Can people change? Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980, Rainer Werner Fassbinder) is not only the crowning achievement of Fassbinder’s entire career but perhaps the crowning achievement of cinema itself. A fifteen hour film about an ex con who just finished a four year stretch making a sincere effort to straighten up.
FRANZ BIBERKOPF (Günter Lamprecht) was a pimp who beat his girlfriend IDA to death in their flat. The court gave him four years for manslaughter. On parole he vows to himself to keep clean. Yet what’s most profound and the reason we care about this epic drama is that despite convincing himself and us he’s gonna make it when we least expect it and furthermore are in no way equipped to comprehend he starts slowly inevitably on the path to his doom. Franz gets alot of ass. And when he finally falls in love with MEIZE (Barbara Sukowa) the romance feels so perfect that knowing Fassbinder it’s a bubble. And you know what happens to bubbles.
Meize is a child in her temperament. Like Franz. She meets him at a pretty low point. He joined the crime syndicate he said he never would. With no conceivable reason to whatsoever making it hit even harder. And REINHOLD (Gottfried John) has to take Mieze from Franz because they’re so perfectly happy in love with each other. End of plot synopsis. Maybe the important thing I’ve left out is how much Fassbinder enjoys turning the screw.
Everytime I come back to Berlin Alexanderplatz its singular aesthetic character tone feel and vibe are so wellworn familiar instantly recognizable worthwhile magnificent it feels like I just got out of prison and have returned home to déjà vu all over again. Its ochre patina glistening like a glass of beer throughout the burnt umber drab shabby ratholes pubs and posh Berlin habitations exist in our minds because they’ve been swathed with so much care as to transcend reality. That pink blinking light through the window in Franz's flat. The 80s cross filter that causes the highlights to twinkle (and sometimes even Mieze’s eye) remains endearing. The low angle fixed POV looking heavenward above the tall building tops of Franz's newly appreciative inquisitive surveilling of his surroundings translates his wonder to our wonder.
Franz sometimes comes off as simple. Touched in the head after his release. Overwhelmed. Ready at any second to crack under the culture shock pressure of life on the outside. Other times he’s a little kid. Others verbose. Poetic. Philosophical. Berlin Alexanderplatz is full of biblical references to ponder. The Sodom and Gomorrah red light district alley with the bald barker endlessly reciting his star attraction the Whore of Babylon mother of all abominations and atrocities drunk off the blood of the saints. Franz’s ultimate low after his first betrayal bender binge where he suffers as Job until Satan finally kicks him out and tells him he’s ready to go back out onto the streets after recovering. Livestock. Slaughter. Sacrifice. The old man slicing open the lamb’s throat in that dark room who looks like he’s of ancient times we are shown why? Oh no reason.
But okay anyway Meize is adorable. And the most earthly grounded universal relevance I still can’t quite shake. Rationalization of a cuck. The serpent tempting Franz and him letting himself be tempted. Mieze’s going to bring home the money because she loves her man. He asks if she’s going off with the rich married man without telling him for days at a time to prostitute herself what’s left? She tells him she loves him and he accepts and believes her. Heck I bought it.
In the forest when Reinhold lures away Mieze is haunting chilling scrares me. There is a reaper whose name is Death with power from Almighty God. The serpent in the heart of the serpent. You don’t know him Franz. Reinhold is no good. Why is Mieze enticed by the serpent? Why does Franz let himself be tempted to go against what he said he knew better than to? Max tells him. Herbert tells him. He’s going to kill her and end up right back in prison. When Reinhold attempts to seduce Mieze is the most visceral scene to inflict emotional damage through art. He almost beats Mieze to death. Just as Franz did Ida. Just as Franz did Mieze. Like Franz Mieze is gullible trusting naïve. Mieze is lamb to the slaughter. Her doubt confusion reluctance lust desire revulsion repulsion masochism yearning to escape yearning to fall into the abyss trapped yet free good yet fooled into wickedness. Her paradox is that of Franz. That of mankind.
Lest I get off point none of that can prepare us for the ending. Fassbinder 14. There is a reaper whose name is Death with power from Almighty God. No cause for despair. The end of Fassbinder’s breadth of cinema. 14 is a maximalist expressionist how did anyone ever finance or and approve this colossal nightmare transcendent passage.
Franz has been arrested wanted along with Reinhold for the murder of Mieze. In prison he runs into Reinhold who's stolen someone else’s identity causing Franz to go into a catatonic stupor. 14 is a hundred minutes of Franz’s subconscious odyssey. With two angels as his guide. This freeform cinemascape is too vast to cover at length. But the Christian imagery and Salvation interludes are significant. When Franz is eating his own vomit off the floor covered in live rats is symbolic of him returning to his old ways. Hence the rats breaking through the brick wall where Franz finds Mieze riding Reinhold. Did this ever really happen? What’s important is he fears this in his soul and whether it did or didn’t is the murky place he chose to dwell in by pimping and getting passed out drunk all the time after he said he never would again. Mieze isn’t his salvation though he acted like she was. When Reinhold is wearing a crown of thorns and asking Franz how could you be blind and not see me this whole time is Jesus Christ reaching him. Next we see what could easily be mistaken for blasphemy but I don’t think is Mary and Joseph with Franz child and Franz crucified on the cross I take to be Christ dying for him as he sees in his mind. Because after it’s over the narrator (Fassbinder himself the whole time) says Franz is dead and in his bed is the body of another man entirely. Franz wakes back to life. The courts free him. If that isn’t blatantly referring to being born again through Christ I don’t know what else to tell ya.
Yet I also wouldn’t risk coming off like any of this is simple or at all easy to interpret. This obviously goes without saying is my take. But it’s complex. Fassbinder in 14 switches the actors so frequently it leads to asking myriad questions as to what it means. Who’s guilty innocent good evil? The most harrowing scream ever heard in a movie when Franz nearly beat Mieze to death in 14 is her's and is heard again but the angels say it’s Franz’s scream. We feel through Franz’ accountability that Christ has caused him to admit his weakness. His guilt. His sin. Franz couldn’t just go straight because he’s decent. That’s why Reinhold threw him out of the truck and the car ripped his arm off. Franz was haughty. Franz very well may have killed Ida. And complicity in a remote way Mieze. But 14 sees him repentant atoning for his sins. Franz is a new man. And walks out free. In real life Fassbinder would die not too long after finishing this. In 14 there’s a shot where for no reason explained Fassbinder is there in the shadows with the angels watching Franz’s being held accountable. Nothing more to say here.
Meize is a child in her temperament. Like Franz. She meets him at a pretty low point. He joined the crime syndicate he said he never would. With no conceivable reason to whatsoever making it hit even harder. And REINHOLD (Gottfried John) has to take Mieze from Franz because they’re so perfectly happy in love with each other. End of plot synopsis. Maybe the important thing I’ve left out is how much Fassbinder enjoys turning the screw.
Everytime I come back to Berlin Alexanderplatz its singular aesthetic character tone feel and vibe are so wellworn familiar instantly recognizable worthwhile magnificent it feels like I just got out of prison and have returned home to déjà vu all over again. Its ochre patina glistening like a glass of beer throughout the burnt umber drab shabby ratholes pubs and posh Berlin habitations exist in our minds because they’ve been swathed with so much care as to transcend reality. That pink blinking light through the window in Franz's flat. The 80s cross filter that causes the highlights to twinkle (and sometimes even Mieze’s eye) remains endearing. The low angle fixed POV looking heavenward above the tall building tops of Franz's newly appreciative inquisitive surveilling of his surroundings translates his wonder to our wonder.
Franz sometimes comes off as simple. Touched in the head after his release. Overwhelmed. Ready at any second to crack under the culture shock pressure of life on the outside. Other times he’s a little kid. Others verbose. Poetic. Philosophical. Berlin Alexanderplatz is full of biblical references to ponder. The Sodom and Gomorrah red light district alley with the bald barker endlessly reciting his star attraction the Whore of Babylon mother of all abominations and atrocities drunk off the blood of the saints. Franz’s ultimate low after his first betrayal bender binge where he suffers as Job until Satan finally kicks him out and tells him he’s ready to go back out onto the streets after recovering. Livestock. Slaughter. Sacrifice. The old man slicing open the lamb’s throat in that dark room who looks like he’s of ancient times we are shown why? Oh no reason.
But okay anyway Meize is adorable. And the most earthly grounded universal relevance I still can’t quite shake. Rationalization of a cuck. The serpent tempting Franz and him letting himself be tempted. Mieze’s going to bring home the money because she loves her man. He asks if she’s going off with the rich married man without telling him for days at a time to prostitute herself what’s left? She tells him she loves him and he accepts and believes her. Heck I bought it.
In the forest when Reinhold lures away Mieze is haunting chilling scrares me. There is a reaper whose name is Death with power from Almighty God. The serpent in the heart of the serpent. You don’t know him Franz. Reinhold is no good. Why is Mieze enticed by the serpent? Why does Franz let himself be tempted to go against what he said he knew better than to? Max tells him. Herbert tells him. He’s going to kill her and end up right back in prison. When Reinhold attempts to seduce Mieze is the most visceral scene to inflict emotional damage through art. He almost beats Mieze to death. Just as Franz did Ida. Just as Franz did Mieze. Like Franz Mieze is gullible trusting naïve. Mieze is lamb to the slaughter. Her doubt confusion reluctance lust desire revulsion repulsion masochism yearning to escape yearning to fall into the abyss trapped yet free good yet fooled into wickedness. Her paradox is that of Franz. That of mankind.
Lest I get off point none of that can prepare us for the ending. Fassbinder 14. There is a reaper whose name is Death with power from Almighty God. No cause for despair. The end of Fassbinder’s breadth of cinema. 14 is a maximalist expressionist how did anyone ever finance or and approve this colossal nightmare transcendent passage.
Franz has been arrested wanted along with Reinhold for the murder of Mieze. In prison he runs into Reinhold who's stolen someone else’s identity causing Franz to go into a catatonic stupor. 14 is a hundred minutes of Franz’s subconscious odyssey. With two angels as his guide. This freeform cinemascape is too vast to cover at length. But the Christian imagery and Salvation interludes are significant. When Franz is eating his own vomit off the floor covered in live rats is symbolic of him returning to his old ways. Hence the rats breaking through the brick wall where Franz finds Mieze riding Reinhold. Did this ever really happen? What’s important is he fears this in his soul and whether it did or didn’t is the murky place he chose to dwell in by pimping and getting passed out drunk all the time after he said he never would again. Mieze isn’t his salvation though he acted like she was. When Reinhold is wearing a crown of thorns and asking Franz how could you be blind and not see me this whole time is Jesus Christ reaching him. Next we see what could easily be mistaken for blasphemy but I don’t think is Mary and Joseph with Franz child and Franz crucified on the cross I take to be Christ dying for him as he sees in his mind. Because after it’s over the narrator (Fassbinder himself the whole time) says Franz is dead and in his bed is the body of another man entirely. Franz wakes back to life. The courts free him. If that isn’t blatantly referring to being born again through Christ I don’t know what else to tell ya.
Yet I also wouldn’t risk coming off like any of this is simple or at all easy to interpret. This obviously goes without saying is my take. But it’s complex. Fassbinder in 14 switches the actors so frequently it leads to asking myriad questions as to what it means. Who’s guilty innocent good evil? The most harrowing scream ever heard in a movie when Franz nearly beat Mieze to death in 14 is her's and is heard again but the angels say it’s Franz’s scream. We feel through Franz’ accountability that Christ has caused him to admit his weakness. His guilt. His sin. Franz couldn’t just go straight because he’s decent. That’s why Reinhold threw him out of the truck and the car ripped his arm off. Franz was haughty. Franz very well may have killed Ida. And complicity in a remote way Mieze. But 14 sees him repentant atoning for his sins. Franz is a new man. And walks out free. In real life Fassbinder would die not too long after finishing this. In 14 there’s a shot where for no reason explained Fassbinder is there in the shadows with the angels watching Franz’s being held accountable. Nothing more to say here.
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