'Liebe ist kalter als der Tod (= German for 'love is colder than death'), from 1969, is Rainer Werner Fassbinder's first film.
Shot in black and white, it sometimes shows a little 'wooden' and imperfect. Nevertheless it surely contains all well-known Fassbinder features: a very German setting, slow speed, serious, with a strong touch of realism & pessimism.
Although Fassbinder himself extensively acts, female lead Hanna Schygulla by far adds the greatest value here. After 'Liebe', she should feature in many other Fassbinder-productions.
This film's somewhat weird title nevertheless fully covers its joyless plot. Strangely this lack of fun is somehow accentuated by Schygulla's brief nude appearances. They make an unusual contrast, already revealing Fassbinder's genius at this early stage in his career.
Shot in black and white, it sometimes shows a little 'wooden' and imperfect. Nevertheless it surely contains all well-known Fassbinder features: a very German setting, slow speed, serious, with a strong touch of realism & pessimism.
Although Fassbinder himself extensively acts, female lead Hanna Schygulla by far adds the greatest value here. After 'Liebe', she should feature in many other Fassbinder-productions.
This film's somewhat weird title nevertheless fully covers its joyless plot. Strangely this lack of fun is somehow accentuated by Schygulla's brief nude appearances. They make an unusual contrast, already revealing Fassbinder's genius at this early stage in his career.