Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974, West Germany) and The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972, West Germany)
A word of warning - no matter how much you enjoy expressionistic films populated by repressed Germans, I would not recommend watching back-to-back Rainer Werner Fassbinder films, especially if you're a Fassbinder newbie like me. (I had to watch The Core to normalize a bit. No, I am not kidding. (And that movie is amazing.))
That said, I think I'm in love. About halfway through Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, I was queuing up The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant. Of the two, I think Petra was my favorite - it's incredibly audacious filmmaking, a series of four scenes taking place entirely in the protagonist's bedroom, as she converses with a series of friends, lovers, and relatives, her silent assistant a constant lurking presence. (That typewriter. Wow.) A few days later, certain images - the camera circling the outdoor cafe in Ali, Petra's first-date dress, the background paintings in both films - are still stuck in my head. Next up - the BRD Trilogy.
posted by molly m. at 8:07 AM
2 Comments:
Wow, you are a legend. That is a lot of Fassbinder. I could not get into to Petra, but I was really into Ali. The strange thing about Ali is that it is so strange that it becomes, in the end, really believable. I haven't seen the Trilogy yet, but probably will soon after my Twin Peaks marathon.
1:54 PM
ha! i totally thought of you when i was knee-deep in fassbinder. i have one of his later films (querelle) on the way, and i'm curious to see if he got stranger with age.
9:59 AM
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