So far, I have only seen a few of Fassbinder's films. Most (with the notable exception of The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant) I have loved and appreciate that Director Fassbinder was looking for "something different" with his movies. They often broach topics that you would seldom see elsewhere.
This movie is certainly one of these films! The movie begins with Brigitte Mira (Mother Kusters) receiving a phone call that her husband killed his boss' son and then himself at work! There had been no apparent warning signs and Mother Kusters had great difficulty understanding WHY. Unfortunately, she is not helped along this process by her children, as they are an incredibly selfish and self-centered lot. The daughter, a not particularly talented lounge singer, sees this as a chance to get publicity for her lagging career. The son, is a total wimp who lets his shrewish wife dominate him and abandon his mother in her time of need. So who does she turn to? The newspaper man, who promised to give them a fair account if they cooperated, just wanted to create a tabloid piece and twisted much of what they said. To make it worse, the trampy daughter begins sleeping with this reporter--even when she knows what he did--apparently so he can give her publicity and further her career! Well, at first, it appears NO ONE cares. But, at the funeral a "nice couple" meet her and take her home. Unfortunately, they have a hidden agenda and are Communists who only want to use her for publicity by advertising her as the wife of a man driven to "an act of revolution" when he murdered this man! She quickly becomes disenchanted with these jerks and is tricked by radical anarchists into joining them! Then, these radicals go with Kusters to complain to the newspaper about how they misrepresented the story and demanded an apology. This soon culminates with TWO alternate endings: The German version shows the radicals in the editor's office with Kusters when SUDDENLY they pull out guns and take hostages. Then, they make a lot of crazy demands and Mother Kusters appears stunned that she had just been used as an excuse by these nuts. Then, the very end of the film is just in text--the last 5 minutes or so of the movie is described only. Apparently, the anarchists AND Mother Kusters are killed while trying to escape! I would have loved to seen this and can't figure out WHY it was not filmed. Perhaps this was Fassbinder's vision, perhaps the studio thought it was too brutal to show or perhaps there was some weird German law that prevented this ending. Regardless, it was a brilliant ending but I found myself wanting to see it for myself.
The American version picks up when the anarchists and Mother Kusters enter the office. However, everyone at the newspaper pretty much ignores them and goes home! As the do NOT have guns in this version, even the anarchists soon lose heart and go home--leaving poor Mother Kusters sitting alone--refusing to leave. A little later, a nice older man who seems to be the watchman asks her nicely to go. At first she refuses, but agrees to go home with him as he's a widower and is making a lovely meal! A "nice" ending where she seems to find love instead of death in a hail of bullets.
I personally liked having BOTH endings on the DVD. If I had to pick one, I'd pick the German version because it did not seem like a tacked on "Hollywood" ending like the other one.
I particularly liked the acting of Brigitte Mira, as she did a nice job in this movie and Fassbinder's Ali: Fear Eats the Soul. Apparently she did many films for this director and I really admire her "normalness"--i.e., she seems like an everyday older German woman and not someone acting.
I also liked how everyone was portrayed in the movie--her kids, the Communists, the newspapers, etc. It was a very jaded and unflinching view into human nature.
About the only reason I didn't give it a 10 was the ending being all in text. It just left me a little dissatisfied.
This movie is certainly one of these films! The movie begins with Brigitte Mira (Mother Kusters) receiving a phone call that her husband killed his boss' son and then himself at work! There had been no apparent warning signs and Mother Kusters had great difficulty understanding WHY. Unfortunately, she is not helped along this process by her children, as they are an incredibly selfish and self-centered lot. The daughter, a not particularly talented lounge singer, sees this as a chance to get publicity for her lagging career. The son, is a total wimp who lets his shrewish wife dominate him and abandon his mother in her time of need. So who does she turn to? The newspaper man, who promised to give them a fair account if they cooperated, just wanted to create a tabloid piece and twisted much of what they said. To make it worse, the trampy daughter begins sleeping with this reporter--even when she knows what he did--apparently so he can give her publicity and further her career! Well, at first, it appears NO ONE cares. But, at the funeral a "nice couple" meet her and take her home. Unfortunately, they have a hidden agenda and are Communists who only want to use her for publicity by advertising her as the wife of a man driven to "an act of revolution" when he murdered this man! She quickly becomes disenchanted with these jerks and is tricked by radical anarchists into joining them! Then, these radicals go with Kusters to complain to the newspaper about how they misrepresented the story and demanded an apology. This soon culminates with TWO alternate endings: The German version shows the radicals in the editor's office with Kusters when SUDDENLY they pull out guns and take hostages. Then, they make a lot of crazy demands and Mother Kusters appears stunned that she had just been used as an excuse by these nuts. Then, the very end of the film is just in text--the last 5 minutes or so of the movie is described only. Apparently, the anarchists AND Mother Kusters are killed while trying to escape! I would have loved to seen this and can't figure out WHY it was not filmed. Perhaps this was Fassbinder's vision, perhaps the studio thought it was too brutal to show or perhaps there was some weird German law that prevented this ending. Regardless, it was a brilliant ending but I found myself wanting to see it for myself.
The American version picks up when the anarchists and Mother Kusters enter the office. However, everyone at the newspaper pretty much ignores them and goes home! As the do NOT have guns in this version, even the anarchists soon lose heart and go home--leaving poor Mother Kusters sitting alone--refusing to leave. A little later, a nice older man who seems to be the watchman asks her nicely to go. At first she refuses, but agrees to go home with him as he's a widower and is making a lovely meal! A "nice" ending where she seems to find love instead of death in a hail of bullets.
I personally liked having BOTH endings on the DVD. If I had to pick one, I'd pick the German version because it did not seem like a tacked on "Hollywood" ending like the other one.
I particularly liked the acting of Brigitte Mira, as she did a nice job in this movie and Fassbinder's Ali: Fear Eats the Soul. Apparently she did many films for this director and I really admire her "normalness"--i.e., she seems like an everyday older German woman and not someone acting.
I also liked how everyone was portrayed in the movie--her kids, the Communists, the newspapers, etc. It was a very jaded and unflinching view into human nature.
About the only reason I didn't give it a 10 was the ending being all in text. It just left me a little dissatisfied.