Die Ehe der Maria Braun (1979)

Director:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Writers:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder (dialogue)
Rainer Werner Fassbinder (story)

Release Date:

23 March 1979 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

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

Plot:

This movie follows the life of a young German woman, married to a soldier in the waning days of WWII...

Plot Keywords:

Soldier | Fascism | German Soldier | Homecoming Soldier | Male Frontal Nudity

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 12 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

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

Also Known As:

The Marriage of Maria Braun (USA)

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German | English

Colour:

Colour (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Australia:M | West Germany:12 (f) | UK:15 (video rating) | UK:AA | Finland:K-12 (re-rating) | Finland:K-15 (re-rating) (2004) | Finland:K-16 (original rating) | Singapore:R(A) | Sweden:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

Albatros Filmproduktion

Trivia:

Director Cameo: [Rainer Werner Fassbinder]Peddler who sells Maria the black dress

Quotes:

Mother: He kept me warm on those cold nights after the war.
Wetzel: Oh, really?
Mother: He always brought me firewood.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Kinomagazin: Eine deutsche Geschichte - Rainer Werner Fassbinder und sein Film 'Die Ehe der Maria Braun'" (1995)

Soundtrack:

In The Mood

Allegory of Postwar Germany

Alright already, get over it, was Handke's comment to the 1968 meeting of the Gruppe 48 -- those writers who wanted to "heal" from the war. Well Fassbinder doesn't want to heal, he wants to indict. And this movie, probably his most accessible, takes a woman as the symbol for the nation-- a theme common to prehistoric oral literature, particularly among the Irish, made famous by Grimmelshausen's Mother Courage and updated by Brecht's play. But in this version, instead of the tragic Mother trying to save her children and mourning them, Maria Braun sells out for comfort from collaboration with the Nazi's through the economic wonder "Wirtschaftswunder" of the cold war. This was Fassbinder's big hit, because he toned down his politics both sexual and marxist, to focus on the loss of soul that Germany experienced. It was also Hanna Schygulla's Oscar worthy performance, probably one of her best of many great ones. Like little Oskar from the Tin Drum, Maria Braun was stunted by the experience, only on the inside.