Die bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant (1972)

Director:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Writers:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder (play)
Rainer Werner Fassbinder (screenplay)

Release Date:

5 October 1972 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Sex is the ultimate weapon.

Plot:

Petra von Kant is a successful fashion designer -- arrogant, caustic, and self-satisfied. She mistreats Marlene (her secretary...

Plot Keywords:

Fashion Designer | Secretary | Model | Love | Closeted Homosexual

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Margit Carstensen	...	Petra von Kant
Hanna Schygulla	...	Karin Thimm
Katrin Schaake	...	Sidonie von Grasenabb
Eva Mattes	...	Gabriele von Kant
Gisela Fackeldey	...	Valerie von Kant
Irm Hermann	...	Marlene

Also Known As:

The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (USA)

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Hong Kong:I | Singapore:R(A) | UK:15 | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Worpswede, Lower Saxony, Germany

Company:

Filmverlag der Autoren

Trivia:

Film was shot in ten days.

Quotes:

Petra von Kant: Of course he took me seriously, respected my opinions... but nevertheless, he wanted to be the breadwinner. That way, oppression lies, that's obvious. It's like this, 'I hear what you're saying and of course I understand, but who brings home the bacon?' So there you are, two sets of rules!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Fassbinder in Hollywood (2002)

Soundtrack:

'Un dì felice' from 'La Traviata'

Fassbinder at his finest! Cinema at its finest!

This film is an elegantly constructed classical tragedy that explores the erotics of cruelty and the manipulation of sexual power. Deeply perverse, its portrayal of the complexity of sexual desire is an inversion of all Hollywood romantic tropes, which are thus exposed as comparatively frivolous and dishonest. It is a lesbian love story set in the fashion industry. Though some may find it slow paced, the rest of us will appreciate the meticulously choreography, the stunning cinematography, and the precision with which the actresses mimic the mimicking of womanhood.

While "The Bitter Tears" is heart-wrenching, devastating tragedy, a greater intellectual high is hard to find in movies or elsewhere. Among the very best films of Fassbinder's career, this movie demonstrates (yet again) that Fassbinder is one of the truly great artists of our time.