Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980– )

This film, which is basically the longest narrative film ever made, is a 15-1/2 hour episodic exploration of the character of Franz Biberkopf, "hero" of Alfred Döblin's acclaimed novel, as ... See full summary »

Stars:

Günter Lamprecht, Claus Holm, Hanna Schygulla

3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Günter Lamprecht	...	Franz Biberkopf (14 episodes, 1980)
Claus Holm	...	Wirt (12 episodes, 1980)
Hanna Schygulla	...	Eva (12 episodes, 1980)
Franz Buchrieser	...	Gottfried Meck (11 episodes, 1980)
Brigitte Mira	...	Frau Bast (10 episodes, 1980)
Karlheinz Braun	...	Rechtsanwalt Löwenhund (10 episodes, 1980)
Roger Fritz	...	Herbert (9 episodes, 1980)
Gottfried John	...	Reinhold Hoffmann (9 episodes, 1980)
Barbara Sukowa	...	Mieze (7 episodes, 1980)
Günther Kaufmann	...	Theo (7 episodes, 1980)
Ivan Desny	...	Pums (7 episodes, 1980)
Volker Spengler	...	Bruno (7 episodes, 1980)
Vitus Zeplichal	...	Rudi (7 episodes, 1980)
Barbara Valentin	...	Ida (6 episodes, 1980)

Storyline

This film, which is basically the longest narrative film ever made, is a 15-1/2 hour episodic exploration of the character of Franz Biberkopf, "hero" of Alfred Döblin's acclaimed novel, as well as the Alexanderplatz area of Berlin that he inhabits.

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Plot Keywords:

treason | murder | weimar republic | pimp | mock suicide | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

West Germany Italy

Language:

German

Release Date:

10 August 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Berlin Alexanderplatz: Remastered

Filming Locations:

Bavaria Filmstudios, Geiselgasteig, Grünwald, Bavaria, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

DEM 13,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bavaria Film, Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

910 min 894 min (14 parts)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Released, fully, on DVD for the first time on October 2007.

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Fugitive Alien (1991)

User Reviews

Modernist Masterpiece

This mega-movie is an expressionist, modernist masterpiece that combines the best of Wellesian cinema (expressionistic) with Godardian cinema (modernist). The (Godardian) voice-over snatches of random news items and medical health items (referenced in the prior 'review') are simply being faithful to Dobler's novel, which is a somewhat Germanic version of Joyce's Ulysses. But instead of the Joycian modernist take on the travels of Odysseus, Dobler's novel presented us with a modernist take on the Passion Play.

This film is not for simpletons. Just like a long, great novel… there will be stretches that will bore you a bit… and other stretches that are riveting and will break your heart.

Two major points:

1) Don't get too caught up with what some people see as a form of homo-eroticism between Franz Biberkopf and Reinhold. Although expressionistic, Fassbinder has presented the material with enough objectivity that different people will come away with different subtexts. Fassbinder has explained the film as a love story between Franz and Reinhold… but Fassbinder was bisexual.

Franz is a grown up naive child. One could easily see Franz's 'curiosity' about Reinhold as a longing for an absent father. Eva, the one constant in Franz's life, could represent his longing for an absent/replacement mother/big sister/protector. How else to explain Franz's reluctance to mate with her?

2) The two-hour epilogue contains an extended surrealistic pastiche that upsets 90% of the people who like the previous (more realistic) 13 hours.

Biberkopf's brain snaps like a twig! How better to explain the mixture of chemicals… the bad cocktail suddenly coursing through his head? It's brilliant in it's off-puttingness! Bad cocktails don't taste good! Some people don't understand how Lou Reed and Kraftwerk can be on the soundtrack when Franz (in insane delirium) is living in 1928:

People… that's what they call 'modernist'. That's what they call… 'expressionist'. Were you expecting Robert Flaherty in a Fassbinder film?

Epilogue: See the film. If THE DECALOGUE is the great cinematic short story collection… BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ is the great cinematic novel.