A fairly simple movie plot-wise, the joy here is in the details Fassbinder fills his screen with.

Maria is an interesting character. Her methods are cold but her intentions are passionate. It's a fine line between cruelty and necessity. We are simultaneously charmed and repelled by her determination and ruthless will. Supposedly an allegory for Germany, it succeeds in reflecting the conflict Germans must feel about their own nation.

I've seldom seen such callousness. Very good and fascinating movie, in general.

509

I wish the entire movie had been like the opening scene, which is darkly hilarious and powerful all at once. It's not, but it's still a very interesting story that's unpredictable, particularly the ending.

#563

I was drawn in pretty quickly and enjoyed nearly every minute of it. It takes some strange turns but Schygulla's performance is top notch and keeps everything perfectly on track. Fassbinder really knows how to set up a scene visually and the art direction and cinematography work together to give images that are not only pretty but convey a lot about the characters and situations.

Intensively fascinating.

There's something missing here - this was my entry into Fassbinder and it just doesn't interest me that much anymore. More interesting to think about than watch, mainly due to Maria being an unlikeable shrew and an uncharacteristically-restrained camera. This review is coming off more negative then it actually is, I just have higher expectations of Fassbinder now [esp. in this period of his work].

# 438

Absolutely awesome achievement from Fassbinder. This raises the bar for "art films" everywhere, because it seems like Fassbinder is always coming up with another fresh idea or another camera angle or something else that just seems exactly *right*. It would help to be German, but who cares. Absolutely not to be missed, no matter what. BRAVO! BRAVO!!!!

This was my first Fassbinder and I was actually miffed that every American in the movie has a German accent, including the blacks - I thought that was lazy casting before I found out that Fassbinder made 3-4 films per year with pretty much a steady troupe. I think Maria is a hateful bitch, but somehow she is still easy to root for. It's a very good movie but Fassbinder had made so many better ones over that decade, and it's strange that this one became so famous.

It has some interesting moments emotionally and formally, but otherwise it didn't really rique my interest. Funny and well-made, but I feel indifferent about it for some reason.

Beyond being an allegory for Germany (and I'm not sure if the allegory is very effective), Maria is a fascinating character in her own right. Brutally honest and forthright, completely in control of her own destiny and yet entirely unfulfilled, and cold and calculating almost to the point of cruelty. And yet she does what she does out of passion and devotion. The cinematography is excellent. I still feel like I don't really "get" Fassbinder, but I found this film to be pretty engaging.