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| A German poster for Rainer Werner Fassbinder's The Marriage of Maria Braun that exudes romanticism and downfall |
Maria Braun is incredibly unfortunate with her marriage, as it only lasts 1½ day before she looses her beloved husband to the demands of World War II. But she persists in her love to him, - and after several years, he returns.
The Marriage of Maria Braun is written by Pea Fröhlich (Der Bulle & das Mädchen (1985)), Peter Märthesheimer (Lola (1981)) and Kurt Raab (The Island of the Bloody Plantation/Die Insel der Blutigen Plantage (1983)), with German master filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder (Ali: Fear Eats the Soul/Angst Essen Seele Auf (1974)) contributing idea and dialog. The film feels like a heartfelt chastisement of his native Germany, told with a lot of show by Fassbinder, which I think is somewhat overrated in some circles. There is a sense of moral bankruptcy, resignation and emptiness to Maria Braun and her countrymen here.
The Marriage of Maria Braun is a peculiar movie, - and a wild one, - with some good scenes but also some slightly dull periods. Its intro credits are ghastly. SPOILER The ending with the gas explosion, on the other hand, is unforgettable. This is a film especially for the Fassbinder and/or Germany-interested cinephile.
Related post:
Rainer Werner Fassbinder: Ali: Fear Eats the Soul/Angst Essen Seele Auf (1974) or, Ali und Emmi und die Anderen
Watch a short clip from the film here
Cost: Reportedly 2 mil. DEM
Box office: Unknown (but in excess of 8 mil. DEM)
= Uncertainty (but at least a big hit)
[The Marriage of Maria Braun premiered 20 February (Berlin International Film Festival) and runs 115 minutes. The script was born out of an unrealized TV project. Producer Michael Fengler oversold the rights to the film's profits to scrape its budget together, which ballooned during production, partially to fund director Fassbinder's rampant cocaine use, which killed him in 1982. Shooting took place from January - February 1978 in Germany, including in Berlin. It is the first film in Fassbinder's BRD (Bundesrepublik Deutschland) trilogy that also contains Lola (1981) and Veronika Voss (1982), which are about women in post-WWII West Germany. Fassbinder was busy writing Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980), miniseries) during shooting and was in a self-destructive, bleak period of his life. Fengler and Fassbinder broke their bond over the film, and Fengler Film never made another film. At the film's Berlin festival run, it ('only') won the Silver Bear and an actress award for lead Hanna Schygulla (The Clown/Ansichten eines Clowns (1976)), which disappointed Fassbinder. The film eventually sold a reported 1.9 mil. tickets in Germany, grossing 4 mil. DEM there, released in both West and East Germany, the latter as the first Fassbinder film reaching the other part of his country, which happened in 1981. It was also a hit abroad, grossing 1.8 mil. $ in North America. Roger Ebert has added it to his list of Great Films. Other figures regrettably remain elusive. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe, won a David di Donatello award (Italy's Oscar), 5 out of 6 nominations at the German Film Awards, a National Board of Review award and more. The film's rights battle continued in a legal battle in the late 1980s before they ended up with the Rainer Werner Fassbinder Foundation. 9,321 IMDb-users have given The Marriage of Maria Braun a 7.9/10 average rating.]
What do you think of The Marriage of Maria Braun?
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