Veronika Voss

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Veronika Voss
Directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Produced by Thomas Schühly
Written by Rainer Werner Fassbinder,
Pea Fröhlich,
Peter Märthesheimer
Starring Rosel Zech,
Hilmar Thate,
Cornelia Froeboess
Release date(s) Flag of West Germany 18 February 1982
Running time 104 min.
Language German
All Movie Guide profile
IMDb profile

Veronika Voss is a 1982 film directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Its original German title is Die Sehnsucht der Veronika Voss, which means The Longing of Veronika Voss.

The film is the second in Fassbinder's BRD Trilogy, coming between The Marriage of Maria Braun and Lola.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The film is loosely based on the career of actress Sybille Schmitz and is influenced by Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard.

Munich, 1955. Veronika Voss is a formerly popular UFA film star who is now struggling to get roles. She meets a sports reporter named Robert Krohn and is impressed that he does not know who she is. The two begin a love affair, even though Robert already lives with his girlfriend Henriette, who nevertheless realizes that Veronika has an irresistible allure. Veronika’s behavior is erratic and sometimes desperate, and as Robert delves into her life he discovers that she is essentially a captive to a corrupt neurologist named Dr. Marianne Katz. Dr. Katz keeps Veronika addicted to opiates and uses her power to give or deny drugs to bleed the actress of her wealth. To verify his suspicions, Robert has Henriette approach Dr. Katz and pretend to be a rich woman in need of psychiatric care. Dr. Katz writes Henriette a prescription for an opiate but witnesses her making a phone call in the street outside the office. Dr. Katz then has Henriette killed and effectively covers up the crime when Robert arrives with the police. The film ends tragically as Dr. Katz and her cohorts have Veronika sign over all that she owns and give her a fatal dose of pills. After Veronika’s death, Robert observes the villains celebrate their victory and is unable to do a thing.

[edit] Main cast

  • Rosel Zech – Veronika Voss
  • Hilmar Thate – Robert Krohn
  • Cornelia Froboess – Henriette
  • Annemarie Düringer – Dr. Marianne Katz

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Preceded by
Faster, Faster
Golden Bear winner
1982
Succeeded by
La colmena
tied with Ascendancy
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