O Casamento de Maria Braun (1979)

Maria marries Hermann Braun in the last days of World War II, only for him to go missing in the war. Alone, Maria puts to use her beauty and ambition in order to find prosperity during Germany's "economic miracle" of the 1950s.

Director:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Writers:

Pea Fröhlich (screenplay), Peter Märthesheimer (screenplay)

Stars:

Hanna Schygulla, Klaus Löwitsch, Ivan Desny

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 13 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hanna Schygulla	...	Maria Braun
Klaus Löwitsch	...	Hermann Braun
Ivan Desny	...	Karl Oswald
Gisela Uhlen	...	Mother
Elisabeth Trissenaar	...	Betti Klenze
Gottfried John	...	Willi Klenze
Hark Bohm	...	Senkenberg
George Eagles	...	Bill (as George Byrd)
Claus Holm	...	Doctor
Günter Lamprecht	...	Hans Wetzel (as Günther Lamprecht)
Anton Schiersner	...	Grandpa Berger
Lilo Pempeit	...	Frau Ehmke
Sonja Neudorfer	...	Red Cross nurse
Volker Spengler	...	Train conductor
Isolde Barth	...	Vevi

Storyline

This movie follows the life of a young German woman, married to a soldier in the waning days of WWII. Fassbinder has tried to show the gritty life after the end of WWII and the turmoil of the people trapped in its wake.

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Plot Keywords:

female protagonist | post world war two germany | new german cinema | bar hostess | west germany | 

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Taglines:

The Marriage Of Maria Braun. . . the marriage lasted no longer than half a day and a full night.

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Genres:

Drama

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The film is included on Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" list.

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Quotes

Maria Braun: Betti was your wife, after all - the only person I can tell all my troubles to.
Willi Klenze: Because she doesn't listen.
Maria Braun: Could be. You need somebody who listens. I need the opposite.

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Crazy Credits

After the introductory credits there is a line: 'fuer Peter Zadek'.

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Connections

Featured in La maison Fassbinder (2005)

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Soundtracks

Piano Concerto No. 23 (Adagio)
Written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Played when Maria Braun, Karl Oswald and Sendenberg have dinner together.

User Reviews

An intelligent but strangely lifeless allegorical work

A woman uses every means possible to survive hardship in post-war West Germany. In doing so she becomes financially successful but loses her soul in the process.

The Marriage of Maria Braun is a film that operates on two different levels. On the one hand in can be seen as a look at one woman's struggle against adversity in the hardships of the post war years. While on another, the film can clearly be read as a critique of the way the new Germany forgot it's awful past and sold it's soul in order to prosper in what would become known as the German Economic Miracle. This latter reading can be determined by reading the main narrative as an allegory in which Maria Braun represents the new Germany. She begins by prostituting herself to the Americans and ends very wealthy but emotionally dead; she forgets her past quickly in order to concentrate on her future.

There is no doubt that Rainer Werner Fassbinder put together a clever allegorical film here. And there is also no doubt that Hanna Schygula is very good in the lead role. But I did have difficulty with empathising with the people in this story, as none of them were particularly likable. Perhaps that was the point of course. But, whatever the case, the film left me cold unfortunately.

Details

Official Sites:

Criterion [United States] Official site

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German English French

Release Date:

13 March 1980 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

O Casamento de Maria Braun

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

DEM1,975,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,623, 16 February 2003

Gross USA:

$8,144

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$9,061

Company Credits

Production Co:

Albatros Filmproduktion, Fengler Films, Filmverlag der Autoren

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1