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A collection comprising seven films from the prolific and controversial German writer and director. Fassbinder started his career in the theatre where he first displayed his unflinching and unsentimental take on humanity. In his work he set out to expose the hypocrisy and corruption he saw in post war Germany. Dying from an overdose aged just 37, he remained a unique, politically committed auteur, right to the end. This set comprises the films: 'Fear Eats the Soul', 'Effi Briest Fox and his Friends', 'Mother Kusters goes to Heaven', 'Fear of Fear', 'Satan's Brew', 'Chinese Roulette' and 'The Marriage of Maria Braun'.
Product Description
United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: German ( Dolby Digital 2.0 ), German ( Mono ), English ( Subtitles ), SPECIAL FEATURES: Box Set, Interactive Menu, Multi-DVD Set, Scene Access, SYNOPSIS: Rainer Werner Fassbinder not only directed Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (Angst essen Seele auf), but also scripted the film, designed the sets, and produced. Brigitte Mira heads the cast as a lonely German cleaning woman, who enters into an affair with equally lonely--and much, much younger--Moroccan mechanic El Hedi Ben Salem. They marry, despite the shocked, bigoted reactions of those around them. This thinly disguised remake of Douglas Sirk's All That Heaven Allows (cult favorite Sirk was one of Fassbinder's personal heroes) won the international critic's prize at the Cannes Film Festival.
Rainer Werner Fassbinder's adaptation of a late 19th-century novel by Theodor Fontane is an austere period piece that may be the least characteristic of the German director's films. The titular heroine, played by Fassbinder regular Hanna Schygulla, is a 17-year-old girl forced into a loveless marriage with an old count. Living as the aristocrat's trophy wife, Effi endures her provincial existence unhappily. Her circumstances lead to a brief affair with a young lieutenant that attracts the attention of the townspeople, but not her unsuspecting husband's. Years later, however, the count discovers the love letters between his wife and her lover. As dictated by convention, he challenges the lieutenant to a duel and throws his wife out of their home. The shamed Effi is forced to live by herself, shunned by society and spurned by her family. Effi event...Rainer Werner Fassbinder Vol. 2 1973 - 1982 8-DVD Set ( Angst essen Seele auf / Fontane - Effi Briest oder: Viele, die eine Ahnung haben von ihren Möglichkeiten und Bedürfnissen und dennoch das herrschende System in ihrem Kopf akzeptieren d
Rainer Werner Fassbinder's adaptation of a late 19th-century novel by Theodor Fontane is an austere period piece that may be the least characteristic of the German director's films. The titular heroine, played by Fassbinder regular Hanna Schygulla, is a 17-year-old girl forced into a loveless marriage with an old count. Living as the aristocrat's trophy wife, Effi endures her provincial existence unhappily. Her circumstances lead to a brief affair with a young lieutenant that attracts the attention of the townspeople, but not her unsuspecting husband's. Years later, however, the count discovers the love letters between his wife and her lover. As dictated by convention, he challenges the lieutenant to a duel and throws his wife out of their home. The shamed Effi is forced to live by herself, shunned by society and spurned by her family. Effi event...Rainer Werner Fassbinder Vol. 2 1973 - 1982 8-DVD Set ( Angst essen Seele auf / Fontane - Effi Briest oder: Viele, die eine Ahnung haben von ihren Möglichkeiten und Bedürfnissen und dennoch das herrschende System in ihrem Kopf akzeptieren d
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69 of 71 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great DVD box-set documenting the initial phase of Fassbinder's peak-period; a must have purchase.
6 Jan 2008
Fear Eats the Soul, Effi Briest, Fox and His Friends, Mother Kuster's Trip to Heaven and The Marriage of Maria Braun stand out amongst the very best work of New-German cinema auteur Rainer Werner Fassbinder. This collection also includes the films Fear of Fear, Satan's Brew and Chinese Roulette, which for me, don't quite achieve the same cinematic highs as the films aforementioned, but do at least offer a further glimpse into Fassbinder's mind and way of working (whilst simultaneously rounding off what most critics consider to be the peak of his short-career).
This period features many of Fassbinder's most scathing, vicious and emotionally crippling melodramas, many dealing with doomed love and the uncomfortable positions that relationships can put us is; not only with our respective partners, but with the friends and family that surround us. Many of the films also act as social-political attacks on the fabric of German society, post World War II -- taking into account the economic miracle, capitalism, the rise of the left-wing intellectual free-thinker, the Munich Olympic massacre and the rise of the disenchanted arm-chair terrorist. Many of these factors act as a backdrop to the more emotional drama that Fassbinder creates for his tortured characters; with Fear Eats the Soul and Mother Kuster's Trip to Heaven in particular focusing on the negative view that certain factions of society have towards the generation that lived through the rise of the Nazis; while The Marriage of Maria Braun looks at post war decline and the eventual Wirtschaftswunder; here personified by a single-minded and determined young German woman, willing to do anything to ensure a comfortable future for her and her war hero husband.
Much of Fassbinder's work draws heavily on the conventions of Hollywood melodrama, bitterly undercut by the spirit of Godard and the French new wave, and littered with disarming Brecht-ian like alienation techniques, usually involving fragmented compositions, abstract mirror symbolism and layers of sound competing for attention (though here not quite as heavily as his later films, such as In a Year of 13 Moons, Despair, The Third Generation and his segment of Germany in Autumn).
All of these films are worth watching; featuring fantastic performances from Fassbinder's regular stock-company of actors as well as the director himself (he plays the lead role in Fox and His Friends, probably my favourite ever Fassbinder film alongside Mother Kuster's Trip to Heaven and The Third Generation), all coupled with intelligent direction, emotionally-charged writing and the constant sense that the film serves a purpose far greater than that of mindless entertainment. Like all the great filmmakers, from Godard and Bergman to von Trier and Tsukamoto, Fassbinder is using the medium of film to present a series of ideas to his audience, backed by strong characters and an often uncomfortable sense of emotional attachment. Don't let the often cold indifference of his direction or the sniping cynicism of his writing deter you from investing in these characters; bleak though they may be, the films are fiercely intelligent and captivating on an entirely personal level.
The films in this set show Fassbinder's enormous range as a filmmaker, both in terms of his handling of the different character and subject matter, as well as in his use of the basic conventions of filmmaking; cinematography, editing, production design, etc. Fear Eats the Soul is a film that is still largely inspired by Douglas Sirk and shares a similar design to his earliest masterwork The Merchant of Four Seasons; using tight close-ups, long takes and a colourful production design that jars against the bleakness of the story at hand. Elsewhere, Effi Briest is a black and white period drama based on the novel by Theodor Fontane, while The Marriage of Maria Braun explores the post war setting of the later films Lola and Veronika Voss and renders it in a muted pallet of browns and greys and a more complex approach to editing. Then we have films like Fox and His Friends, Mother Kuster's Trip to Heaven and Chinese Roulette, which show Fassbinder moving towards the cold and emotionally fractured Germany of the time depicted in films like the aforementioned In a Year of 13 Moons and The Third Generation.
Although it goes without saying, Fassbinder is not a filmmaker for everyone; many object to his cynicism, the torment of his characters and the spiralling despair central to many of his scripts. However, those with a true passion for intelligent cinema, and for filmmakers like Godard, Bergman, Tarkovsky, Dryer, Ozu, Herzog, von Trier, Wenders, Kieslowski, etc should find much to enjoy here. This box set, as mentioned before, represents something of the peak of Fassbinder's career, and as such, would make a great introduction for anyone interested in the man and his work.
This period features many of Fassbinder's most scathing, vicious and emotionally crippling melodramas, many dealing with doomed love and the uncomfortable positions that relationships can put us is; not only with our respective partners, but with the friends and family that surround us. Many of the films also act as social-political attacks on the fabric of German society, post World War II -- taking into account the economic miracle, capitalism, the rise of the left-wing intellectual free-thinker, the Munich Olympic massacre and the rise of the disenchanted arm-chair terrorist. Many of these factors act as a backdrop to the more emotional drama that Fassbinder creates for his tortured characters; with Fear Eats the Soul and Mother Kuster's Trip to Heaven in particular focusing on the negative view that certain factions of society have towards the generation that lived through the rise of the Nazis; while The Marriage of Maria Braun looks at post war decline and the eventual Wirtschaftswunder; here personified by a single-minded and determined young German woman, willing to do anything to ensure a comfortable future for her and her war hero husband.
Much of Fassbinder's work draws heavily on the conventions of Hollywood melodrama, bitterly undercut by the spirit of Godard and the French new wave, and littered with disarming Brecht-ian like alienation techniques, usually involving fragmented compositions, abstract mirror symbolism and layers of sound competing for attention (though here not quite as heavily as his later films, such as In a Year of 13 Moons, Despair, The Third Generation and his segment of Germany in Autumn).
All of these films are worth watching; featuring fantastic performances from Fassbinder's regular stock-company of actors as well as the director himself (he plays the lead role in Fox and His Friends, probably my favourite ever Fassbinder film alongside Mother Kuster's Trip to Heaven and The Third Generation), all coupled with intelligent direction, emotionally-charged writing and the constant sense that the film serves a purpose far greater than that of mindless entertainment. Like all the great filmmakers, from Godard and Bergman to von Trier and Tsukamoto, Fassbinder is using the medium of film to present a series of ideas to his audience, backed by strong characters and an often uncomfortable sense of emotional attachment. Don't let the often cold indifference of his direction or the sniping cynicism of his writing deter you from investing in these characters; bleak though they may be, the films are fiercely intelligent and captivating on an entirely personal level.
The films in this set show Fassbinder's enormous range as a filmmaker, both in terms of his handling of the different character and subject matter, as well as in his use of the basic conventions of filmmaking; cinematography, editing, production design, etc. Fear Eats the Soul is a film that is still largely inspired by Douglas Sirk and shares a similar design to his earliest masterwork The Merchant of Four Seasons; using tight close-ups, long takes and a colourful production design that jars against the bleakness of the story at hand. Elsewhere, Effi Briest is a black and white period drama based on the novel by Theodor Fontane, while The Marriage of Maria Braun explores the post war setting of the later films Lola and Veronika Voss and renders it in a muted pallet of browns and greys and a more complex approach to editing. Then we have films like Fox and His Friends, Mother Kuster's Trip to Heaven and Chinese Roulette, which show Fassbinder moving towards the cold and emotionally fractured Germany of the time depicted in films like the aforementioned In a Year of 13 Moons and The Third Generation.
Although it goes without saying, Fassbinder is not a filmmaker for everyone; many object to his cynicism, the torment of his characters and the spiralling despair central to many of his scripts. However, those with a true passion for intelligent cinema, and for filmmakers like Godard, Bergman, Tarkovsky, Dryer, Ozu, Herzog, von Trier, Wenders, Kieslowski, etc should find much to enjoy here. This box set, as mentioned before, represents something of the peak of Fassbinder's career, and as such, would make a great introduction for anyone interested in the man and his work.
95 of 104 people found the following review helpful
By Mr. A. Peacock
VINE™ VOICE
Contains:
FEAR EATS THE SOUL
4:3, 2.0 audio with optional English subtitles
Fassbinder in Hollywood (57:05mins)
Life Stories: A Conversation with Rainer Werner Fassbinder (48:29mins)
Short Film: The City Tramp (11:27mins)
Todd Haynes Interview (15:12mins)
Trailer
FONTANE EFFI BRIEST
4:3, 2.0 audio with optional English subtitles
FOX AND HIS FRIENDS
4:3, 2.0 audio with optional English subtitles
Trailer
MOTHER KUSTERS GOES TO HEAVEN
4:3, 2.0 audio with optional English subtitles
FEAR OF FEAR
4:3, 2.0 audio with optional English subtitles
SATAN'S BREW
4:3, 2.0 audio with optional English subtitles
Trailer
CHINESE ROULETTE
16:9, 2.0 audio with optional English subtitles
Trailer
THE MARRIAGE OF MARIA BRAUN
16:9, 2.0 audio with optional English subtitles
Fassbinder Familia - Biographies on Fassbinder regulars
Fassbinder Frauen - The Women of Rainer Werner Fassbinder (25:21mins)
Documentary (1977) by Florian Hopf (29:09mins)
Short Film: The Little Chaos (9:19mins)
Trailer
FEAR EATS THE SOUL
4:3, 2.0 audio with optional English subtitles
Fassbinder in Hollywood (57:05mins)
Life Stories: A Conversation with Rainer Werner Fassbinder (48:29mins)
Short Film: The City Tramp (11:27mins)
Todd Haynes Interview (15:12mins)
Trailer
FONTANE EFFI BRIEST
4:3, 2.0 audio with optional English subtitles
FOX AND HIS FRIENDS
4:3, 2.0 audio with optional English subtitles
Trailer
MOTHER KUSTERS GOES TO HEAVEN
4:3, 2.0 audio with optional English subtitles
FEAR OF FEAR
4:3, 2.0 audio with optional English subtitles
SATAN'S BREW
4:3, 2.0 audio with optional English subtitles
Trailer
CHINESE ROULETTE
16:9, 2.0 audio with optional English subtitles
Trailer
THE MARRIAGE OF MARIA BRAUN
16:9, 2.0 audio with optional English subtitles
Fassbinder Familia - Biographies on Fassbinder regulars
Fassbinder Frauen - The Women of Rainer Werner Fassbinder (25:21mins)
Documentary (1977) by Florian Hopf (29:09mins)
Short Film: The Little Chaos (9:19mins)
Trailer
8 of 27 people found the following review helpful
By J. C. Foster
Great collection 1973-1982. Bought this for my partner who says she'll watch them on her own cause they are depressing but fantastic!
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