Wednesday, March 19, 2008
LONG MARCH
Today's film was the first installment of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's 16 hour marathon
This beautiful restoration (Criterion) of Fassbinder's crowning achievement (for good or ill) is the saga of one man who is released from prison to resume life in Weimar Germany and, in the process of that life, encounters the myriad elements of the society including the rise of the Nazi party.
I assume that, from the beginning, the protagonist is a symbol of Germany itself. Nothing less could be the case with Fassbinder.
The linked review says that the actual story could be done in 90 minutes but we are going to see everything that the original novel, a favorite of Fassbinder's, had on every page.
I had a good start but I couldn't take more than the first episode (about 90 minutes).
The look of art moderne Germany pervades the film.
It is beautiful to look at.
The hero is quite non-heroic. A worm.
I will see.
It is meant as an endurance test. I may be up to it.
No rating so far of course.
Labels: best films
