One of the most acclaimed and controversial post-war German filmmakers Rainer Werner Fassbinder created a prolific and extraordinarily influential body of work that revolutionised cinema. Lola: Conceived as a homage to Josef Von Sternberg's 'The Blue Angel' 'Lola' is a biting satire of capitalist greed starring Barbara Sukowa as the eponymous cabaret singer and call girl. Why Does Herr R Run Amok?: Fassbinder's savage and provocative portrait of middle-class banality and alienation follows the monotonous daily routines of the mild-mannered Herr R. Until one evening... he finds that he can take no more. Martha: Margit Carstensen stars as a young woman who finds herself slowly stripped of her freedom by her sadistic and tyrannical husband. Fassbinder's bold homage to Douglas Sirk's 1950s Technicolor melodramas finds him at his most wickedly perverse and stylistically assured. I Don't Just Want You To Love Me: Fassbinder's friends and closest colleagues remember him in this documentary profile which also includes interviews with Fassbinder himself and excerpts from his work. [show more]
This excellent collection gathers together three wildly different films from maverick German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder, presenting a cross-section of his career and thus a perfect starting point for curious viewers daunted by the number of films this prolific director has made. "Martha" is a darkly comic melodrama about a passive woman (Margrit Carstensen) whose marriage to a domineering businessman (Karlheinz Bohm) turns into a horrorific game of manipulation and psychological violence. Fassbinder brilliantly captures the claustrophobic feel of the story, amplifying the intensity until it's unclear whether Martha is in genuine danger or merely trapped in the imaginings of her own mind. "Lola" is perhaps Fassbinder's most visually stunning film, another look at manipulation with the gender roles reversed. Barbara Sukowa is radiant as the title character, a prostitute who aims to improve her social position by seducing the seemingly incorruptible new local building inspector Von Bohm (Armin Mueller-Stahl). Fassbinder rigorously color-codes the screen, shifting between Lola's bright pinks and reds and Von Bohm's sparkling blues, culminating in a scene where Von Bohm, seduced by Lola's charm, steps out of the clarity of his blue lighting and into the hazy red light of passion. Finally, "Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?" answers its title question with a harrowing portrait of urban mediocrity and the stultifying boredom of working-class existence, all leading towards the explosive climax.
This set presents these three very different films along with a great feature-length documentary about Fassbinder's life and work, with most of his cast and frequent collaborators commenting and giving interviews. There are many other great Fassbinder films, but this box provides a near-perfect introductory overview, and should be essential viewing for both devoted fans and newcomers alike.
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Triple bill of films from the acclaimed German director. 'Lola' (1982), set in the 1950s during the German 'economic miracle', follows the double life of Lola, a steamy cabaret singer played by Barbara Sukowa. A building inspector investigating a corrupt property developer who is Lola's husband, falls in love with Lola and finds himself in conflict with her hus band. In 'Martha' (1974), Martha (Margit Carstensen) has spent her whole life being oppressed by her cold tyrannical father. She is finally liberated from him when he dies on holiday, but finds herself pushed into a relationship with an engineer who begins to oppress her again. Even though she is faced with his abuse her latent masochism is roused, so she decides to marry him and try to conform to his expectations. In 'Why Does Herr R. Run Amok' (1970), the monotonous daily routines of the mild-mannered Herr R.(Kurt Raab) are followed, until one evening, he finds that he can take no more.
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