The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant

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The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant
The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant film poster
Directed by	Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Produced by	Michael Fengler (Filmverlag der Autoren)
Written by	Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Starring	Margit Carstensen Hanna Schygulla Lída Baarová Irm Hermann Katrin Schaake Eva Mattes Gisela Fackeldey
Cinematography	Michael Ballhaus
Editing by	Thea Eymèsz
Release date(s)	1972
Running time	124 min.
Country	Germany
Language	German
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The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (Die Bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant) is a 1972 German film directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. It is a witty tragedy of lovesickness and one of Fassbinder’s most powerful plays and films.

Petra von Kant is a famous fashion designer whose marriages have ended in death and divorce. The first was a great love, the second began as that and ended in disgust. Through a friend, Petra meets Karin, a desirable, ruthless 23-year-old, recently separated from her husband. She persuades her to become a model and very quickly falls madly in love. The opera deals with her obsession, her rejection by Karin, and her disintegration.

The text of the play, in its English translation by Denis Calandra, was employed by Gerald Barry as the libretto for his five-act opera, commissioned by RTE and English National Opera and premiered in Dublin and London in 2005. The opera is also available on CD featuring the RTE National Symphony Orchestra [1]

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

This film has an all female cast and is set in the home of Petra von Kant. It follows the changing dynamics in her relationships with some of the other women.