Really fascinating and accessible story that feels like reading a wonderful novel. With the runtime Fassbinder has time to explore a multitude of themes, from individual ones like love and liberty, to social ones like poverty and politics. There are times when it's a bit of a drag but most of the time the human and social drama keeps you hooked. Then there's the epilogue which has a totally different style but works pretty well in its own way.

228

a bit of a slog at times but worth it for the epilogue

Schnürsenkel!

#240

Who needs Dekalog when there's Berlin Alexanderplatz?

"For its first 13 episodes, Rainer Werner Fassbinder's adaptation of Alfred Döblin's 1929 novel Berlin Alexanderplatz is most decidedly a masterpiece." - Keith Uhlich

The look is quite unusual: a mix of soft-focus shots where everything seems to glow & sparkle, some coarse, super-grainy telephoto-looking shots, and some flat, neutral-coloured, painting-looking shots. It really creates a dreamlike effect. The sheer length of the work is put to good use, making it one of the few films I can think of with the scope of a good novel, but the narrative keeps a pretty clear focus and the pacing isn't particularly slow -- it's just really long.

We have here a man - Biberkopf - haunted by his past and confronted from all sides by people trying to break him. He has made an oath, he will maintain this oath, he cannot maintain this oath; zum Rhein, zum Rhein, zum deutschen Rhein [whatever happens, this cannot end well]. In the league of literary adaptations there have been few that have blended creativity & devotion to its source so well; the rich symbolism, metropolitan tones, and rhythm of Döblin are brilliantly composed by Fassbinder

German miniseries following the life of Franz Biberkopf during the period between World Wars. Franz, easily lead by others and given temptation, is a political analogy for 1930s Germany. Even at 15 1/2 hours it's worth the time if you can find a copy to watch.

Well worth seeing. Yes, all 15 1/2 hours of it. Some parts move faster than others, but it's never dull. Imparts unto you serious bragging rights just for having seen it, since it's kind of like the Mount Everest of art films. It's also NOT what you might expect

# 192

Bottom line is this... I pretty much enjoyed watching it, it was generally very well-done and interesting (especially in what it says about Germany), and Lamprecht was terrific. But I didn't think it was unassailably brilliant, and I wouldn't watch it again.

absolute masterpiece

The epilogue was the deal breaker.

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