Look for Satansbraten, Despair, Rio das Mortes, Chinese Roulette, Berlin Alexanderplatz, In a year with 13 moons, Whity, and all the rest!!
" How did this guy manage to make so many films in such a short period of time? "
He was a hard worker but we should never forget that he worked within a system of state supported production that encouraged quality cinema. Within that system the New German Cinema flourished. Try finding films by some of his fellow filmmakers and you will see how important that enviorement was in creating some of the best and most important films of the 20th century.
Interesting, Francisco. New German Cinema will in fact be the next thing I dive into. Can you recommend to me some of those fellow filmmakers?
Javierq – Thanks for the input. Will track them down. I’m especially interested in Berlin Alexanderplatz, which I read up on a little. After viewing “The Decalogue,” I’m in the mood for some extensive, in-depth viewing. It’s driving my wife crazy.
Fox and his Friends is great. I saw one not available on DVD yet I don’t think called I Only Want You to Love Me that is brilliant.
He worked constantly. He was happiest working and so that’s what he did. If he liked you and wanted to spend time with you, bang, he put you in a movie. If it worked out you’d make two, three, four with him. He would say, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” And at one point he turned to cocaine to help him keep up his pace. But he knew so well what he was doing that he could shoot a full length film in two weeks, four at the most. He filmed the fifteen hour Berlin Alexanderplatz in 150 days which is unbelievable.
He inspired a fair amount of dedication in others to work just as hard with him. He taught Juliane Lorenz how to edit in one night, during which they apparently edited all of Despair from start to finish.
You should probably stick with the other Sirk-influenced melodramas for now: The Merchant of Four Seasons, The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, Martha, Effi Briest, Fox and His Friends, Mother Kusters Goes to Heaven, and Fear of Fear. Then maybe branch out to some great later work like Despair, In a Year with 13 Moons, The Third Generation, The BRD Trilogy, and Berlin Alexanderplatz. And early ones like Katzelmacher, Gods of the Plague, Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?, Whity, and Beware of a Holy Whore. But all his films are worth seeing.
Thanks for that, Justin. I understand that’s how he hooked up with Brigitte Mira – he saw her work on the stage and brought her into his toupe, and from there they did a few things together. It’s amazing that someone could produce so much and maintain that quality that makes them stand out, which is very rare. If Fassbinder’s other works are comparable to Fear Eats the Soul, then I know I’m going to find a new favorite with this man. I understand he sandwiched “Fear Eats the Soul” between two bigger projects he was working on, so I’m quite certain I’m going to be pleased. I understand this guy averaged two to three films every 100 days. Whooah Nellie!
Those were Martha and Effi Briest. Effi Briest took a lot longer to finish than most of his other films.
He loved stage actors. He said they were more professional, they would learn their lines and could then show up and do things in one take. With Fear Eats the Soul he did more takes than he usually did — four or five for some scenes, which is not as many as most directors but a lot for Fassbinder. The film was difficult because El Hedi ben Salem barely spoke German, only Arabic and French, and Fassbinder had to teach him all his lines phonetically.
The part was dubbed by a German actor, who also dubbed the male romantic lead (and the molesting pastor) in Effi Briest and the homeless Arab man who commits suicide (an intentional reference to El Hedi ben Salem) in In a Year with 13 Moons. He has a very distinctive basso voice which is hard to forget once you hear it.
“In this society, there’s no one who isn’t mentally ill.” – my favorite quote from Fassbinder
Hands down, The Marriage of Maria Braun is his masterpiece. I’m mildly surprised the thread could go more than a few posts without mentioning it. After that, I’d take Ali, Fox and his Friends and Mother Kusters.
Fassbinder’s an interesting one, and I can’t say I’ve hated a single film I’ve seen, though I tend to have clear favorites and others I’m more mild about. Ali: Fear Eats The Soul is a great one, and I really, really liked Veronika Voss a lot as well. The Marriage of Maria Braun and In A Year With 13 Moons are both good watches as well.
I have mad love for Fox and His Friends. Just saw The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, which isn’t quite my cup of tea, but worth seeing.
Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?, Lola and The Merchant of Four Seasons are a few Fassbinder films that I really enjoyed and would recommend.
This guy was absolutely unstoppable when he was alive. Think if he did live? He’d probably have about 300 films under his belt. What’s even more fascinating is he never produced anything of low quality.
He’s my no.1 favourite filmmaker. Berlin Alexanderplatz moved me personally like no other film before or after.
The Marriage of Maria Braun is brilliant as is everything I’ve seen from him. If you want epic Berlin A is one of the greates cinematic experiences ever. I was drained by the time I finished it. It has everything. The visuals are intoxicating and the music is hypnotic. A landmark and you may want to get it now in case it goes out of print someday.
Lester Burnham
I finally saw “Ali: Fear Eats the Soul” this week. My first Fassbinder experience. Don’t know why it took me so long to get to this guy, but I’m glad I finally found him. His frame compositions – use of stillness and space to convey distance and alienation – really struck me. I haven’t seen Sirk’s “All that Heaven Allows,” but that’s next on the list. I’m interested in checking out more of Fassbinder’s work. Can anyone recommend a next one? I went onto the Fassbinder Foundation homepage and read his bio. How did this guy manage to make so many films in such a short period of time? What a machine!
PS – If there’s a thread on this guy already (I searched and only found one on his earlier films), then apologies.