#758: FASSBINDER, Rainer Werner: The Merchant of Four Seasons (1971)

-
FASSBINDER, Rainer Werner (Germany)
The Merchant of Four Seasons [1971]
Spine #758
Blu-ray


New German Cinema icon Rainer Werner Fassbinder kicked off a new phase of his young career when he made the startling The Merchant of Four Seasons. In this anguished yet mordantly funny film, Fassbinder charts the decline of a self-destructive former policeman and war veteran struggling to make ends meet for his family working as a fruit vendor. Fassbinder had gained acclaim for a series of trenchant, quickly made early films, but for this one he took more time and forged a new style — featuring a more complexly woven script and narrative structure and more sophisticated use of the camera, and influenced by the work of his recently discovered idol, Douglas Sirk. The result is a meticulously made, unforgiving social satire.

88 minutes
Color
Monaural
in German
1:37:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2015
Director/Writer




The Extras

The Booklet

Twelve-page wraparound featuring an essay by film scholar Thomas Elsaesser.

Commentary

Featuring filmmaker Wim Wenders.

Interviews

With actors Hermann and Hirschmüller.

Interview

With film scholar Eric Rentschler.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Complete Criterion Collection By Director

-
THE COMPLETE CRITERION COLLECTION BY DIRECTOR ADOLPHSON, Edvin (1893-1979) & WALLÉN, Sigurd (1884-1947) {Sweden} The Count of the Old Town [1935] {Eclipse #46} AKAD, Lüfti Ö. (1916-2011) {Turkey} Law of the Border [1966] {Spine #878} AKERMAN, Chantal (1950-2015) {Belgium} Saute ma ville [1968] {Spine #1203a} L'enfant aimé, ou je à être une femme mariée [1971] {Spine #1203b} La Chambre [1972] {Eclipse #19/Spine #1203c} Hotel Monterey (United States) [1972] {Eclipse #19/Spine #1203d} Le 15/8 [1973] {Spine #1203e} Je tu il elle (France) [1975] {Eclipse #19/Spine #1203f} Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai Du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles [1975] {Spine #484} News From Home (United States) [1976] {Eclipse #19/Spine #1203g} Les Rendez-Vous d'Anna (France) [1978] {Eclipse #19/Spine #1203h} ALDRICH, Robert (1918-1983) {United States} Kiss Me Deadly [1955] {Spine #568}  [ 87 ] Flight of the Phoenix [1965] {Spine #1116} ALLÉGRET, Marc (1900-1973)...
Read more

The Complete Criterion Collection By Spine #

-
The Complete Criterion Collection By Spine # A: No spine #: Ingmar Bergman's Cinema (BERGMAN, Ingmar) [1946-2003] {Sweden} A1: Crisis [1946] A2: A Ship to India [1947] A3: Port of Call [1948] A4: Thirst [1949] A5: To Joy [1950] A6: Summer Interlude [1951] A7: Waiting Women [1952] A8: Sawdust and Tinsel [1953]  [ 89 ] A9: Summer With Monika [1953] A10: A Lesson in Love [1954] A11: Dreams [1955] A12: Smiles of a Summer Night [1955] A13: The Seventh Seal [1957] A14: Wild Strawberries [1957]  [ 93 ] A15: Brink of Life [1958] A16: The Magician [1958] A17: The Devil's Eye [1960] A18: The Virgin Spring [1960] A19: Through a Glass Darkly [1961] A20: The Silence [1963] A21: Winter Light [1963] A22: All These Women [1964] A23: Persona [1966]  [ 94 ] A24: Hour of the Wolf [1968] A25: Shame [1968] A26: The Passion of Anna [1969] A27: The Rite [1969] A28: Fårö Document [1970] A29: The Touch [1971] A30: Cries and Whispers [1972] A31: Scenes from a Marri...
Read more

#1271: LONERGAN, Kenneth: You Can Count On Me (2000)

-
Image
LONERGAN, Kenneth (United States) You Can Count On Me [2000] Spine #1271 Blu-ray Celebrated playwright Kenneth Lonergan first brought his rich, humanist vision to the screen with this soulful look at the complexities of a sibling relationship whose roots are as knotted as they are deep. Years after Sammy (Laura Linney) and her younger brother, Terry (Mark Ruffalo), lost their parents in a car crash, small-town single mother Sammy is plunged into another crisis when the troubled, adrift Terry comes home for what turns out to be an extended stay—one that could either bring them closer together or tear them apart. With infinite grace and his peerless ear for dialogue, Lonergan offers something all too rare on-screen: beautifully flawed human beings whose journeys offer achingly relatable insight into what changes when you grow up—and what doesn’t. 111 minutes 5.1 Surround Color 1:85:1 Criterion Release 2025 Directors/Writer Kenneth Lonergan  was 38 when he directed You Can Count On ...
Read more