Love Is Colder Than Death (1969)

Unusual gangster story, in which a small-time pimp Franz, who is torn between his mistress and Bruno the gangster sent after him by the syndicate that he has refused to join. Things are ... See full summary »

Director:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Writer:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Stars:

Ulli Lommel, Hanna Schygulla, Katrin Schaake

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ulli Lommel	...	Bruno
Hanna Schygulla	...	Johanna
Katrin Schaake	...	Dame im Zug
Liz Söllner	...	Zeitungsverkäuferin
Gisela Otto	...	Prostituierte
Ursula Strätz	...	Prostituierte
Monika Nüchtern	...	Kellnerin beim Türken (as Monika Stadler)
Hans Hirschmüller	...	Peter
Les Olvides	...	Georges
Peer Raben	...	Jürgen (also Waffenhändler (voice)) (as Wil Rabenbauer)
Howard Gaines	...	Raoul
Peter Moland	...	Leiter des Syndikatsverhörs
Kurt Raab	...	Aufsichtsperson im Kaufhaus
Peter Berling	...	Illegaler Waffenhändler
Anastassios Karalas	...	Türke

Storyline

Unusual gangster story, in which a small-time pimp Franz, who is torn between his mistress and Bruno the gangster sent after him by the syndicate that he has refused to join. Things are turned on their head when Franz and Bruno become friends, to the point that they even share Franz's girlfriend Joanna. But Joanna soon becomes bored of Bruno.

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Plot Keywords:

gangster | pimp | shot to death | street walker | serial killer | 

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Taglines:

Eine knallharte Geschichte vom Leben, vom Lieben und vom Sterben

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German English

Release Date:

16 January 1970 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Love Is Colder Than Death

Filming Locations:

Landsberger Straße, Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

DEM 95,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Antiteater-X-Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is considered as the first part of a black-and-white Gangster Film Trilogy by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, the subsequent films being Gods of the Plague (1970) and The American Soldier (1970).

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Quotes

Bruno: I'm looking for a girl named Johanna.
Prostituierte: [walking out of the dark] Why Johanna? Why not me?
Bruno: Because I'm trying to find her.
Prostituierte: Johanna? Johanna-Johanna?

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Crazy Credits

Für Claude Chabrol, Éric Rohmer, Jean-Marie Straub, Linio und Cuncho

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Connections

Referenced in Kleingeistganoven (2016)

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Soundtracks

Der Rosenkavalier
By Richard Strauss

User Reviews

Fassbinder's first movie - an homage to Film Noir and the French Nouvelle Vague

A man (Fassbinder himself) is sitting on an armchair, reading the newspaper. Another man walks into frame asks Franz (Fassbinder's character's name) for a cigarette and when he's told 'no!' he takes the newspaper and drops it down on the floor. Franz gets up and beats up the guy. The plot continues: Franz is ordered into this room to work for a criminal syndicate but he wants to be his only chief himself. Franz meets Bruno, a man who works for the syndicate, and they become very good friends. Some days later they meet again and we recognize that Franz is a pimp. Bruno falls in love with Franz' girlfriend (played by Hanna Schygulla) and together they start to rob banks. It is the last coup when Hanna Schygulla calls the police. Bruno is shooten down by some policemen and Fassbinder and Schygulla flee in their car.

The plot is almost as short as Godard's 'Breathless' and I think that that was what Fassbinder really wants to show with this film. When you cinema after seeing this film you don't remember a plot but very much more a feeling - a feeling of social isolation of the main characters, a feeling of loneliness.

In my opinion this is one of the best Fassbinder movies, even if it's not appraised as that good by most of the critics.