An investigative piece of work, but unlike the news, it manages to find time to also investigate the emotions felt by our title character.

History repeats itself, and now we often see how little human rights mean in 'war on terrorism'. The film is not very subtle. Obviously the source material was written by someone who passionately hated tabloids and political climate in 70's West Germany. Because of that, film often feels exaggerated and unconvincing. But in the end, it makes its point.

In spite of the timely theme of terrorism, this indictment of police bullies and tabloid journalists looks dated, its villains lacking the subtlety of a first-rate film. The feminist perspective is also heavy-handed, but it is interesting to observe how the male investigators assume that mere political suspicion is enough to justify sexual insults to a woman. It is Angela Winkler's Katharina, however, that redeems this agit-prop screenplay: her innocence and nobility are memorable, moving.

An outraged cry out against the often chaotic, pressing injustice of mass media's intrusive influence on/over peoples' lives, Schlöndorff and von Trotta's film is calm and sober in shape but furious at heart. I especially liked Angela Winkler in the role as the troubled female protagonist, acting her guts out (in a restrained, but heartfelt manner), and the decisively tender camera work... The film is not without its flaws, but it's impressive in its resolution and (ambiguous) soreness.

Reminded me of The Life of David Gale in that it undermines its message by having a somewhat less than sympathetic lead character/victim. Yes, it's sad that the police gave her such a hard time, and the press railroaded her, and her neighbors and friends treated her so poorly. But let's face it, she made she some lousy decisions and wasn't exactly innocent.

Flick starts a bit stiff, but the story appears to be very intersting. In the beginning it looks like an unrighteous attack towards a single female and her private life, but the story grows to be an attack against cruel tabloids. I don't know how important the theme was for Germany, but I found the end a bit too underlining.

Margarethe von Trotta's quiet beauty and restrained anger make this movie for me. I feel like the presentation of the police and the yellow paper was a little too over the top, but that's coming from the viewpoint of someone who knows very little about that region and time period. Could have used a little more subtlety in the organizations, but otherwise a great movie.

Schlöndorff shows us a frustrating spectacle of misogyny and male/bureaucratic dominance. It leaves you angry, but also unsatisfied because it's uninspired and unimaginative. Sorry, I'm not into 100% political art.

A bit contrived in some ways, but nevertheless contains so many valuable truths that its implausibilities are excused. Much more than just a venomous swat at the tabloid BILD, this is a far-reaching critique of a society perceived as patriarchal, misogynistic and (the West German version of) McCarthyist. Blum's interrogator, for one, uses criminal and political allegations as excuses to ravage her personal lifestyle, bullying her about her sexual behavior etc. Quite powerful.

It's hard not to compare this to Haneke's work, and I think ultimately it's hurt by its relative lack of focus. It seems that a film seeking to expose and combat violence inherent in social systems should either overwhelm with the same voice, as Haneke, or pursue a form of love that escapes the normal bounds, as this seems poised to do but never realizes. It's good, but not entirely successful.

A classic of German cinema, "Katharina Blum" is a relentless attack on the German tabloid BILD, one of the most despicable "newspapers" in the world. The film, although slightly exaggerated, is based on a large number of similar cases where they gladly ruined lifes just to increase their sales. Yes, Schloendorff is raging against the machine; but believe me, he's completely justified.

Frustrating spectacle of misogyny and male/bureaucratic dominance. It leaves you angry, but nothing more than that.