Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter (1972)

Director:

Wim Wenders

Writers:

Peter Handke (novel)
Peter Handke (screenplay)

Release Date:

13 January 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sport

Plot:

A goalkeeper Josef Bloch is ejected during a game for foul play. He leaves the field and goes to spend the night with a cinema cashier. He then proceeds to strangle her the morning after. |

Plot Keywords:

Football | Murder | Based On Novel

Cast

Arthur Brauss	...	Joseph Bloch
Kai Fischer	...	Hertha Gabler
Erika Pluhar	...	Gloria
Libgart Schwarz	...	Maid
Marie Bardischewski	...	Kellnerin (as Maria Bardischewski)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sybille Danzer	...	Hairdresser
Rosl Dorena	...	Woman in bus
Bert Fortell	...	Customs official
Edda Köchl	...	Girl in Vienna
Mario Kranz	...	School janitor
Ernst Meister	...	Tax inspector
Monika Poeschl	...	Hairdresser
Michael Toost	...	Salesman
Rüdiger Vogler	...	Idiot
Wim Wenders	...	Man Walking through Vienna Bus Station

Also Known As:

The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick (USA)
The Goalkeeper's Fear of the Penalty (UK)
The Goalkeeper's Fear of the Penalty Kick (UK)

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

West Germany | Austria

Language:

German

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Vienna, Austria

Company:

Filmverlag der Autoren

Movie Connections:

References Red Line 7000 (1965)

How do we communicate with each other?

It is difficult to comment on such a brilliant movie without having read the book first, or even better, being familiar with Peter Handke's narrative works. While it may seem evident (to us, accustomed to Hollywood's conventional plots) that the main character of The Goalie... is a madman, it is not evident at all. Handke's approach to narrative is to reflect exterior signs, rather than enter the character's inner thoughts. See The Lefthanded Woman for example: while it may seem, on the surface, that the woman does not have a reason for divorce, in fact she might have a lot, only she does not reveal what is on her mind. Same applies to the goalie: he would not speak his mind, therefore we, and even Handke himself (or Wenders) can not enter his own intimate realm. Whatever his reasons are for what he does (and murder is only one of his unexplained acts) we can not know them. The film is about communication between people more than murder. It is funny that most of us would assume he is mad just because we can not find an account of his acts: if you think about it, in the real world outside the movie realm, most people -and even our closest friends- would not tell us why they do what they do. And it does not necessarily mean they are mad.