"Acht Stunden sind kein Tag" or "Eight Hours are Not a Day" is a German mini series from 1952, so this one is approaching its 50th anniversary now depending on when you read my review and it is mostly still known today because it was written and directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, one of the most successful German filmmakers of the 1970s. This one consists of 5 episodes, each one with a running time of between 90 and 105 minutes and according to the title focus on two characters. So you can watch the entire thing in about 8 hours of you have the will and dedication. This one is really not too well known compared to other Fassbinder works, one of his least famous in fact. So it is also not too easy to get a hand on it. First I thought it may be because it is a (mini) series, but then again RWF made some that are considerably more famous. Like so many other times with him, he has a group of actors he primarily cast in his works and you will find many names here that have appeared in other Fassbinder films too like Brem, Hirschmüller, Schober, Hermann, Raab.. only to mention a few. Also in it are Löwitsch and Mira who do give cameos only though and appear in here playing minor characters in one episode. And of course there is Hanna Schygulla, who plays a major character here just like she does in other Fassbinder works. And this one here is among her breakthrough roles as she wasn't even 30 when this was made. So in my opinion, she also wasn't at her best yet and maybe not the best choice for the male lead. Same can be said about John who is physically memorable with his lanky appearance and long legs, but in terms of acting not that much. This was a bit of a problem without a doubt as these two really played characters who had a major impact in virtually every single episode of the 5. And they were almost the only ones that fut this description because like I said every episode focuses on two characters. Well, this is only partially true to be honest. It fits some episodes, especially early on, but for example episode 4 I really wanted to see much more from Kurt Raab as I like him a lot as an actor, but with the exception of the second half of the episode he was not that much in it. And don't even get me started on the fifth and final episode that had virtually no Irm Hermann, or at least far from the amound you'd expect given the fact that the episode was about her and Brem's character. Oh well, this eventually "helped" in becoming a negative deal breaker for me. I quite enjoyed episode 2 with the olderly couple and the quiet man and the talkative bully old woman. And I also liked the 4th episode as the whole situation at the party was really interesting and had me sucked in quickly story-wise. But about episodes 1, 3 and 5 I cannot say too much positive. Especially in the final one, there is major focus on John's character trying and succeeding (partially) to make a change at work for the better, not just for him, but also for all the other workers in his factory. And I must say that plot did almost nothing for me, even if it was of course expected that Fassbinder would get in some work-themed story lines as well givcen the massive running time. All in all, it feels very Fassbinder at times and after recognizing how much I liked his trademark movie "Angst essen Seele auf", I realize again that I really like hiw work when there is focus on old characters like in the second episode, especially the first half of this episode. But also the other episodes have a Fassbinder touch to them and his style and vision is clearly visible. He is not one of my favorite filmmakers, but I like some of his works. Others I don't. So it probably is not a huge surprise that this one we have here is somewhere in the middle for me quality-wise. I have seen better and worse. But I am not as impressed as I would like to be, so I will not decide whether to recommend this one to you or not. Like I said, it is almost impossible this is the first Fassbinder production you come across, so you should be able to decide depending on your experiences with him whether you want to check it out or not. The only thing i want to say is that it is certainly not a must-see. And that you can watch each episode also without having seen earlier episodes. But honestly why would you?
Eight Hours Don't Make a Day
(1972–1973)
A close call between a good and a not so good watch
25 December 2018
Warning: Spoilers