[lbo-talk] BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ released today

[wrobert at uci.edu]

I don't know if this is in any sense a representative response, but I've
found Fassbinder's films to be a mixed bag.  There are some of his films
that I thought were spectacular, for instance, I love Ali: Fear Eats the
Soul and Alex is spectacular, but the movies that tend to lose my interest
are the ones that become overly invested in self-referentiality.  For
instance, I have a limited interest in the films that he makes about
making films.  I suppose they're supposed to be arch and ironic, etc., but
they just seem to be kinda boring and narcissistic.  On the other hand, I
am fond of contempt, but that might just be because of Fritz Lang's role
in the film.  Some of the other films are almost too successful at
replicating the stultifying banality of the Federal republic of the 50's. 
I'm actually really looking forwards to seeing Deutschland in Herbst soon.

 I'd be curious to hear your take on the other directors that came out of
New German Cinema though.  Robert Wood


> But for some reason RWF is seen (and this is where I
> agree with Dennis) as being an acquired taste within
> this cinematic subset.
>
> But why?  Subject matter? Bizarre/repugnant lifestyle?
>
> Brian
>
> PS: I fully acknowledege that my deep love of Fassbinder's
> work may blind me to its difficulty.  I saw his films as a
> teenage queerboi who was in the throes of accepting and
> understanding his queerness as well as his cinephilia.
>
>
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