Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974)
"Angst essen Seele auf" (original title)

Emmi, a woman truly in the second half of life, falls in love with Ali, a Berber guest worker more than ten years younger. When they both decide to marry, everybody seems to be against them... See full summary »

Director:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Writer:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Stars:

Brigitte Mira, El Hedi ben Salem, Irm Hermann

4 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brigitte Mira	...	Emmi
El Hedi ben Salem	...	Ali
Irm Hermann	...	Krista
Elma Karlowa	...	Mrs. Kargus
Anita Bucher	...	Mrs. Ellis
Gusti Kreissl	...	Paula
Doris Mattes	...	Mrs. Angermeyer (as Doris Mathes)
Margit Symo	...	Hedwig
Katharina Herberg	...	Girl in bar
Lilo Pempeit	...	Mrs. Münchmeyer
Peter Gauhe	...	Bruno Kurowski
Marquard Bohm	...	Gruber
Walter Sedlmayr	...	Angermayer
Hannes Gromball	...	Waiter
Hark Bohm	...	Doctor

Storyline

Emmi, a woman truly in the second half of life, falls in love with Ali, a Berber guest worker more than ten years younger. When they both decide to marry, everybody seems to be against them. When the folks calm down a bit, Emmi and Ali get deeply unsure about their relationship.

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Plot Keywords:

love | perforated ulcer | widow | impossible love | slapping one's self | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German Arabic

Release Date:

5 June 1974 (France)

Also Known As:

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul

Filming Locations:

Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

DEM 260,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmverlag der Autoren, Tango Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Quotes

Girl in bar: Well... are you coming?
Ali: No.
Girl in bar: And why not?
Ali: Cock broken.

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Crazy Credits

Before the introductory credits there is the line: Das Glück ist nicht immer lustig (Happiness is not always fun)

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Connections

Featured in Zomergasten: Episode #10.3 (1997)

User Reviews

Is it love?

First of all, this film has definitely the best (German) movie title ever. It loses much of its power when it's translated but in German it is absolutely fascinating.

On the other hand, Fassbinder's movies and especially this one are not untranslatable, which is positive. The story about a love (is it?) between two people of different age and origin is universal and, though set in a very xenophobe and intolerant Germany, should be understood by everybody all over the world. Fassbinder is a master in guiding his actors so they can they play naturally and believably without using a particular local accent or slang that is probably more realistic.

I do not completely agree with the film's utterly pessimistic view on practically all the characters in the movie; I think his portray of contemporary society is a little bit exaggerated (and it was even twenty-five years ago). However, I acknowledge that by means of exaggerating like this, Fassbinder makes his criticism clear and evokes a particularly bad feeling (of guilt?) in the viewer's belly. While the story is rather sad, it includes a lot of (sarcastic) side-swipes on society as it is.

Angst essen Seele auf (oh, this is a marvellous title!) is maybe a more silent version of Harold and Maude; more silent but not less interesting.