#740: FASSBINDER, Rainer Werner: The Bitter Tears Of Petra Von Kant (1972)

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FASSBINDER, Rainer Werner (Germany)
The Bitter Tears Of Petra Von Kant [1972]
Spine #740
Blu-ray


In the early 1970s, Rainer Werner Fassbinder discovered the American melodramas of Douglas Sirk and was inspired by them to begin working in a new, more intensely emotional register. One of the first and best-loved films of this period in his career is The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, which balances a realistic depiction of tormented romance with staging that remains true to the director's roots in experimental theater. This unforgettable, unforgiving dissection of the imbalanced relationship between a haughty fashion designer (Margit Carstensen) and a beautiful but icy ingenue (Hanna Schygulla) — based, in a sly gender reversal, on the writer-director's own desperate obsession with a young actor — is a true Fassbinder affair, featuring exquisitely claustrophobic cinematography by Michael Ballhaus and full-throttle performances by an all-female cast.

125 minutes
Color
Monaural
in German
1:37:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2015
Director/Writers


Based on the play by Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

A

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Eight-panel foldout featuring an essay by critic Peter Matthews.

Commentary

None.

Interviews

With DP Michael Ballhaus and actors Carstensen, Mattes, Schaake, and Schygulla.

Interview

With film scholar Jane Shattuc.

Role Play: Women on Fassbinder

A 1992 German television documentary by Thomas Honickel featuring interviews with Carstensen, Schygulla, and actors Hermann and Zech.

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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