Rainer Werner Fassbinder

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Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Born: May 31, 1945
Bad Wörishofen, Bavaria, Germany
Died: June 10, 1982
Munich, Germany
Occupation: film director, producer, actor and writer

Rainer Werner Fassbinder (May 31, 1945June 10, 1982) was a German movie director, screenwriter and actor, one of the most important representatives of the New German Cinema.

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[edit] Biography

Rainer Werner Maria Fassbinder was born in the Bavarian town of Bad Wörishofen. In his short life he not only made 43 films (including two shorts and the 15 ½ hour Berlin Alexanderplatz), but he also worked as an actor (film and theatre), cameraman, composer, designer, editor, producer and theatre manager.

Fassbinder's prodigious cinematic output is legendary. He made, on average, a film every hundred days. His intense discipline and phenomenal creative energy when working were in violent contrast with the excesses of abasement and tortured relationships of his personal life with the people he drew around him in a surrogate family of actors (including Udo Kier, Kurt Raab and Hanna Schygulla), technicians and cameramen (notably Michael Ballhaus) in a similar way to John Cassavetes.

Fassbinder was openly gay and a many of his films dealt with gay characters - keeping with his interest in characters that were deemed outsiders by society.

Fassbinder died of a drug overdose at the age of 37. There is debate as to whether this was a deliberate drug overdose. His death is often considered to mark the end of New German Cinema.

There is a biography in English, Fassbinder: The Life and Work of a Provocative Genius by Christian Braad Thomsen, translated by Martin Chalmers (ISBN 0-571-17842-1).

[edit] Major works

Year English Title German Title Medium
1969 Love Is Colder than Death Liebe ist kälter als der Tod Film
1969 Katzelmacher Katzelmacher Film
1969 Gods of the Plague Götter der Pest Film
1969 Why Does Herr R. Run Amok? Warum läuft Herr R. Amok? Film
1970 Rio Das Mortes Rio das Mortes TV
1970 Whity Whity Film
1970 The Niklashausen Journey Niklashauser Fart (sic) TV
1970 The American Soldier Der Amerikanische Soldat Film
1970 Beware of a Holy Whore Warnung vor einer heiligen Nutte Film
1971 Pioneers in Ingolstadt Pioniere in Ingolstadt Film
1971 The Merchant of Four Seasons Händler der vier Jahreszeiten Film
1972 The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant Die bitteren Tränen der Petra Von Kant Film
1972 Jail Bait (1972) Wildwechsel Film
1972 Eight Hours Are Not A Day Acht Stunden sind kein Tag TV
1973 World on a Wire Welt am Draht TV
1973 Martha Martha TV
1973 Ali: Fear Eats the Soul Angst essen Seele auf Film
1974 Effi Briest Fontane Effi Briest Film
1974 Fox and His Friends Faustrecht der Freiheit Film
1975 Mother Küsters' Trip to Heaven Mütter Küsters Fahrt zum Himmel Film
1976 I Only Want You to Love Me Ich will doch nur, dass Ihr mich liebt TV
1976 Satan's Brew Satansbraten Film
1976 Chinese Roulette Chinesisches Roulette Film
1976 Garbage, the City and Death Der Müll, die Stadt und der Tod Theatre/Film
1977 The Stationmaster's Wife Bolwieser Film
1977 Despair Eine Reise Ins Licht-Despair Film
1978 Germany in Autumn Deutschland Im Herbst Film
1978 The Marriage of Maria Braun Die Ehe der Maria Braun Film
1978 In a Year with Thirteen Moons In einem Jahr mit 13 Monden Film
1979 The Third Generation Die dritte Generation Film
1980 Berlin Alexanderplatz Berlin Alexanderplatz TV
1980 Lili Marleen Lili Marleen Film
1981 Lola Lola Film
1982 Veronika Voss Die Sehnsucht der Veronika Voss Film
1982 Querelle Querelle Film

[edit] Documentaries about Fassbinder

Year English Title German Title Director
1982 RWF Last Works RWF Letzte Arbeiten Wolf Gremm
2000 Fassbinder's Women Für mich gab's nur noch Fassbinder Rosa von Praunheim

[edit] Bibliographies

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Fassbinder

[edit] External links