project film school

The Marriage of Maria Braun 1/11/07
dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder

" the best thing I can think of would be to create a union between something as beautiful and powerful and wonderful as hollywood films and a criticism of the status quo. that's my dream, to make such a german film." - rainer wener fassbinder


this thursday we joined together to watch a film that functions on many levels! at its heart the marriage of maria braun is the journey of a woman, picking herself up from the rubble of both a war and a poorly-timed marriage. maria also functions as a metaphor for post-war germany, specifically, the country's progression and the german economic miracle. she also stands for the rise of the independent woman and the rise (or strength) of capitalism.

this is a movie i have seen many times and even with repeat viewings, i am always overwhelmed by all that fassbinder brings to the table. this post could easily focus only on the movement of the camera, the color palate of the film, the brechtian performances, the outlandish music or political metaphors, with each providing a different view or interpretation of the film and what is accomplishes.

as a woman, i am always drawn to the strength of maria and her ability to use her sexuality to retain her independence emotionally and financially. she does not let society or circumstance determine her place. in the beginning of the film she is radiant, beaming with life, however her appearance is somewhat dull and dowdy. this seems to coincide with her progression, as she climbs the social ladder, her appearance assumes on the bright exterior, with more make-up and clothes that stand out. meanwhile her personality loses its luster. whether this is a deliberate choice by fassbinder is unclear and if it was, whether it is a statement on women's autonomy or the political journey of germany is also debatable.

what amazes me and encourages me as a filmmaker is that both are possible - that politics and entertaining storytelling can co-exist so effortlessly.

on that note i leave you all with this quote:

"fassbinder by his own admission was not interested in historical films, but in films about history from the perspective of the present: 'we make a particular film, about a particular time but from our point of view.' this meant that in his films, the past is seen across the traces which it has left in the present, fixed in the representations of the past, across the styles, the getsures, the images that evoke this past in and for the present."
-Thomas Elsaesser
"Fassbinder's Germany : History, Identity Subject"