The Marriage of Maria Braun (1978)

I've been catching up on my European cinema, but I haven't made a serious stop in Germany. Like, ever.

So I asked a friend, and got a recommendation: Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

He's the bad boy of German cinema. He was prolific in his time: churning out plays, television and movies with zeal. Upon his death in 1982 at the age of 37, he had produced forty feature films and twenty four plays.

Here we go. First stop? The Marriage of Maria Braun (1978).

I. What Is It?

This is the story of Maria Braun (Hanna Schygulla): married during the siege of Berlin in World War II. Her husband goes missing, and Maria is left to survive in a world that is rebuilding itself from the ground up. It is the story of unbridled ambition and tragedy.

II. She's a Survivor

Maria is a survivor. A real one. She is never a victim. She doesn't dwell in her misfortune. Rather, she constantly schemes and plots to pull herself out of her situation. Unlike in many tales of survivors where our heroes hit rock bottom and learn how to fight for themselves. Maria is ruthlessly aggressive and competent from the very beginning. It is a breath of fresh air. At times she does outright villainous things, but it is hard not to root for her, every step of the way. Maria says that "this is not a good time for feelings:" and I absolutely believe it. There are times where she seems to be the only German trying to build something new, instead of reconstructing an idealized past.

Maria is played with verve by Hanna Schygulla. Schygulla has an easy charm, but there is a vitality in her eyes. She nimbly hops from sex appeal to dangerous hardness. Fassbinder wisely keeps us at a distance from Maria, too: we see her actions, but are rarely let inside her head. This allows us to interpret and debate whether or not she's sincere from one moment to the next, or whether she is purely manipulative.

Maria is a complicated character. She kills; she schemes; she uses sex to get what she wants. But she is also clever, fierce, and bold. She is as adept in the bedroom as she is in the boardroom. She is unrepentant. Even with all of her terrible behavior, it is hard not to be inspired by a woman who refuses to be told "no." A woman who refuses to be belittled. Maria says "I prefer to make miracles, not wait for them to happen." That's a great fucking line.

The film clocks in at two hours, and it is just right. We get to explore a woman's rise from the ashes, and her tragic fall. This movie feels like an epic novel, and I was in love with it.

III. Incredibly Constructed

Fassbinder films this thing with a sense of life and animation. His actors are constantly moving and exploring the spaces. Very rarely do they stick in one spot, but, when they do, they have earned the right. Fassbinder's camera swings and flows in the spaces, too, almost like a character in the movie. We, as the audience feel like a part of the action.

I couldn't help but feel like I was watching a play. Each location was chock full of details, and the blocking of the actors allowed for each space to feel lived in and properly explored. Fassbinder knows how to stage a scene, and how to frame an image. This movie is filled with beautiful, well-constructed imagery. He utilizes fore, middle and backgrounds with skill. He often uses framing to excellent effect: doorways and windowpanes and prison bars draw attention to and enhance focus. What you get are wonderful tableaus that are painterly. Sort of like the paintings of a brutal, German Norman Rockwell. The colors are rich and vibrant without feeling cartoonishly technicolor.

IV. Brutal Comedy

This is the story of a woman doing anything and everything to survive. What should be an oppressive viewing experience, is alleviated by Fassbinder's sense of playfulness. There is an odd, almost brutal, comedy at play. Fassbinder seems to be taking shots at humanity's insistence on civility and "honor" in the face of utter devastation. How can people treated inhumanely be expected to act with humanity? When you are trading your missing husband's clothes for firewood and cigarettes just to get by, there is no room for weakness. There is a scene where Maria goes toe-to-toe with an inebriated American soldier on a train, unleashing a hail of invective, which stops the man in his tracks. Ultimately, it puts the man in his place, and asserts her own power and dominance. And it's hilarious, too.

Why You Should See It

- It's an uncompromising epic; it is a character portrait of the highest caliber.
- It features a powerhouse performance from Hanna Schygulla.
- It is immaculately constructed and beautiful to look at, even when it depicts human ugliness.
- There is plenty to analyze, discuss and argue about once the film is done.

In Conclusion

The Marriage of Maria Braun is one of my new favorite films. It is nothing less than a masterpiece, and it makes me sad that we lost this filmmaker so young.

Miscellany

- In order to maintain a prodigious work schedule, Fassbinder was consuming large amounts of cocaine during production. The film went overbudget, and there are those that speculate that part of that is due to the "cocaine budget." Fassbinder would eventually die of an overdose of cocaine and barbiturates in 1982.