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