Fox and His Friends (1975)
"Faustrecht der Freiheit" (original title)

Franz "Fox" Biberkopf is a working-class guy, at loose ends when his lover is arrested and the police shutter their carnival booth. In need of cash for his weekly lottery purchase, Fox lets... See full summary »

Director:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Writers:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Christian Hohoff (contributing writer)

Stars:

Peter Chatel, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Karlheinz Böhm

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Peter Chatel	...	Eugen Thiess
Rainer Werner Fassbinder	...	Franz Biberkopf
Karlheinz Böhm	...	Max (as Karl-Heinz Böhm)
Adrian Hoven	...	Wolf Thiess, Eugen's father
Christiane Maybach	...	Hedwig
Harry Baer	...	Philip (as Harry Bär)
Hans Zander	...	Barman Springer
Kurt Raab	...	Wodka-Peter
Rudolf Lenz	...	Attorney Dr. Siebenkäss
Karl Scheydt	...	Klaus
Peter Kern	...	Florist 'Fatty' Schmidt
Karl-Heinz Staudenmeyer	...	Krapp (as Karl Heinz Staudenmeier)
Walter Sedlmayr	...	Car dealer
Bruce Low	...	Doctor
Marquard Bohm	...	American Soldier (as Marquart Bohm)

Storyline

Franz "Fox" Biberkopf is a working-class guy, at loose ends when his lover is arrested and the police shutter their carnival booth. In need of cash for his weekly lottery purchase, Fox lets himself be picked up by an elegant older man named Max. At Max's, he meets two younger gay men who have expensive tastes and images to uphold. The next day, Fox wins 500,000 marks in the lottery, and Max's friends suddenly become Fox's friends, especially Eugen, the heir to a bookbinding firm that's short of cash. Eugen's polish beguiles Fox, and the fleecing begins.

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Plot Keywords:

friend | lottery | gay | carnival | lover | 

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Genres:

Drama | Crime | Romance

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Details

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German English French

Release Date:

2 February 1976 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fox and His Friends

Filming Locations:

Djemaa el Fna, Marrakech, Morocco

Box Office

Budget:

DEM 450,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

City Film, Tango Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

123 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The normally overweight Rainer Werner Fassbinder dieted strenuously to lose weight in order to play the role of Fox, which included a full-frontal nude scene.

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Quotes

Max: There are drunks lying everywhere! The state should do something. It's the same everywhere. In Helsinki recently, there were so many drunks lying around even though it's hard to get alcohol in Finland.

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Connections

Edited into Ich will nicht nur, daß ihr mich liebt - Der Filmemacher Rainer Werner Fassbinder (1993)

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Soundtracks

"Rue des Fossés Saint-Jacques"
Written by Georges Moustaki
Performed by Georges Moustaki

User Reviews

Fasssbinder at his best

A powerful and harrowing melodrama and one of Fassbinder's most accessible movies,this is a must-see for all those interested in intelligent filmmaking.The tragic story of Fox is masterfully and poignantly handled by Fassbinder, while never slipping into sloppy sentimentality.At the same time the film explores sexual and political issues that are still very much relevant.