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

Remake of All That Heaven Allows (1955)

User Reviews

Overall very good movie, but two words of caution

I enjoyed this movie very much since it vividly portrays the problems immigrants or "strangers" face in a new environment as well as it does portray the problems a person faces who stands up for any type of our societies' "outsiders". It shows how much of the ignorance toward "newcomers" boils down to fear and misinformation by the "locals". However, there are two things I think are essential context information without which the message of the movie may be distorted. One is that the movie is from the 70s and the Western European society has been somewhat more conservative. Therefore, current issues may be slightly more multi-dimensional. Furthermore, it seems as if the movie is aimed at a predominantly German audience. Thus, it is somewhat one-dimensional since most German characters are portrayed as xenophobes whereas most "immigrant" characters are shown as being "good souls". This may have been useful in order for the movie to have a societal impact in the 1970s Germany. However, my own family lived in Germany as immigrants in the 70s and they have also made many positive experiences with "locals". For a German or having-been-to-Germany audience I think the movie is great since they know more about their own society and know when to differ. But for a non-German or never-been-to-Germany audience the pitfall is to fall prey to a one sided prejudice and thus to miss the point of the movie. Maybe the best way to see this movie is to imagine that everyone of us could potentially be in the shoes of each character and how we can avoid to fall prey to fear and prejudice. This way the universal message of this movie will not be lost.