Amen to your first 3 points Justin. However, I’m pretty sure Ulli Lommel did direct the movie by himself. I can’t imagine that Fassbinder donated the directing credits to Lommel just for the sake of it. Furthermore I don’t think R.W.would have shyed away from such ‘taboo’ themes. Remember – he made Wildwechsel (Jail Bait) in 1973, a movie which was far more controversial than TENDERNESS.
I agree with you, Grey Daisies. I also think that RWF didn’t directed it, for the same reasons.
I’m still not convinced although there’s no way to prove it.
It certainly would get more of the recognition it deserves if it were considered a Fassbinder film.
I actually met a German camera man named Juergen Juerges. He was the DP of Tenderness of the Wolves and he told me that Uli Lommel discovered him, that he had never DP’d a film before, that ha had been a gaffer and that Fassbinder, except for 2 days of shooting where he had to be in front of the camera, never showed up for the shoot. He said that Lommel did direct the film 100%. Also, I don’t agree with the criticism against Lommel. He made other decent films and you should check them out before you trash him. I’m sick of people trashing directors and movies on the internet the way they do without ever paying close attention to the work of the people they attack. Like I love certain films that get trashed on imdb by people who obviously have too much time on their hands and need to do some kinda damage, I think it sucks! We’re such a negative society as is, get a life, guys and spend your precious time doing something good like serving, forgiving, healing etc. This planet is in dire need of people who know how to love, who know how to serve.
Yeah, despite Justin B’s three points, I don’t see any support in the argument that “Ulli Lommel ended up with his name on it as director”. Other claims such as “…Lommel wanted to get into directing but was somewhat lazy…” are completely unfounded. Did the OP just simply make up these suppositions? Can anyone comment as to the factual quality of any of these claims?
Sounds cool, Deckard. Best thing is to discuss it with Juergen Juerges, the DP of Tenderness of the Wolves, which I did, and he had no reason to defend Lommel, but he also said he enjoyed working with him and that he knew exactly what he was doing. If you check out other Lommel films such as Brainwaves (1982) or Adolf and Marlene (1976), which Fassbinder produces as well, you’ll see what I mean. There are some films Lommel made I don’t care for, such as Overkill and Boogeyman 2, but he’s a pretty cool cult film helmer. And daring. After all he made over a 100 films (acting and directing combined). Some are great, some or good and some are bad. Any problems with that?
Justin Biberkopf
This question is more directed at people who are very familiar with RWF’s work, but I have always suspected that he himself directed this gritty, stylized, graceful and shocking little horror film from 1973, although Ulli Lommel ended up with his name on it as director.
Why do I think this?
1- It is a far superior film to anything else Lommel has ever made, including Blank Generation.
2- It looks, moves, sounds, and feels like a Fassbinder film from that era.
3- Lommel has acknowledged that RWF had a big hand in writing the script and that he also spent time on set even on days when he wasn’t acting.
Two reasons come to mind to explain why Fassbinder may have chosen to not have his name associated with this film:
1- He was very generous; Lommel wanted to get into directing but was somewhat lazy; Fassbinder may have offered the film as a gift to his friend, much as he bought Lamborghinis for Gunther Kaufmann and gave acting roles and production roles to Armin Meier or Harry Bar.
2- He may have been considered the subject matter — child murders a la M. — to be too gruesome and controversial. 1973 was the year of Ali, after all, a conscious attempt to create a tender film, and Fassbinder’s most honored film (at Cannes) to date.
What do other people think — I’m especially interested in Grey Daisies, Geno Navarro, Jose, JP Belmondo, and others who have shown an extensive knowledge of Fassbinder’s work. But anyone is free to comment, of course.