Chinese Roulette is a twofer with Fox and His Friends. If you’ve never seen the latter, you’re in for a treat; one of Fassbinder’s most devastating character studies, IMO.
Actually, I've been meaning to check out "Fox and His Friends". Thanks, I think I will order this the next couple of days
This is a great one, and a textbook example of how to make a single set work cinematically/dramatically. I was absorbed from start to finish.
@stepeanut My Arrow order just arrived - thanks again for this amazing tip Paid 46€ shipped for everything. Can't beat that!
A little update from my side: first, I'm starting work on my bachelor's thesis about "World On A Wire" and its depiction of fake realities Second, I just finished Lili Marleen. Unpopular opinion, but to me it's even better than The Marriage Of Maria Braun because I loved how well Fassbinder handled the suspenseful, thriller-like elements of the plot. Oh, and Hanna Schygulla probably never looked better than here, except maybe in Wim Wenders' "Wrong Move" (1975). A very powerful film which, for some reason, is deemed one of his lesser works in german-speaking countries.
So guys, this was included in a stack of records I received in the mail today: I was baffled to find this, to be honest. Peer Raben's original score for Berlin Alexanderplatz on vinyl. Sounds very good so far!
Watching this just now, and I keep hearing Cream's "White Room" and seeing Veronika on Sunset Boulevard....
Watched Merchant of Four Seasons last weekend. What I liked about the film was Spoiler: SPOILER how Hans came off as a no-good violator and drinker at first before it was slowly revealed how his fair share of bad decisions and wrong friends, amped by his family's low opinion of him, have turned him into this difficult, often incomprehensible and ambiguous character. The only ones who really seem to have stood beside him are his wife and daughter (although that is a bit contradicted in the final scenes) and Hanna Schygulla's Anna, Hans's sister, who calls out her family for their hypocrisy and unfaithfulness. I really enjoyed this film a lot and think it's a shame that it's so rarely seen here in the german-speaking countries these days. Heck, we never even got the blu ray release, so I had to import it last year.
I really liked his use of Fleetwood Mac's "Albatross" as the credits music for World on a Wire. He had great taste and his own unique sense of how to use music in his films.
Yup. And that was already very noticeable in his first shorts. The Godard-inspired "The Little Chaos" features a great scene in which "I Can't Control Myself" by The Troggs can be heard. He definitely liked his films to have some great music
Just received the Berlin Alexanderplatz box set. It will take me awhile to get to watch it, but will look forward to listening closely to the music.
I'm trying to divest myself of "stuff" and yet I feel compelled to get this box set so I can finally watch Berlin. This thread (which I admittedly started) may push me over the edge...
My family and me totally fell for the series when watching it last year. Eventually, I would even grab my copy of the original novel just to observe how detailed Fassbinder sometimes followed the plot and where he took his liberties. It's a glorious work, culminating in a breathtaking final episode that truly must have been a shock to german TV audiences in 1980.
It's on the Criterion Channel, which may be the cheaper route since there's so much else on there I want to see as it is!
Oh yes, that's definitely a great way to catch it! A shame there's no legal way to get the channel here, I'd love to have that
A quick heads up that Arrow Video will be issuing a third volume in their Fassbinder collection next year (volumes one and two were reissues of material already available from the label). Volume three is set to include the following films: Gods of the Plague The American Soldier The Niklashausen Journey Rio das Mortes Mother Kusters Goes to Heaven Fear of Fear Satan's Brew
Wow, awesome! Guess I'll jump for the third set, as I already have most of the films from the other two. Most of the films in volume 3 should be blu ray premieres, if I am correct.
Watched two new-to-me Fassbinders this weekend: Lola (1981): One of Fassbinder's most artificially shot films, almost too Sirkian for Sirk, this features what could very well be called an ensemble cast of german cinema led by the extravagant Barbara Sukowa. A strangely humorous look at the bigotry of german post-war society, when everyone was proud of the "economic miracle" and tried to forget the very recent past. Excellent, if not perfect. Love Is Colder Than Death (1969): Meh. A so-so full-length debut by Fassbinder who clearly tried to channel Godard, Melville and probably some others I haven't checked out yet. Okay-ish, featuring a nude Hanna Schygulla is always a plus for me, but mostly unconvincing and eventually boring. Interesting watch, but nothing I'm likely to revisit soon. Except that scene where the three protagonists are off to the mall and Fassbinder's character wants to buy the ones that "that cop from Psycho" wore. Brilliant oh, and that long supermarket sequence. Beautifully done. Probably gonna do Fox and his Friends next as well as a revisit of Maria Braun.
I love watching the "BRD Trilogy" in order of release. They really belong together, each focusing on a different aspect of post-war Germany with a female character at the center and shot in a different styles: The brown and dark color scheme of "Maria Braun", the black and white of "Veronika Voss" and the garish candy colored "Lola". The "BRD Trilogy" and "Berlin Alexanderplatz" are his masterpieces imo.
I also love Fox and His Friends, Martha, In A Year With 13 Moons, Bitter tears of Petra Van Kant, Gods of The Plague, Merchant Of Four Seasons, Ali Fear Eats The Soul... long list of faves.