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

This was screened at the Vista cinema in Hollywood in August 1983, in its entirety (with a 2 hour break for dinner), making it the longest film ever to be commercially screened (15 hours, 21 minutes). Heimat: A Chronicle of Germany (1984), which is only a little longer at 15 hours and 40 minutes was shown in German cinemas and at the London Film Festival, but not in a single screening, instead being split across a weekend with a night in between the first and second parts.

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: Gamera (1991)

User Reviews

Modernist Masterpiece

This mega-movie is an expressionist, modernist masterpiece that combines the best of Wellesian cinema (expressionistic) with Godardian cinema (modernist). The (Godardian) voice-over snatches of random news items and medical health items (referenced in the prior 'review') are simply being faithful to Dobler's novel, which is a somewhat Germanic version of Joyce's Ulysses. But instead of the Joycian modernist take on the travels of Odysseus, Dobler's novel presented us with a modernist take on the Passion Play.

This film is not for simpletons. Just like a long, great novel… there will be stretches that will bore you a bit… and other stretches that are riveting and will break your heart.

Two major points:

1) Don't get too caught up with what some people see as a form of homo-eroticism between Franz Biberkopf and Reinhold. Although expressionistic, Fassbinder has presented the material with enough objectivity that different people will come away with different subtexts. Fassbinder has explained the film as a love story between Franz and Reinhold… but Fassbinder was bisexual.

Franz is a grown up naive child. One could easily see Franz's 'curiosity' about Reinhold as a longing for an absent father. Eva, the one constant in Franz's life, could represent his longing for an absent/replacement mother/big sister/protector. How else to explain Franz's reluctance to mate with her?

2) The two-hour epilogue contains an extended surrealistic pastiche that upsets 90% of the people who like the previous (more realistic) 13 hours.

Biberkopf's brain snaps like a twig! How better to explain the mixture of chemicals… the bad cocktail suddenly coursing through his head? It's brilliant in it's off-puttingness! Bad cocktails don't taste good! Some people don't understand how Lou Reed and Kraftwerk can be on the soundtrack when Franz (in insane delirium) is living in 1928:

People… that's what they call 'modernist'. That's what they call… 'expressionist'. Were you expecting Robert Flaherty in a Fassbinder film?

Epilogue: See the film. If THE DECALOGUE is the great cinematic short story collection… BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ is the great cinematic novel.