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Effi Briest (1974)

Fontane Effi Briest (original title)
Not Rated | | Drama, History | 16 June 1977 (USA)
Effi Briest Poster
In the nineteenth century, seventeen year old Effi Briest is married to the older Baron von Instetten and moves into a house, that she believes has a ghost, in a small isolated Baltic town.... See full summary »

Director:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Writers:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Theodor Fontane (novel)

Stars:

Hanna Schygulla, Wolfgang Schenck, Ulli Lommel | See full cast & crew »
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1 win & 1 nomination. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hanna Schygulla ... Effi Briest
Wolfgang Schenck ... Instetten
Ulli Lommel ... Major Crampas
Lilo Pempeit Lilo Pempeit ... Frau Briest
Herbert Steinmetz Herbert Steinmetz ... Herr Briest
Ursula Strätz Ursula Strätz ... Roswitha
Irm Hermann ... Johanna
Karlheinz Böhm ... Wüllersdorf (as Karl-Heinz Böhm)
Karl Scheydt ... Kruse
Barbara Lass ... Polnische Köchin
Rudolf Lenz Rudolf Lenz ... Geheimrat Rummschüttel
Andrea Schober ... Annie von Instetten
Eva Mattes ... Hulda
Theo Tecklenburg Theo Tecklenburg ... Pastor Niemeyer
An Dorthe Braker An Dorthe Braker ... Frau Pasche (as Anndorthe Braker)
See full cast »
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Storyline

In the nineteenth century, seventeen year old Effi Briest is married to the older Baron von Instetten and moves into a house, that she believes has a ghost, in a small isolated Baltic town. She soon bears a daughter, Annie, and hires the lapsed Catholic Roswitha to look after her. Effi is lonely when her husband is away on business, so she spends time riding and walking along the shore with Major Crampas. Instetten is promoted to Ministerial Councillor and the family moves to Berlin, where Effi enjoys the social life. Six years later, the Baron is given letters from Crampas to Effi that convince him that they had an affair. He feels obliged to challenge Crampas to a duel and banish Effi from the house. Written by Will Gilbert

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

prussian officer | dissatisfaction | duel | young wife | career | See All (74) »

Genres:

Drama | History

Certificate:

Not Rated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

Add content advisory for parents »
Edit

Details

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

16 June 1977 (USA) See more »

Also Known As:

Effi Briest See more »

Filming Locations:

Neustadt, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany See more »
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Box Office

Budget:

DEM 750,000 (estimated)
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tango Film See more »
Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Rainer Werner Fassbinder insisted that Kurt Raab have a bald patch shaved into his scalp for an important scene. Raab did what was asked of him only for Fassbinder to drop the scene altogether. See more »

Quotes

Effi Briest: He was as noble as one who doesn't know true love can be.
See more »

Connections

Version of Rosen im Herbst (1955) See more »

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User Reviews

 
I feel exactly the opposite way of this film's first commentator below
8 October 2001 | by zetes – See all my reviews

I did not find Fassbinder's filmmaking static and boring. I found it brash and exciting. His style is superb. HOWEVER, I have to say that I found the story, with which I am unfamiliar, incredibly bland. How many 19th and early 20th Century novels have this exact same plot? It's the simplistic "fallen wife" scenario without a spark of invention, it seems to me. In that way, I could not stand this film and was trying hard not to pass out. However, Fassbinder's miraculous filmmaking, cinematography, mise-en-scene, direction, music, even the acting, kept me at least interested. I give it a 6/10.
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