Author Archives: yearof44films

Chinese Roulette (1976)

Posted on June 19, 2013 by yearof44films

I recently announced I had wrapped up 1976. Not true! I forgot about Chinese Roulette! Apologies to anyone actually following this thing who might have rejoiced at another year’s worth of Fassbinder out of the way, but we’ve got one … Continue reading →

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Satan’s Brew (1976)

Posted on June 8, 2013 by yearof44films

I’ve always said the others made me into the leader, whereas they say I was looking for followers. So I’ve simply tried to create a comedy about myself as seen from outside,  a comedy about what I would be if … Continue reading →

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I Only Want You to Love Me (1976)

Posted on May 29, 2013 by yearof44films

As I’ve said many times now, one of Fassbinder’s great strengths as an artist was his ability to translate incredibly specific, personal, and often idiosyncratic experiences and emotions into terms that a much wider audience could relate to. You don’t … Continue reading →

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Fear of Fear (1975)

Posted on April 26, 2013 by yearof44films

It’s impossible to watch Angst vor der Angst (the German title is just so much better, don’t you think? Just say it out loud!) without thinking of Martha. Both films feature Margit Carstensen as a high-strung housewife crushed by marriage. … Continue reading →

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Mother Küsters Goes to Heaven (1975)

Posted on April 2, 2013 by yearof44films

My husband and I saw Mother Küsters Goes to Heaven as part of a Fassbinder retrospective at the Pacific Film Archive in the 1990s. It was one of our favorite movies at the time, so of course I was curious … Continue reading →

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Addendum to Fox and His Friends

Posted on March 8, 2013 by yearof44films

There’s one last thing I wanted to mention re: Fox and His Friends, but I couldn’t quite articulate it or figure out how to work it in until now. (I guess I have a lot to say about this one.) … Continue reading →

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Fox and His Friends (1975)

Posted on March 8, 2013 by yearof44films

Fassbinder acted in several of his own films, but almost never included his name in the credits and rarely cast himself in the lead role. Love Is Colder Than Death: no acting credit. Katzelmacher: no acting credit. The American Soldier, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1970s style, German Cinema, Queer Cinema | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Effi Briest (1974)

Posted on January 16, 2013 by yearof44films

Before we get started I just want to state for the record that my assertion that Martha just might be the movie in which RWF learned that he could dispense with critical distance altogether might very well be the stupidest … Continue reading →

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Martha (1974)

Posted on January 2, 2013 by yearof44films

I’ve always assumed that Fear Eats the Soul marks the pinnacle of RWF’s obsession with Douglas Sirk. (I believe I said as much in my last post.) But that’s only because I hadn’t seen Martha. Now that I’ve seen Martha … Continue reading →

Posted in 1970s style, German Cinema, Melodrama | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974)

Posted on November 26, 2012 by yearof44films

I suppose it was inevitable. I seem to have lost all momentum with this thing and I don’t know how to get it back. Too busy the past few months, I think I may have just forgotten how to do … Continue reading →

Posted in German Cinema, Melodrama, Rainer Werner Fassbinder | Tagged , | 2 Comments