Berlin Alexanderplatz 

In late-1920s Berlin, Franz Biberkopf is released from prison and vows to go straight; however he soon finds himself embroiled in the city's criminal underworld.

Stars:

Günter Lamprecht, Claus Holm, Hanna Schygulla

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Günter Lamprecht	...	Franz Biberkopf 14 episodes, 1980
Claus Holm	...	Wirt / ... 12 episodes, 1980
Hanna Schygulla	...	Eva 12 episodes, 1980
Franz Buchrieser	...	Gottfried Meck 11 episodes, 1980
Brigitte Mira	...	Frau Bast / ... 10 episodes, 1980
Roger Fritz	...	Herbert / ... 9 episodes, 1980
Gottfried John	...	Reinhold Hoffmann 9 episodes, 1980
Barbara Sukowa	...	Mieze 7 episodes, 1980
Günther Kaufmann	...	Theo 7 episodes, 1980
Ivan Desny	...	Pums / ... 7 episodes, 1980
Volker Spengler	...	Bruno 7 episodes, 1980
Vitus Zeplichal	...	Rudi 7 episodes, 1980
Barbara Valentin	...	Ida 6 episodes, 1980

Storyline

This mini-series is a 15-1/2 hour episodic exploration of the character of Franz Biberkopf, "hero" of Alfred Döblin's acclaimed novel, as well as the Alexanderplatz area of Berlin that he inhabits.

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Plot Keywords:

criminal | bum | drunkard | underdog | criminal gang | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

West Germany Italy

Language:

German

Release Date:

10 August 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Berlin Alexanderplatz

Filming Locations:

Bavaria Studios, Bavariafilmplatz 7, Geiselgasteig, Grünwald, Bavaria, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

DEM 13,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bavaria Film, Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR), RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana

Technical Specs

Runtime:

931 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Fassbinder dreamed of making a "parallel" movie specifically for theatrical distribution after the completion of this film. The cast list he made included Gérard Depardieu as Franz Biberkopf and Isabelle Adjani as Mieze.

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Connections

Referenced in High Art (1998)

User Reviews

The restored Biberkopf

I think it's a perfect crime that this epic of human behavior has been neglected by German audiences. Even here on IMDb the people commenting on it are from various parts all over the wold but not from Germany. This is mostly due to the fact that "Berlin Alexanderplatz" was aired only once in 1980, under not very becoming conditions (it was a very bad copy of the original 16mm print that was much too dark for once), and then quickly thrown on the garbage heap of television-history. In the US for instance, Berlin Alexanderplatz was shown in cinemas and the association of American film critics at the end of the 80ies placed Günther Lamprecht under the top three actors of it's time, just behind Robert de Niro and Ben Kingsley. Figure that. Still the Germans go on saying that the Americans are mere barbarians when it comes to art. Thanks to "Süddeutsche Zeitung" and the people responsible for the quite expensive restoration-process of the series we now have a DVD and can watch the somnambulic masterpiece in all of it's original glory. It's the spiraling downfall of one man in a big Leviathan of a city, hard to swallow for most who rely on the silver or small screen for escapist entertainment. I just wish that today for every "Lost", "24" or "Profiler/CSI"-series there would at least be one "Berlin Alexanderplatz".