Effi Briest/Fontane Effi Briest (1974) - Fassbinder makes film a novel in cold, divisive passion project

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Hanna Schygulla as the titular character of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's Effi Briest looks rather doomed on this somewhat theatrical poster for the film

 

In late 19th century Germany, young Effi Briest becomes the wife of a boring but wealthy aristocrat, who forces her life up by its roots. But for a time her heart beats for another ...

Effi Briest is a very odd film, probably among the most literary feeling films of all time. It is overloaded with intertitles, letters, narration and dialog and as a result comes across as exhaustingly text-oriented. In addition, its original title has a symptomatically exhaustingly convoluted extra-title, and if the two are accepted as one long title, the film has one of the longest titles in cinema history. It goes; Effi Briest oder Viele, die eine Ahnung haben von ihren Möglichkeiten und Bedürfnissen und dennoch das herrschende System in ihrem Kopf akzeptieren durch ihre Taten und es somit festigen und durchaus bestätigen, which translates to; 'Fontane Effi Briest or Many People Who Are Aware of Their Own Capabilities and Needs Just Acquiesce to the Prevailing System in Their Thoughts and Deeds, Thereby Confirm and Reinforce It'.

It is the 11th theatrical feature from great German writer-director Rainer Werner Fassbinder (Ali: Fear Eats the Soul/Angst Essen Seele Auf (1974)), adapting Theodor Fontane's (Grete Minde (1880)) same-titled 1895 novel. Fassbinder redeems Effi Briest with the film's visual power, which rests on undeniable photographic qualities, (B/W cinematography by Jürgen Jürges (Time of the Wolf/Le Temps du Loup (2003)) and Dietrich Lohmann (The Innocent (1993))). 

Effi Briest is an exceedingly uncompromising film in its strict ascetic sense, - narratively as well as aesthetically, as emotionless acting and stylistically distancing efforts go hand in hand for a so-called 'Verfremdungseffekt', an alienating effect which should make audiences think beyond the film. It certainly makes its nastily cold characters seem all the more distanced from us, and its story's tragedy impotent. Watching it I couldn't help wonder, whether Effi Briest might have somehow proved stronger, had it been set in France instead of Germany.

 

Related posts:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder:  The Marriage of Maria Braun/Die Ehe der Maria Braun (1979) - Fassbinder blows up post-WWII Germany

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul/Angst Essen Seele Auf (1974) or, Ali und Emmi und die Anderen

Watch a scene from the film here

Cost: 750k DEM
Box office: 38.5 mil. ITL (Italy only)
= Uncertain - but reportedly a hit
[Effi Briest premiered 21 June (Berlin International Film Festival) and runs 140 minutes (135 minutes in the US version). Fassbinder was deeply impassioned about making the film, but funding it took three years. His involvement stretched to his narrating it himself as well as casting his own mother in the role as Effi Briest's mother. He has said of his deep connection with the material due to his perception that Fontane “rejected everybody and found everything alienating and yet fought all his life for recognition.” Filming took place in Germany, Vienna, Austria and in Ærøskøbing on the Danish island Ærø. The film follows Fontane's words closely in its narration, dialog and letters. The film was reportedly a hit in West Germany (according to Elke Siegel in A Companion to Rainer Werner Fassbinder) but only reached a US release in 1977 and an Italian in 1982. The novel and film's implicit critique of patriarchy was viewed as highly topical to the 1970s German audiences following student revolts and women's rights fights from 1968 onward. Fassbinder followed the film with Fox and His Friends/Faustrecht der Freiheit (1975). Effi Briest is fresh at 70 % with a 7.1/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Effi Briest?

The Marriage of Maria Braun/Die Ehe der Maria Braun (1979) - Fassbinder blows up post-WWII Germany

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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?

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul/Angst Essen Seele Auf (1974) or, Ali & Emmi und die Anderen

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A very 1970s-colored original poster for Rainer Werner Fassbinder's Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, cut through with the English title

Emmi is an aging widow and cleaning woman, who is looking for company. In an Arabian café, she meets the younger Moroccan man Ali, whom she marries soon after. But their life together is tough, once her prejudiced children, neighbors and colleagues find out about their marriage.

German master writer-director Rainer Werner Fassbinder (Whity (1971)) reportedly shot Ali: Fear Eats the Soul in just two weeks; - an incredible feat, especially since its performances and cinematography are so spot-on.
German cinematographer Jürgen Jürges (Funny Games (1997) etc.) does, together with Fassbinder, an outstanding job in giving the film several beautiful, lingering images.
The  original, German title is intentionally using incorrect grammar, echoing Ali's difficulties with the language and culture in the movie. - It means 'anxiety eat the soul up'. Brigitte Mira (Fabian (1980)) does a marvelous job of portraying the small societal rebellion and longing for tenderness and human contact, which Emmi finds in the attractive foreigner.
If you are interested in gossip and life imitating art (sort of) trivia, the tragic love story of Ali: Fear Eats the Soul doesn't compare to the tragedy of Fassbinder's own romantic relationship with his male lead El Hedi ben Salem (Tenderness of the Wolves/Die Zärtlichkeit der Wölfe (1973)) , just one of many wild stories from Fassbinder's tumultuous life: Salem apparently stabbed three people and hanged himself in jail shortly after the film was completed.
Ali: Fear Eats the Soul is a humanistic, warm and moving film that references Fassbinder's love for Douglas Sirk's old Hollywood melo-dramas All That Heaven Allows (1955) and Imitation of Life (1959), but is far from as sugar-coated in its style or imagery.
If this rare flower of a film doesn't touch your heart, you have a hard one indeed. Here is a delicate, deeply human look at love, racism and prejudice that refuses an easy conclusion. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul is true gem and masterpiece.

Related posts:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder:  The Marriage of Maria Braun/Die Ehe der Maria Braun (1979) - Fassbinder blows up post-WWII Germany

Effi Briest/Fontane Effi Briest (1974) - Fassbinder makes film a novel in cold, divisive passion project

 

Watch 2 minutes of the film's beginning here

Cost: Estimated 260k DEM, equaling approximately 0.1 mil. $
Box office: Uncertain (15k $ are listed from the UK and North American markets)
= Uncertain
[Ali: Fear Eats the Soul was released 5 March (West Germany) and runs 93 minutes. It was made as a filmmaking exercise by Fassbinder in between two other projects, Martha (1974) and Effi Briest (1974). Shooting took place for 2 weeks in Munich, Germany in September 1973. The film played in competition at Cannes Film Festival, losing the Palme d'Or to Francis Ford Coppola's The Conversation but getting two smaller prizes. It also won Mira a German Film award. Its theatrical performance in most markets, - including its West-German home market, - are regrettably not publicized. Besides the 15k $ UK/North-American gross, the film has made 162k $ as part of a 20-movie Fassbinder Series 2003 release in North America, or an 8k $ per film average. With its low budget, the film may well have been a success. Roger Ebert gave the film a 4/4 star rating, in line with this review. Fassbinder himself rated the film his 8th best one year before his early death by drugs and alcohol at age 37 in 1982. He returned with Martha (1974, TV movie) and theatrically with Effi Briest (1974). Salem returned in Martha, Like a Bird on a Wire/Wie ein Vogel auf dem Draht (1975, TV movie) and theatrically in Fox and His Friends/Faustrecht der Freiheit (1975) - his last credit; Mira in Ehrenhäuptling der Watubas (1974, TV movie) and theatrically in The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser/Jeder für Sich und Gott gegen Alle (1974); and Barbara Valentin (Lili Marleen (1981)) in Martha, Motiv Liebe (1974, TV-series) and theatrically in Effi Briest (1974). Ali: Fear Eats the Soul is fresh at 100 % with a 9.34/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

What do you think of Ali: Fear Eats the Soul?