlett is fantastic as Manfred as Jochen’s best friend who often pines for Monika as well as be a friend to the family. Kurt Raab is excellent as Sylvia’s father/Monika’s husband Harald as a man that is all about discipline and order as he is also cruel while Renate Roland is brilliant as Monika as a woman eager to have some freedom in her life but also some happiness in her life while finding a friend in Marion. Irm Hermann is amazing as Marion’s best friend/co-worker Irmgard as a woman who is quite cynical at times yet finds herself feeling happier upon meeting Rolf.
Anita Bucher and Wolfried Lier are incredible in their respective roles as Jochen and Monika’s parents in Kathe and Wolf with the former as this woman who is trying to keep things calm and be supportive as well as be calm towards the latter who is often frustrated with the world yet is a far kinder person when he gets drunk. Werner Finck ad Luise Ulrich are great in their respective roles as Gregor and Grandma as the former is a widower who falls for Grandma and helps out her in her ideas while the latter is this energetic slice of life who has ideas while is also full of love in the people she helps out as she is a major standout of the film. Hanna Schygulla is radiant as Marion as a young woman who works for a newspaper as she falls for Jochen while is also a woman with her own mind as she helps out Jochen’s friends and family. Finally there’s Gottfried John in a phenomenal performance as Jochen Epp as young man who works in a factory as he does what he can to help out his co-workers while also falling in love with Marion as he starts to think about a life of his own while dealing with the dysfunction within the family.
Acht Stunden sind kein Tag is a tremendous TV miniseries from Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Featuring a great ensemble cast, a compelling story that explores a family dealing with many life changes, lovely visuals, and a fantastic music soundtrack. It is a TV miniseries that follows the life of a family as well as explore the ideas of a socialist world clashing with ideas of capitalism. In the end, Acht Stunden sind kein Tag is a spectacular TV miniseries from Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
Rainer Werner Fassbinder Films: Love is Colder Than Death - (Katzelmacher) - (Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?) - (Rio das Mortes) - (The American Soldier) - (Whity) - (Beware of a Holy Whore) – The Merchant of Four Seasons - The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant - (Jailbait) - World on a Wire - Ali: Fear Eats the Soul - (Martha (1974 film)) - (Effi Briest) - (Fox and His Friends) - (Mother Kuster’s Trip to Heaven) – (I Only Want You to Love Me) – Satan's Brew - (Chinese Roulette) - (Germany in Autumn) - (Despair) - (In a Year of 13 Moons) – The Marriage of Maria Braun - (Third Generation) - Berlin Alexanderplatz - (Lili Marleen) – Lola (1981 film) - Veronika Voss - Querelle
© thevoid99 2023
Set in early 1950s Munich, the film follows a former policeman who had returned from the French Foreign Legion years ago as he struggles with his new life working as a fruit vendor as he laments over his marriage, the disdain he gets from his family, his longing for his former lover, and the state of his own life. It is a film that is a character study of sorts that plays into a man who is likeable and was doing well as a policeman until an incident began this downward spiral as well as being rejected by the love of his life where he would marry someone else and have a child only to treat them horribly. Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s screenplay follows the plight of its protagonist Hans Epp (Hans Hirschmuller) who is first seen arriving from his service for the French Foreign Legion to see his mother (Gusti Kreissl) who isn’t happy that he’s home as she laments over a friend of his who had died and thought he was a better person as it sets the tone for the many hardships, criticism, and chaos that would loom for Hans.
Notably as it shifts to a few years later where Hans is peddling fruit on a cart with his wife Irmgard (Irm Hermann) who is taller and skinnier than him as they struggle to make ends meet as they have a daughter in Renate (Andrea Schober). Still, Hans is struggling to reconnect with his former flame (Ingrid Caven) who is already married and with a life of her own while he still ponders about his own life and how underwhelming it is. Even as he returns drunk as he laments about his past and comes home beating up Irmgard who goes to his mother and sisters where Hans would have a heart attack. Irmgard would reluctantly go back to Hans and help him run his fruit merchant business by getting someone else to do the job since Hans is unable to due to his health. Yet, things become complicated with Hans lamenting once again about his own existence and what he means to the people around him.
Fassbinder’s direction is largely straightforward in terms of its setting and location as it is shot in Munich while it also emphasizes a lot of characteristics similar to the American melodramas of Douglas Sirk. Notably in a scene where Hans goes to his mother’s house to apologize to Irmgard and Renate over what happened as his mother, sisters, his brother-in-law Kurt (Kurt Raab) watch where everyone but his older sister Anna (Hanna Schygulla) watch with disgust as it is the moment where Hans would have his heart attack. Much of Fassbinder’s compositions emphasize on medium shots and close-ups to play into the drama and dark humor while using the camera to play into a man dealing with isolation and resentment. There are also flashbacks that often appear in the film as it play into Hans’ life such as his time with his lover whom he is head over heels for as he has to leave her for military service while it also showcases the incident that got him fired from the police force. The latter of which is among some of the humorous moments of the film.
Also serving as the film’s music composer with arrangements from Peer Raben, Fassbinder aims for a low-key approach to the music as it is largely based on German folk music with Rocco Granata’s song Buona Notte being a key piece of music that is used as it plays into Hans’ nostalgia for a better love life and his feelings for his old lover. The film’s third act play into not just a reunion with an old friend from the Foreign Legion in Harry (Klaus Lowitsch) who would work with Hans and Irmgard as he would bring good fortune for them but Hans suddenly is filled with uncertainty over his own time as a merchant and how much he struggled. Even as it leads to this journey of him trying to find some meaning in his life as a dinner where he’s with his family as it is a discomforting moment because he’s the center of attention and he’s not comfortable with it at all where Renate thought about what her aunt Anna said in a scene during the film’s second act. Overall, Fassbinder crafts a rapturous yet chilling film about a man dealing with his own existence, life choices, and other things that has kept him down into despair.
Cinematographer Dietrich Lohmann does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as it is largely straightforward for many of the daytime exterior scenes as well as using available and additional lighting for some of the interior scenes at night. Editor Thea Eymesz does excellent work with the editing as it is straightforward while having rhythmic cuts to play into some of the flashbacks as well as some intense moments in the drama. Art director/costume designer Kurt Raab, along with co-costume designer Uta Wilhelm, does fantastic work with the look of the apartment that Hans live with his family as well as the family apartment where Hans’ mother lives in along with the clothes where many of Hans’ family including his mother wear posh-like clothing as opposed to Hans who wears more working-class clothing.
The film’s wonderful ensemble cast feature notable small roles from Rainer Werner Fassbinder as an old friend of Hans whom he eats with at a restaurant where Harry works at, Elga Sorbas as the woman who would get Hans fired from the police force, Michael Fengler as a playboy trying to woo Irmgard when she’s walking home, the trio of Daniel Schmid, Harry Baer, and Marian Seldowsky as a trio of applicants being interviewed by Hans, Mark Bohm as the policeman who catches Hans in a compromising act that would get Hans fired, El Hedi ben Salem as an Arab soldier in a war flashback involving Hans and Harry, Peter Chatel as a doctor who tells Irmgard about the severity of Hans’ heart attack, and Walter Sedlmayr as a fruit cart seller who sells his cart to Irmgard. Karl Scheydt is terrific as a man named Anzell whom Hans hires to sell fruit for them as he was also someone Irmgard was with during Hans’ hospitalization.
Klaus Lowitsch is superb as Harry as an old war buddy of Hans who helps out him out while also being attentive towards Renate. Heide Simon and Kurt Raab are fantastic in their respective role as Hans’ younger sister Heide and her husband Kurt as they’re both critical of him with the latter being arrogant towards since he feels like a bigger success than Hans. Andrea Schober is excellent as Renate as Hans and Irmgard’s daughter who is a young girl just trying to understand what is going on as she also thinks about what her aunt said to her about her father’s issues as it would haunt her late in the film. Ingrid Caven is brilliant as Hans’ former lover as a woman who was the love of his life until he goes to the Foreign Legion only to marry someone else as she also pines for him despite that he’s married as well. Gusti Kreissl is amazing as Hans’ mother who always treats him with disdain and disappointment until he became successful yet is often cold towards him.
Hanna Schygulla is incredible as Hans’ older sister Anna who is the only person in his family who really cared about him despite being cynical around him yet is the one person who understands his issues while also telling Renate about his own plight. Irm Hermann is remarkable as Han’s wife Irmgard who deals with her husband’s cruelty and wild mood swings as she seeks to find happiness for herself only to deal with uncertainty in her desires and doing what is right for Hans. Finally, there’s Hans Hirschmuller in a sensational performance as Hans Epp as a man who tried to do everything right only to be met with disdain, neglect, and disappointment where Hirschmuller brings in the right kind of physicality to his performance but also someone who can be cruel towards those who care about him as it is an immensely riveting performance from Hirschmuller.
Handler der vier Jahreszeiten is a phenomenal film from Rainer Werner Fassbinder that features a great leading performance from Hans Hirschmuller. Along with its ensemble supporting cast, simplistic yet effective visuals, and its study of depression, disappointment, and self-destruction. It is a film that explore a man lamenting over what he doesn’t have and what he’s lost as well as the sense of mistreatment he has endured from those around him. In the end, Handler der vier Jahreszeiten is a sensational film from Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
Rainer Werner Fassbinder Films: Love is Colder than Death - (Katzelmacher) - (Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?) - (Rio das Mortes) - (The American Soldier) - (Whity) - (Beware of a Holy Whore) - The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant - Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day - (Jailbait) - World on a Wire - Ali: Fear Eats the Soul - (Martha (1974 film)) - (Effi Briest) - (Fox and His Friends) - (Mother Kuster’s Trip to Heaven) – (I Only Want You to Love Me) – Satan's Brew - (Chinese Roulette) - (Germany in Autumn) - (Despair) - (In a Year of 13 Moons) – The Marriage of Maria Braun - (Third Generation) - Berlin Alexanderplatz - (Lili Marleen) – Lola (1981 film) - Veronika Voss - Querelle
© thevoid99 2022
Written, directed, edited, co-art directed, and starring Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Liebe ist kalter als der Tod (Love is Colder than Death) is the story of a pimp who is in a love triangle with one of his prostitutes and a fellow gangster as they plan a robbery. The film is an unconventional crime drama that explore a man trying to make his own mark in the world of crime while being in the middle of a love triangle as well as try to evade other crime syndicates and such. Also starring Hanna Schygulla and Ulli Lommel. Liebe ist kalter als der Tod is an intriguing yet offbeat film from Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
The film is a simple story in the world of crime as a gangster goes to Munich to meet up with a pimp, he had met some time earlier at an interview for a crime syndicate, as they plan a robbery with the pimp’s prostitute girlfriend. It’s a film that explores two guys and a woman who all embark into a love triangle as well as try to make it in their own amidst the watch of figures from a crime syndicate as well as the authorities. Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s screenplay is quite minimalist as it is more about characters meeting each other and planning as well as moments where they wander around their surroundings as much of the film is set in Munich. The visiting gangster Bruno (Ulli Lommel) is someone, like the pimp Franz (Rainer Werner Fassbinder), both have been watched by this mysterious syndicate yet want to make their own marks. Helping them is Franz’s girlfriend Joanna (Hanna Schygulla) who isn’t fond of Bruno at first but realizes his value once Franz is suspected of killing a known gangster as she would spend some time with him.
Fassbinder’s direction also play into the simplistic tone of the story as he doesn’t really go for anything that is overly-stylized in terms of compositions. There aren’t a lot of close-ups nor wide shots in the film as it’s more about medium shots to capture the relationship between Bruno, Franz, and Joanna. Shot largely in Munich and areas near the city, Fassbinder would use some tracking shots for some of the exteriors in the city as well as a few movements in some of the interiors. Yet, much of Fassbinder’s direction involve him using the medium shots to create scenes in long takes to maintain some kind of theatricality in the acting. Also serving as the film’s editor under a pseudonym, Fassbinder does put in some jump-cuts in a few sequences as much of it is straightforward. Especially in some of the moments of violence where it does have element of style as it is a bit playful but also dark. Overall, Fassbinder creates an engaging yet exciting film about a gangster, a pimp, and a prostitute trying to start a robbery while being in a love triangle.
Cinematographer Dietrich Lohmann does excellent work with the film’s black-and-white cinematography as it has a grainy yet beautiful look in the way the daytime exterior scenes are shown as well as some of the interiors including some scenes at the department stores. Co-art director Ulli Lommel, along with Fassbinder, would do fantastic work in creating the sets such as the meeting room for the first scene as well as the apartment that Bruno and Joanna lived in. The sound work of Gottfried Hungsberg is terrific for the sound as it is mostly straightforward as well as low-key given to the film’s low-budget aesthetics. The film’s music by Peer Raben and Holger Munzer is superb for its mixture of blues, jazz, and rock to help create a chilling score with additional music presented from whatever is on the jukebox or on the radio.
The film’s brilliant cast feature some notable small roles from Peter Moland as an interrogator for the secret crime syndicate, Hannes Gromball as a client of Joanna who would come in at the wrong time, Irm Herrmann as a saleslady being conned by the trio, Peter Berling as a shoemaker who sells weapons, Monika Stadler as a waitress watching Bruno kill someone, and Katrin Schaake as a woman Bruno meets on a train on his way to Munich. Rainer Werner Fassbinder is excellent as Franz as a pimp that is trying to run his own business without the involvement of this syndicate as he copes with his relationship with Joanna and feelings for Bruno. Hanna Schygulla is amazing as Joanna as a prostitute who is also Franz’s girlfriend that is coping with the planning as well as the presence of Bruno whom she isn’t fond of at first. Finally, there’s Ulli Lommel in a marvelous performance as Bruno as a gangster that is also trying to make it on his own as he wants to create a partnership with Franz while becoming infatuated with Joanna as well as be very cunning in handling business.
Liebe ist kalter als der Tod is a remarkable film from Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Featuring a great cast as well as a compelling script, it’s a film that doesn’t play by the rules while not being afraid to give in toward it low-budget aesthetics. In the end, Liebe ist kalter als der Tod is a marvelous film from Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
Rainer Werner Fassbinder Films: (Katzelmacher) - (Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?) - (Rio das Mortes) - (The American Soldier) - (Whity) - (Beware of a Holy Whore) - The Merchant of Four Seasons - The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant - World on a Wire - Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day - (Jailbait) - Ali: Fear Eats the Soul - (Martha (1974 film)) - (Effi Briest) - (Fox and His Friends) - (Mother Kuster’s Trip to Heaven) - Satan's Brew - (Chinese Roulette) - (Germany in Autumn) - (Despair) - (In a Year of 13 Moons) - The Marriage of Maria Braun - (Third Generation) - Berlin Alexanderplatz - (Lili Marleen) - Lola (1981 film) - Veronika Voss - Querelle
© thevoid99 2017
Written and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Angst essen seele auf (Ali: Fear Eats the Soul) is the story of an Arab worker who meets a lonely widow in Germany as they fall in love much to the shock of family and friends. The film is a melodramatic look into two people falling in love despite the ethnic tension that was happening in early 1970s West Germany. Starring Brigitte Mira, El Hedi Ben Salem, Barbara Valentin, and Irm Hermann. Angst essen seele auf is a ravishing yet captivating film from Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
The film’s premise is very simple as it is this simple love story between a middle-aged German widow who meets a young Arab worker at a bar where they chat, dance, and fall in love. The relationship shocks not just friends of the woman including her fellow tenants in the apartment she lives but her three adult children are also in shock by this relationship. Notably as there’s tension towards Arabs over what happened at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich as many disapprove of the relationship which takes a toll on Emmi (Brigitte Mira) yet Ali (El Hedi Ben Salem) assures her that things will be OK. It’s a film that explores a relationship that just happens where many are surprised as well as disgusted by this union between a middle-aged German widow and a Moroccan in his 30s. Yet, it’s something that couldn’t be explained as Rainer Werner Fassbinder creates a story that is about this taboo relationship being told during a time where there is this ethnic tension emerging.
Fassbinder’s screenplay does have a very simple and traditional three-act structure in the way he develops the relationship between Emmi and Ali. The first act is about how they’ve met on one rainy night in Munich where they chat, dance, and he later accompanies her to her apartment where they fall in love. The news about the relationship shocks Emmi’s neighbors and co-workers as well as her daughter Krista (Irm Hermann) who is the first to hear about the news. The second act is about Emmi and Ali’s marriage and the reaction from family and friends where both of them endure prejudice. Ali is either ignored or treated with disdain while Emmi finds herself having to stand up for Ali to her friends and family who would ignore or sneer at her prompting her to act out. The third act would play into elements of the relationship where Emmi tries to get herself in the back of the good graces of her friends yet would alienate Ali in the process as it would start to affect the relationship.
It’s not just the structure of the script that is unique but also the way the characters are portrayed as Emmi is this woman who is old-fashioned but very lonely as she stumbles into this bar. She is intrigued by Ali’s kindness as she treats him in a very maternal manner and is eager to treat him with respect despite the prejudice she faces. Ali is a very sensitive yet quiet individual who speaks broken German yet he manages to deal with adversity in a very nonchalant way as he holds his head high and know it will pass. It would play into the complexity of their relationship until the third act as he’s being ordered to do things in the house and not treated kindly only for Emmi to realize how much she really needs him.
Fassbinder’s direction is definitely mesmerizing in the way he frames his actors into a shot and how he presents the melodrama. A lot of the melodrama is definitely inspired by Douglas Sirk as Fassbinder isn’t afraid to let the emotions play out that includes this very great scene where Emmi and Ali are all alone in a restaurant while waiters and other staff members are looking at them from a far. Emmi realizes how alone she feels as she starts insulting them as she’s still sitting at her table while Ali holds her hands where Fassbinder does a lot with so little to present these dramatic moments. Even as he would maintain some intimacy in these melodramatic moments that includes the scene where Emmi introduces Ali to her adult children where it’s about the framing and how the camera pans to capture the reaction of each of Ali’s children including her son-in-law Eugen (Rainer Werner Fassbinder).
The direction also has Fassbinder taking on some unique framing devices like the way he puts characters in the middle of a door frame or how they’re presented in a staircase. A lot of it is from afar where Fassbinder reveals a lot of what is happening though there isn’t much dialogue. Even as it would be prevalent in the third act as Ali seeks to find some companionship with the bartender Barbara (Barbara Valentin) who would make couscous for him when Emmi doesn’t want to. The framing devices of Fassbinder are quite entrancing as it would help amp up the melodrama where he doesn’t need to do any camera movements and such. Overall, Fassbinder creates a very sensitive yet visceral melodrama about a love affair between two people that is considered taboo by those watching from afar.
Cinematographer Jurgen Jurges does incredible work with the film‘s very colorful cinematography from the look of the exteriors in the city of Munich in the daytime to some of the interior scenes including the bar where Emmi meets Ali. Editor Thea Eymesz does amazing work with the editing as it is quite straightforward while emphasizing on slow yet methodical cuts to play out some of the drama that occurs. The sound work of Fritz Muller-Scherz is excellent for its sound as some of it is intimate in the way the drama plays out while it also captures some of the great moments in the film involving the music as it features some Arabian style as well as classical and old-school German pop music.
The film’s cast is brilliant for the ensemble that is created as it includes appearances from Gusti Kreissl and Elisabeth Bertram as co-workers of Emmi, Walter Sedlmayr and Doris Mattes as a couple of grocers Emmi always shopped at, Katharina Herberg as a woman at the bar who likes to flirt with Ali, Marquard Bohm as the landlord’s kind son, Karl Scheydt as Emmi’s eldest son Albert, and Rainer Werner Fassbinder as Emmi’s very prejudice and lazy son-in-law. Irm Hermann is terrific as Emmi’s daughter Krista who is aghast by the news of her mother’s new lover while Barbara Valentin is wonderful as the bartender Barbara who acts as a secret companion for Ali as she also serves drinks to Emmi.
El Hedi Ben Salem is fantastic as Ali as a man who is intrigued by Emmi as he becomes her confidant as he helps her out as well while dealing with some of the prejudice he faces. Finally, there’s Brigitte Mira in a radiant performance as Emmi as a middle-aged widow who finds comfort in Ali as she falls for him where she treats him maternally while being his supporting when people criticize the relationship. The two together have great chemistry in the way they act as a couple as well as the sense of distance they create in the film’s third act as they’re the heart and soul of the film.
Angst essen seele auf is a magnificent film from Rainer Werner Fassbinder that features sensational performances from El Hedi Ben Salem and Brigitte Mira. The film is definitely one of the most compelling love stories in film where two different people face prejudices in their relationship as well deal with other forces. The film also showcases Fassbinder’s very sensitive portrayal into the world of melodrama told during a crucial time for Germany. In the end, Angst essen seele auf is a remarkable film from Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
Rainer Werner Fassbinder Films: Love is Colder Than Death - (Katzelmacher) - (Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?) - (Rio das Mortes) - (The American Soldier) - (Whity) - (Beware of a Holy Whore) - The Merchant of Four Seasons - The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant - Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day - (Jailbait) - World on a Wire - (Martha (1974 film)) - (Effi Briest) - (Fox and His Friends) - (Mother Kuster’s Trip to Heaven) - Satan's Brew - (Chinese Roulette) - (Germany in Autumn) - (Despair) - (In a Year of 13 Moons) - The Marriage of Maria Braun - (Third Generation) - Berlin Alexanderplatz - (Lili Marleen) - Lola (1981 film) - Veronika Voss - Querelle
© thevoid99 2013
For the fourth part of Nostra’s Five Obstructions Blog-a-Thon, here is what I’m asked to do:
Well, I used to write reviews that were longer than 1250 words and sometimes even more than 2000 words but that was a long time ago. I’ve become much more minimalist in my approach as it’s part of this evolution for me as a writer. I thought it was going to be easy but there was that realization that I haven’t done that in some time. So I decided to retrieve an old review of mine that I wrote during my time at Epinions.com on 6/5/05 of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 1972 film The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant but in a newly re-fashioned and re-edited form that is more to my liking as this new version features a total of 1398 words:
Written and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Die Bitteren Tranen der Petra von Kant (The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant) is the story about a fashion designer who falls for a young model as the relationship would become tumultuous as her mute assistant watches from afar. The film is an exploration into the life of a woman who has a lot of disdain towards men while treating her loyal assistant cruelly in order to get what she wants only to deal with reality as the titular character is played by Margit Carstensen. Also starring Hanna Schygulla, Katrin Schaake, Eva Mattes, Gisela Fackeldey, and Irm Hermann. Die Bitteren Tranent der Petra von Kant is a ravishing yet harrowing film from Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
The film explores the life of fashion designer Petra von Kant as she has a mute assistant named Marlene (Irm Hermann) who helps her finish sketches and other duties for Petra. While Marlene seems to have feelings for Petra, Petra often treats her with disdain as she also deals with family issues as her mother Valerie (Gisela Fackeldey) needs money for a trip to Miami while Petra’s daughter Gabriele (Eva Mattes) is in boarding school. Even as her cousin Sidonie (Katrin Schaake) makes an unexpected arrival as she’s recovering from the end of her second marriage where Petra talks about her contempt towards men. Also with Sidonie is a young model named Karin (Hanna Schygulla) whom Petra is infatuated with as she invites Karin for a night at her cramped yet lavish apartment. Petra hopes to help Karin with her thriving modeling career as the two talk about their love lives as Karin is still married to a man working in Sydney.
Just as the relationship seems to go well, it eventually becomes troublesome as Karin starts to feel smothered by Petra who spends her time trying wigs and costumes. Yet, Marlene does a lot of the work where it only frustrates Petra who keeps lashing out at Marlene for everything as Petra cancels a flight to Madrid that Karin was supposed to be in. Karin’s activities outside Petra’s home would cause more tension until a call from Karin’s husband from Zurich would end the relationship as Petra becomes anguished. Even as her 35th birthday approaches as her family arrives to celebrate only for the party to go wrong when Sidonie reveals some news about Karin that forces Petra to realize who are her true friends and such.
While the story is a bit hard to follow with its very intricate yet talkative dialogue. Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s theatrical background brings the claustrophobic yet theatrical approach to his film since it revolves entirely with an apartment filled with lavish things and naked mannequins that plays off as some kind of metaphor. The strength of the story is in both Fassbinder's taciturn approach to writing and directing. In the writing, he crafts a five-act structure where he explores the manic obsession of Petra von Kant along with her surroundings like her gossip-filled cousin, her idealistic daughter, her conservative rich mother, and Marlene. Even in its look, Fassbinder is also making fun of the lavish, luxurious look of Douglas Sirk’s films as well as commenting on social classes though its commentary and dark humor is layered underneath the dramatic tone of the film.
When Karin arrives, she starts off as this nice, naive woman living in pain only to turn into someone who studies Petra and use her youth against Petra. The real eye that serves as our third-person perspective from Fassbinder's view is Marlene where in the opening credits, he dedicates the film to the caricature of Marlene. The film's lesbian overtones and subtle sadomasochistic references only to show the hatred and self-absorbed world of Petra. It's really a character study piece on a woman trying to live in a world with love and a lifestyle that would later turn on her as she lashes out on those who care about her.
The directing approach of Fassbinder is very succinct since he is trying to get into the characters and figure out their behaviors and motivations. Yet, there are several scenes where he does long takes where he would at one minute, focus on Sidonie and then to Petra, and then zoom his way into Marlene who watches and listens everything without uttering a single word. There, Fassbinder uses both his expertise in theater and films to craft a vision that is unpredictable with metaphoric references around Petra’s chaotic world as she falls apart right till the end. Even the ending has something that is realistic to pinpoint as Petra wonders how everything has fallen apart for her and who are really there for her while realizing how she fails them.
Helping Fassbinder is his unique yet stark vision is longtime cinematographer Michael Ballhaus who uses a lot of colors and lighting to convey scenes that are shot in the day while using very little in the darker scenes where it's nighttime. The production design work of Kurt Raab is well presented from its shaggy carpeting and lavish look along with the mannequins and the painting in Petra's bedroom that serves as a metaphor. The editing of Thea Eymesz is brilliant for its methodical approach to editing to play out the drama as it unfolds as well as keeping up with the film‘s very talkative dialogue.
Maja Lemcke’s costume design helps play out the film’s visual style with its costumes to display the world that Petra lives where it is lavish but also detached from reality. The sound work of Gunther Kortwich is superb for the intimacy that is played in the apartment including all of the emotions that come out from Petra and the sound of objects being touched and such. Fassbinder also shines in his choice of music with wonderful tracks from the Walker Brothers, Guiseppe Verdi, and a couple of cuts from the Platters in Smoke Gets In Your Eyes and The Great Pretender.
While the film fills only six actresses, Fassbinder's ability to choose actresses shows more of his brilliance in casting. Eva Mattes is wonderful in the role of Petra's young, idealistic daughter who goes into shock in seeing her mother fall apart while Gisela Fackeldey is also great in the role of Petra's stern, posh mother who despite her conservative views, supports her. Karin Schaake is also great in the role of Petra's cousin Sidonie with her understated performance in the role of a gossip-monger whose marriage is falling apart as she seeks advice from her cousin. Fassbinder regular Hanna Schygulla gives a mesmerizing, brutal performance as young and spoiled Karin with her graceful beauty and her complex turn from a naive model to an ungrateful woman who boils the pot around Petra.
The film's best supporting performance aside from Schygulla is another Fassbinder regular in Irm Hermann as Marlene. Her performance represents not just Fassbinder but the eyes and ears of the audience. Never uttering a word, we see Hermann convey a loyalty and heartbreak as she continues to stand on her own, even as Petra verbally abuses her. Even in the film's final moments, we see Hermann given something but again, she doesn't speak and let her actions do the talking while throughout the entire film, she wears the same black clothes throughout in an amazing performance.
Finally, there's Margit Carstensen in the title role of Petra von Kant. Carstensen brings a troubling yet powerful performance as the embittered Petra with her commanding approach early on and sly seduction in the film's first half. By the second half, Carstensen shows more in her powerful, dramatic range with a bit of sympathy as she deals with heartbreak even though her actions and words make her more un-likeable. This is really one of the best yet brutal performances to ever grace the European cinema of the 1970s.
Die Bitteren Tranent der Petra von Kant is a dark yet mesmerizing film from Rainer Werner Fassbinder thanks to its amazing ensemble cast led by Margit Carstensen, Irm Hermann, and Hanna Schygulla. The film is definitely one of Fassbinder’s most compelling dramas in the way it explores relationship as well as the life of a woman who faces the reality of her empty and demanding lifestyle. In the end, Die Bitteren Tranent der Petra von Kant is a majestic film from Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
Rainer Werner Fassbinder Films: Love is Colder Than Death - (Katzelmacher) - (Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?) - (Rio das Mortes) - (The American Soldier) - (Whity) - (Beware of a Holy Whore) - The Merchant of Four Seasons - World on a Wire - Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day - (Jailbait) - Ali: Fear Eats the Soul - (Martha (1974 film)) - (Effi Briest) - (Fox and His Friends) - (Mother Kuster’s Trip to Heaven) - Satan's Brew - (Chinese Roulette) - (Germany in Autumn) - (Despair) - (In a Year of 13 Moons) - The Marriage of Maria Braun - (Third Generation) - Berlin Alexanderplatz - (Lili Marleen) - Lola (1981 film) - Veronika Voss - Querelle
© thevoid99 2013
