Bitter Tears: The Films of Rainer Werner Fassbinder

One of the leading figures in the New German Cinema movement that emerged in the 1970s, Fassbinder, who worked in both cinema and theatre, was a furiously prolific artist and provocateur. Influenced by the Hollywood melodramas of Douglas Sirk and the technical innovation of the French New Wave, Fassbinder nonetheless created his own singular style, working across genres to offer poignant and profound examinations of German society and of characters struggling against social and political constraints. Between 1969 and 1982 Fassbinder directed over 40 productions, so this short season hopefully provides a telling glimpse into the work of an uncompromising iconoclast.

In this season

Fear Eats the Soul + intro

Fassbinder's turn to the form of the Hollywood melodrama is perhaps best seen in this loose re-working of All that Heaven Allows.

Read more

Previously in this season

Katzelmacher

Brutal and poignant, Fassbinder’s adaptation of his own play is still shockingly resonant. A Greek immigrant (Fassbinder) unleashes jealousy and xenophobia among a group of…

Read more

Fox and His Friends

Featuring one of Fassbinder’s finest performances in front of the camera, this is a caustic tale of an ex-fairground worker whose class status is mocked…

Read more

The Marriage of Maria Braun

With a terrific performance from regular Fassbinder lead Hanna Schygulla in the title role, this is amongst the director’s most widely known, and seen, works. It’s…

Read more

Effi Briest

An exquisite rendition of Fontane’s great novel of 1896 that examines the plight of 17-year-old Effi – forced into a socially advantageous marriage with a…

Read more

Beware of a Holy Whore + Intro

In an elegant Spanish hotel lobby, a film cast and crew outdo one another in displays of professional and sexual rivalry while waiting endlessly for…

Read more