In the early 1970s, Rainer Werner Fassbinder (Berlin Alexanderplatz) discovered the American melodramas of Douglas Sirk and was inspired by them to begin working in a new, more intensely emotional register. One of the earliest and best-loved films of this period in his career is The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, which balances a realistic depiction of tormented romance with staging that remains true to the director’s roots in experimental theater. This unforgettable, unforgiving dissection of the imbalanced relationship between a haughty fashion designer (Margit Carstensen) and a beautiful but icy ingenue (Hanna Schygulla)—based, in a sly gender reversal, on the writer-director’s own desperate obsession with a young actor—is a fully Fassbinder affair, featuring exquisitely claustrophobic cinematography by Michael Ballhaus (The Last Temptation of Christ) and full-throttle performances by an all-female cast.
Condition: New
Actors: Margit Carstensen, Hanna Schygulla, Irm Hermann
Directors: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Format: Multiple Formats, Blu-ray, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled
Language: German
Subtitles: English
Region: Region A/1
Number of discs: 1
Rated:
Unrated
Not Rated
Studio: Criterion Collection (Direct)
DVD Release Date: January 13, 2015
Run Time: 124 minutes
Cast & Crew
Margit Carstensen Petra von Kant
Gisela Fackelday Valerie von Kant
Irm Hermann Marlene
Eva Mattes Gabriele von Kant
Katrin Schaake Sidonie von Grasenabb
Hanna Schygulla Karin Thimm
Technical Credits
Rainer Werner Fassbinder Director,Producer,Screenwriter
Michael Ballhaus Cinematographer
Thea Eymesz Editor
Platters Score Composer
Kurt Raab Art Director
Walker Brothers Score Composer
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