Why Does Herr R. Run Amok? (1970)

With slicked-down hair and three-piece suits, dependable Herr Raab is a technical draftsman. He gets along with his colleagues although his boss wants him to go beyond technical cleanliness... See full summary »

Directors:

Michael Fengler, Rainer Werner Fassbinder (as Rainer W. Fassbinder)

Writers:

Michael Fengler, Rainer Werner Fassbinder (as Rainer W. Fassbinder)

Stars:

Lilith Ungerer, Kurt Raab, Lilo Pempeit

3 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lilith Ungerer	...	Frau R.
Kurt Raab	...	Herr R.
Lilo Pempeit	...	Kollegin im Büro
Franz Maron	...	Chef
Harry Baer	...	Kollege im Büro (as Harry Bär)
Peter Moland	...	Kollege im Büro
Hanna Schygulla	...	Hanna
Ingrid Caven	...	Nachbarin
Irm Hermann	...	Nachbarin
Doris Mattes	...	Nachbarin
Hannes Gromball	...	Nachbar
Vinzenz Sterr	...	Opa Raab (as Herr Sterr)
Maria Sterr	...	Oma Raab (as Frau Sterr)
Peer Raben	...	Schulfreund
Eva Pampuch	...	Schallplattenverkäuferin

Storyline

With slicked-down hair and three-piece suits, dependable Herr Raab is a technical draftsman. He gets along with his colleagues although his boss wants him to go beyond technical cleanliness to problem solving. He's a dutiful husband; his wife's a social climber and pushes him to seek a promotion, but they also share sweet moments. He's a caring father, helping his son with homework. His parents visit; his mother criticizes his wife. Old School friends drop by, as do neighbors. Some comment on Raab's wife's expensive tastes. His promotion may be a long shot, especially after he gives a dull and tipsy toast at an office dinner. But why would Herr Raab run amok?

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Plot Keywords:

colleague | draftsman | beer | couple | male female relationship | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

17 November 1977 (USA)

Also Known As:

Warum läuft Herr R. Amok?

Filming Locations:

Munich, Bavaria, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

DEM135,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Antiteater-Produktion, Maran Film, Süddeutscher Rundfunk (SDR)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In 2003 on a interview for Village Voice Hanna Schygulla claimed that this film was completely done by director Michael Fengler, whereas purported co-director Rainer Werner Fassbinder had nothing to do with the actual film. She also claimed that film was almost completely improvised which wasn't Fassbinder's way to make movies. Fassbinder still is credited as director and writer on the actual film and on many official sources, including Fassbinder Foundation's website. This fact has been confirmed by Michael Fengler himself in the 2008 documentation Gegenschuss - Aufbruch der Filmemacher (2008). He reported, that Fassbinder was involved neither in writing nor in directing of the movie and has visited the movie set at most twice during shooting.

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Goofs

When Herr R. leaves the doctor the camera team can be seen in the mirror on the wall.

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Connections

Featured in Yearning for Sodom (1989)

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Soundtracks

Stand by Me
Written by Ben E. King, Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller
Performed by Ben E. King

User Reviews

Highly Assured And Unsettling Early Fassbinder

Co-directed by the young Fassbinder (then only 25 years old) with his friend and producer Michael Fengler, 'Herr R.' shows Fassbinder's tendency to get up the nose of the middle class.

Here, in opposition to his more characteristically considered style, a shaky hand-held camera eavesdrops on the eponymous Herr R.(played to perfection by the great Kurt Raab) who is tediously seen at his work, with his wife, during a visit from his parents and the like, while slowly unwinding inside.

Long takes predominate and we are also let into the life of Herr R.'s pretty but equally vapid wife for whom he, in a most affecting scene, buys a record without knowing the singer or song title - much to the shameless merriment of the shop-girls who serve him. Fassbinder keeps the tension tightly wound throughout and it is this knowing sense of what to show and when to withhold that gives the greatest indication that this is the work of a man who was to become one of Europe's greatest film-makers since Ingmar Bergman.

No doubt, many will find the extreme sense of realism and boredom too oppressive but 'Herr R.' has proved to be highly influential on a much later generation of film-makers and still retains the power to provoke and unsettle.