The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (Die bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant)

Sunday Showcase

The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (Die bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant)
Directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Sunday, September 11, 1 pm

Free

In the early 1970s, German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder 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 first 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 true Fassbinder affair, featuring exquisitely claustrophobic cinematography by Michael Ballhaus and full-throttle performances by an all-female cast. 1972, Germany, 35mm, in German with English subtitles, 125 minutes. Recommended for 16+.

Related Screenings:

Peter von Kant
Directed by François Ozon

Friday, September 16, 6 pm
Saturday, September 17, 1 pm
Saturday, September 17, 3 pm
Sunday, September 18, 1 pm