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IMDbPro

The Third Generation

Original title: Die dritte Generation
  • 19791979
  • 1h 51m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
2.4K
YOUR RATING
Hanna Schygulla in The Third Generation (1979)
  • Crime
  • Drama
A wildly anarchic satire of urban guerrilla warfare in which a band of leftist radicals inadvertently become puppets of the West German government, which uses them to justify its authoritari... Read allA wildly anarchic satire of urban guerrilla warfare in which a band of leftist radicals inadvertently become puppets of the West German government, which uses them to justify its authoritarian policies.A wildly anarchic satire of urban guerrilla warfare in which a band of leftist radicals inadvertently become puppets of the West German government, which uses them to justify its authoritarian policies.
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
2.4K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Rainer Werner Fassbinder
  • Writer
    • Rainer Werner Fassbinder
  • Stars
    • Eddie Constantine
    • Hanna Schygulla
    • Volker Spengler
Top credits
  • Director
    • Rainer Werner Fassbinder
  • Writer
    • Rainer Werner Fassbinder
  • Stars
    • Eddie Constantine
    • Hanna Schygulla
    • Volker Spengler
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 13User reviews
    • 16Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 nomination

    Photos75

    Hanna Schygulla in The Third Generation (1979)
    Margit Carstensen in The Third Generation (1979)
    Margit Carstensen and Jürgen Draeger in The Third Generation (1979)
    Harry Baer, Günther Kaufmann, Bulle Ogier, Hanna Schygulla, Volker Spengler, and Vitus Zeplichal in The Third Generation (1979)
    Udo Kier, Harry Baer, and Y Sa Lo in The Third Generation (1979)
    The Third Generation (1979)
    Vitus Zeplichal in The Third Generation (1979)
    Hark Bohm and Vitus Zeplichal in The Third Generation (1979)
    Raúl Gimenez and Bulle Ogier in The Third Generation (1979)
    Harry Baer and Volker Spengler in The Third Generation (1979)
    Claus Holm in The Third Generation (1979)
    Hanna Schygulla in The Third Generation (1979)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Eddie Constantine
    Eddie Constantine
    • P. J. Lurz
    Hanna Schygulla
    Hanna Schygulla
    • Susanne Gast
    Volker Spengler
    Volker Spengler
    • August
    Margit Carstensen
    Margit Carstensen
    • Petra
    Harry Baer
    Harry Baer
    • Rudolf
    Hark Bohm
    Hark Bohm
    • Gerhard Gast
    Jürgen Draeger
    Jürgen Draeger
    • Hans
    Raúl Gimenez
    • Paul
    Claus Holm
    Claus Holm
    • Opa Gast
    Günther Kaufmann
    Günther Kaufmann
    • Franz Walsch
    Udo Kier
    Udo Kier
    • Edgar Gast
    Bulle Ogier
    Bulle Ogier
    • Hilde Krieger
    Lilo Pempeit
    • Mutter Gast
    Y Sa Lo
    • Ilse Hoffmann
    Vitus Zeplichal
    • Bernhard von Stein
    Daniel Cohn-Bendit
    Daniel Cohn-Bendit
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    Rudi Dutschke
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    • (uncredited)
    Juliane Lorenz
    • Job Placement Counselor
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Rainer Werner Fassbinder
    • Writer
      • Rainer Werner Fassbinder
    • All cast & crew
    • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      A film projectionist in Hamburg was beaten unconscious while screening this film and a theater in Frankfurt was besieged by youths attempting to use acid to destroy the print.
    • Quotes

      Petra Vielhaber: I'd like to be called Michaela Angela Martinez.

    • Crazy credits
      Eine Komödie in 6 Teilen / um Gesellschaftsspiele / voll Spannung, Erregung und Logik / Grausamkeit und Wahnsinn / ähnlich den Märchen / die man Kindern erzählt / ihr Leben zum Tod ertragen zu helfen.
    • Connections
      Features The Devil, Probably (1977)

    User reviews13

    Review
    Top review
    6/10
    Weird, Hermetic, Disconnected but Mesmerizing Film
    In Berlin, a cell of terrorist composed by middle-class people is activated with the sentence "The World as Will and Idea", based on the central work of the German philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer "The World as Will and Representation". They plan to abduct the businessman P. J. Lurz ( Eddie Constantine) that works with sales of computers, while they are chased by a persistent chief of police.

    "Die Dritte Generation" a.k.a. "The Third Generation" is a weird, hermetic, disconnected but mesmerizing film of German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder, divided in six chapters and dedicated to those who truly love (meaning no one in the vision of the director). The plot explores the concept of terrorism and the contradictions of the middle- class and apparently the central idea is based on Schopenhauer's central work. Unfortunately I do not have knowledge in philosophy, sociology or political science to fully understand this inaccessible film. Fassbinder uses unusual angles with his camera and strange sounds to expose with irony the bourgeois values of each ridiculous terrorist of this generation that does not have ideology. In the end, I liked this collection of ideas in spite of I have not clearly understood the film as a whole. My vote is six.

    Title (Brazil): "A Terceira Geração" ("The Third Generation")
    helpful•18
    6
    • claudio_carvalho
    • Jul 25, 2010

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 9, 1980 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • West Germany
    • Official site
      • Criterion (United States)
    • Languages
      • German
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Die dritte Generation
    • Filming locations
      • Berlin, Germany
    • Production companies
      • Filmverlag der Autoren
      • Pro-ject Filmproduktion
      • Tango Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • DEM 800,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 51 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

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