The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979) Die Ehe der Maria Braun (original title)

Director:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Writers:

Pea Fröhlich (screenplay) and
Peter Märthesheimer (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

23 March 1979 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama | War

Tagline:

The Marriage Of Maria Braun. . . the marriage lasted no longer than half a day and a full night.

Plot:

This movie follows the life of a young German woman, married to a soldier in the waning days of WWII...

Plot Keywords:

Soldier | Konrad Adenauer | Capitalism | Death Of Title Character | Explosion

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 15 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Hanna Schygulla	...	Maria Braun
Klaus Löwitsch	...	Hermann Braun
Ivan Desny	...	Karl Oswald
Gisela Uhlen	...	Mother
Elisabeth Trissenaar	...	Betti Klenze
Gottfried John	...	Willi Klenze
Hark Bohm	...	Senkenberg
George Eagles	...	Bill (as George Byrd)
Claus Holm	...	Doctor
Günter Lamprecht	...	Hans Wetzel (as Günther Lamprecht)
Anton Schiersner	...	Grandpa Berger
Lilo Pempeit	...	Frau Ehmke
Sonja Neudorfer	...	Red Cross nurse
Volker Spengler	...	Train conductor
Isolde Barth	...	Vevi
Bruce Low	...	American at conference
Günther Kaufmann	...	American on train
Karl-Heinz von Hassel	...	Prosecuting counsel
Kristine De Loup	...	Notary (as Kristine de Loup)
Hannes Kaetner	...	Justice of the Peace
Michael Ballhaus	...	Counsel
Barbara Baum
Peter Berling	...	Bronski
Rolf Bührmann	...	Warden
Rainer Werner Fassbinder	...	Peddler
Martin Häussler	...	Reporter
Horst-Dieter Klock	...	Gentleman With Car
Georg Kuhn
Norbert Scherer	...	Warden
Andreas Willim
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Arthur Glogau	...	Warden (uncredited)

Directed by
Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Writing credits
Pea Fröhlich		(screenplay) and
Peter Märthesheimer		(screenplay)
Rainer Werner Fassbinder		(idea)
Pea Fröhlich		(dialogue) and
Rainer Werner Fassbinder		(dialogue) and
Peter Märthesheimer		(dialogue)
Kurt Raab		uncredited

Produced by
Wolf-Dietrich Brücker	....	producer
Volker Canaris	....	producer
Hanns Eckelkamp	....	co-producer
Michael Fengler	....	producer: Albatros-Produktion

Original Music by
Peer Raben

Cinematography by
Michael Ballhaus

Film Editing by
Rainer Werner Fassbinder		(as Franz Walsch)
Juliane Lorenz

Production Design by
Norbert Scherer

Set Decoration by
Arno Mathes
Hans-Peter Sandmeier		(as Hans Sandmeier)
Andreas Willim

Costume Design by
Barbara Baum

Makeup Department
Anni Nöbauer	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Harry Baer	....	production manager (as Harry Zöttl)
Martin Häussler	....	production manager
Thomas Wommer	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Rolf Bührmann	....	assistant director

Art Department
Georg Borgel	....	props
Claus Kottmann	....	props

Sound Department
Milan Bor	....	sound
John Salter	....	sound assistant
Jim Willis	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Ekkehard Heinrich	....	gaffer
Hans-Juergen Hoepflinger	....	gaffer (as Hans-Jürgen Höpflinger)
Horst Knechtel	....	assistant camera
Raimund Wirner	....	gaffer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Georg Kuhn	....	wardrobe
Inge Proeller	....	wardrobe (as Ingeborg Pröller)
Susi Reichel	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Christiane Kolenc	....	assistant editor

Music Department
Daniel Ambach	....	music assistant
Kurt Maas	....	music assistant

Transportation Department
Karl Willim	....	driver

Other crew
Helga Beyer	....	script supervisor
Robert Busch	....	production assistant
Dieter Dubine	....	location manager
Christine Fall	....	production secretary
Jochen Losse	....	production coordinator
Ulrike Bode	....	assistant: producer (uncredited)

Thanks
Peter Zadek	....	dedicatee

Production Companies

• Albatros Filmproduktion
• Fengler Films
• Filmverlag der Autoren
• Tango Film
• Trio Film
• Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)

Distributors

• United Artists (1979) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• VEB Progress Film-Vertrieb (1981) (East Germany) (theatrical)
• RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (1986) (USA) (VHS)
• Criterion Collection, The (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• e-m-s the DVD-Company (2003) (Germany) (DVD)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Cinegate (1979) (UK) (theatrical)
• New Yorker Films (USA) (VHS) (subtitled)
• Pan-Canadian Film Distributors (Canada)
• Pan-Canadian Video Presentations (Canada) (VHS)
• Pole Vídeo Comunicações Ltda. (Brazil) (VHS)
• VEC (Canada) (VHS)

Also Known As:

"Die Ehe der Maria Braun" - West Germany (original title)

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German | English

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-12 (re-rating) | Finland:K-15 (re-rating) (2004) | Finland:K-16 (original rating) | Singapore:R(A) | Sweden:15 | USA:R | Iceland:12 | Australia:M | West Germany:12 (f) | UK:15 (video rating) | UK:AA

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

Albatros Filmproduktion

Trivia:

Part of the BRD Trilogy along with Veronika Voss (1982) and Lola (1981). "BRD" stands for Bundesrepublik Deutschland, the official name of West Germany and of the united contemporary Germany, period in which those three stories takes place.

Quotes:

[Maria commenting on her new hairdo]
Maria Braun:I look like a poodle.
Betti Klenze:You think so? It's the latest thing.
Maria Braun:I'll bet the Americans are crazy about poodles.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Hanna, une femme allemande (2005) (V)

Soundtrack:

Piano Concerto No. 23 (Adagio)

Maria and Her Men

Sensual and tough Maria Braun. (Hanna Schygula) marries a soldier in the middle of World War II and spends a half of day and the whole night with him. That's how long her marriage lasts before she loses him to the war and then to prison. She carries on with her life, becomes a successful businesswoman being not only sensual but intelligent, ambitious, and willing to use sex whenever or wherever necessary: "I don't know a thing about business, but I do know what German women want. You might even say I'm an expert on it". While climbing up to the success she always remembers her husband, Hermann (her man) and convinces herself that whatever she does – is for him, for their future happy life together. "Maria Braun"'s style reminds much of melodramas by Fassbinder's favorite Hollywood director, Douglas Sirk and offers a glimpse of the loss and survival in postwar Germany. Hanna Schygula literally shines in every scene of the movie and she is fantastic.

8.5/10