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In the previous post about the 赌博app SCREENING - “Retrospective of German Film Masters”, we introduced two German cinema legends, Volker Schlöndorff and Margarethe von Trotta, along with three classic films being screened at this event. Today, we are excited to reveal three more films: ACHT STUNDEN SIND KEIN TAG, WELT AM DRAHT, and ANGST ESSEN SEELE AUF, all directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Did you guess correctly?
Since beginning his filmmaking career with short films at the age of 20, Rainer Werner Fassbinder completed over forty film and television works in just fourteen years, leaving an indelible mark on the film industry with his incredible efficiency and passion. It’s challenging to summarize Fassbinder’s illustrious career in a few words. His work is characterized by a sharp personality, diverse techniques, and high relevance; each piece radiates his enthusiasm for cinema and life. He often completed a feature film in just a few weeks, releasing two to three new works each year while also continuously writing stage plays and scripts.
Fassbinder should be quite familiar to AUDIENCES in Shanghai. In 2015, Shanghai International Film Festival (赌博app) screened his LILI MARLEEN. In 2017, marking the 35th anniversary of his death, 赌博app held a small retrospective featuring six of his representative works, including ISSıZ ADAM and DIE SEHNSUCHT DER VERONIKA VOSS. The 2022 “Retrospective of German Film Masters” showcased MOTHER KÜSTERS GOES TO HEAVEN and LOLA. This year, 赌博app screened LOVE IS COLDER THAN DEATH in the “Ceaseless Tide” section, representing the pioneering voice of the New German Cinema.
This event invites audiences to revisit the sci-fi classic WELT AM DRAHT, especially in an age increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence and virtual reality. Additionally, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of ANGST ESSEN SEELE AUF, this Fassbinder’s most significant work will be screened once more. Its themes of alienation and indifference, alongside its poignant call for love, continue to resonate deeply with viewers. The most exciting feature, undoubtedly, is Fassbinder’s humorous, accessible yet profound family drama ACHT STUNDEN SIND KEIN TAG, which will be presented in an eight-hour marathon screening - a highlight of the exhibition.
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
© WDR - RWFF
Throughout Fassbinder’s brief yet prolific career, he underwent a significant stylistic transformation. His early works, such as LOVE IS COLDER THAN DEATH (1969) and KATZELMACHER (1969), are often seen as extensions of his stage plays, characterized by a stark visual style and a strong sense of theatrical performance and dialogue. While these unique works received acclaim from critics, their initial impact was somewhat limited. In 1970, after completing PIONIERE IN INGOLSTADT, Fassbinder chose to take a break, spending eight months in a “vacation”. During this time, he discovered a series of melodramatic films by German director Douglas Sirk in Hollywood, which cleverly combined social critique with entertainment elements. This discovery prompted him to shift paths, creating more accessible, entertaining works for appreciation.
This “Retrospective of German Film Masters” has specially selected three significant works from this period of Fassbinder’s stylistic transformation: ACHT STUNDEN SIND KEIN TAG (1972), WELT AM DRAHT (1973), and ANGST ESSEN SEELE AUF (1974). ACHT STUNDEN SIND KEIN TAG is a television miniseries that depicts the lives of the working class. Upon its release, it transformed Fassbinder’s public image from a “rebellious artist” to a television star adept at telling the stories of ordinary people. WELT AM DRAHT is known as his only sci-fi work. Unlike the warm atmosphere of ACHT STUNDEN SIND KEIN TAG, this miniseries is permeated with skepticism and anxiety, skillfully merging Fassbinder’s theatrical visual style with melodramatic narrative techniques, making it both gripping and thought-provoking. ANGST ESSEN SEELE AUF revolves around a love story between an elderly German woman and a Moroccan immigrant worker. This tender yet brutal film brought Fassbinder international acclaim.
Fassbinder on the set of WELT AM DRAHT
© WDR - RWFF
In a 1974 interview with the British magazine Sight & Sound, Fassbinder described his works as “more about provoking thought than about provocation”. He infused his insights into society, into a format that was easily accessible to the public, bringing his films into homes across Germany, thus allowing a wider international audience to appreciate and reflect on them. Revisiting his works today, we can still feel the timeless power they hold, as if they transcend the past and resonate with the present.
ACHT STUNDEN SIND KEIN TAG (1972)
Highlights:
Fassbinder’s warmest work, equally engaging inside and outside of the 8-hour runtime!
The story begins at a birthday party: factory worker Jürgen celebrates with his parents, aunt, sister, brother-in-law, and colleagues. Amid the lively celebration, an undercurrent of unease exists: everyone has their troubles. Jürgen proposes an efficiency-improvement plan to meet tight deadlines. Although management adopts it, sparing the team from overtime, they cancel the bonuses. At the same time, Jürgen meets and falls in love with Marion, a reporter, but her colleagues strongly oppose her dating a factory worker. Jürgen’s sister, Monika, wants to return to work now that her daughter is old enough for kindergarten, but her brother-in-law, Harold, insists that she should focus on the child. Meanwhile, the grandmother embarks on a new romance and plans to move in with her boyfriend, only to find that a suitable apartment proves as challenging as securing a spot in kindergarten.
Directed and written by Fassbinder, this five-part miniseries aired on WDR in 1972, attracting six million viewers. Fassbinder cleverly weaves his observations and thoughts on German society and family dynamics into this family drama interlaced with humor, romance, anxiety, and happiness, conveying a positive message of societal change through action to countless German families. Although originally planned for eight episodes, the last three were canceled, which may explain why this work stands out from many of Fassbinder’s others, leaving a warm and hopeful ending.
This screening features a 2K restored version and marks the first time this series has been shown in theaters in mainland China. The five episodes will be screened continuously over eight hours, offering audiences an immersive viewing experience for the entire day.
WELT AM DRAHT
Highlights:
A sci-fi classic more advanced than THE MATRIX, INCEPTION, and GHOST IN THE SHELL
© WDR - RWFF
WELT AM DRAHT is a two-part sci-fi television miniseries directed by Fassbinder, adapted from Daniel F. Galouye’s novel Simulacron-3. The story follows a research institute that develops a virtual reality simulation system to predict social and economic trends in the real world. However, after the project leader dies unexpectedly, a series of inexplicable events unfold, gradually trapping the new head, Fred Stiller, in a web of uncertainty about what is real. Stiller begins to question whether the world he inhabits is merely a simulation as well.
Whether through the film’s gray tones, geometric compositions, or isolated spatial aesthetics, Fassbinder creates a retro-futuristic visual style that is distinctly unique among his works. He further constructs a labyrinthine world using mirrors and reflections.
Although WELT AM DRAHT did not garner significant attention when it first aired in 1973, it offers a prescient exploration of themes of virtual reality and artificial intelligence. Its philosophical inquiries into the individual and society, as well as the boundary between reality and illusion, have inspired many subsequent sci-fi films, making this work still thought-provoking today. This screening will also feature a 2K restored version.
ANGST ESSEN SEELE AUF
Highlights:
“We can buy a small piece of heaven”
Amy, a nearly 60-year-old cleaner, falls in love with Ali, a young Moroccan immigrant. The couple faces significant discrimination and exclusion due to their age, race, and social class differences, with the biases from those around them gradually impacting their lives. When societal attention shifts, their relationship also experiences cracks due to internal conflicts.
The film draws partial inspiration from Douglas Sirk’s 1955 work ALL THAT HEAVEN ALLOWS, but Fassbinder sets the story in 1970s Germany, portraying the relationship between an older German cleaner and a young Moroccan immigrant, reflecting the societal attitudes towards foreign labor in Germany at that time.
Despite its simple production and a filming period of only two weeks, the film has become one of Fassbinder’s signature works due to its exquisite cinematography, strong emotional tension, and profound thematic content. It was presented in the main competition at the 27th Cannes Film Festival and received widespread acclaim worldwide. This screening will be a 2K restored version.
More details about the films in the screening will be revealed soon. This event will open ticket sales across all platforms at noon on October 18 (Friday). Please stay tuned for the ticket purchase guide that will be released on October 17.
Additionally, a series of merchandise will be launched for the event, including posters of the showcase, ticket holders, refrigerator stickers, notepads, canvas bags, and T-shirts. These items are already available for pre-sale through the official applet. During the event, merchandise will also be sold onsite at the screening venues, so we encourage fans to come and pick their favorite items.
Furthermore, on October 21 and 30, there will be related events held, and we welcome all attendees to plan ahead and join us. Stay tuned for more information on guests and events, as well as further details about the “Retrospective of German Film Masters” on our official account.
赌博app SCREENING
“赌博app SCREENING”, a brand created by 赌博app, extends the festival’s mission to satisfy the artistic needs of audiences, offering a richer and more diverse cinematic experience that fosters a more engaging viewing atmosphere.