Fassbinder: The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (15)

Dir: Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1972, West Germany, 119 mins
Cast: Margit Carstensen, Hanna Schygulla, Irm Hermann, Katrin Schaake

One of Fassbinder’s better-known films, The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, based on his play of the same name, is also one of his most divisive. Given that the film has only one location and four scenes, it’s easy to imagine that it is more a literal filming of the play rather than an adaptation that takes advantage of the flexibility of cinema. Spurning the opportunity to open out his psychodrama, Fassbinder attains an even higher degree of claustrophobia than might have been attained by the stage version. The camera never leaves the large, shagpiled and mannequin-strewn bedroom of Petra (Carstensen), a Bremen-based fashion designer, and long, static takes play out to the sound of her delusional claims of independence.

This independence, won after she dumped her second husband, is proven chimerical once Petra meets Karin (Schygulla), an ingenue who has returned to Germany following a five-year sojourn with her husband in Australia. Petra’s love for Karin is as immediate as it is obsessional. Following a fascinatingly uncomfortable seduction scene in which Petra’s desperation can be seen trembling behind her cool veneer, Fassbinder cuts to the pair living together six months later, by which time Karin, beloved beyond reproach, is treating Petra with absolute disdain.

This relationship is mirrored by that of Petra and her assistant Marlene (Hermann), the difference being that Petra claims that Marlene – who despite being in nearly every shot of the film doesn’t have a single line – enjoys such treatment, whereas she is finding Karin’s attitude unbearable. Having given Karin a leg-up in the fashion world, Petra is now finding herself to be surplus to requirements. In this way, Fassbinder’s film is in part a remake of All About Eve (1950). He playfully acknowledges this by having Petra place a call to a Joseph Mankiewicz, that film’s writer and director.

Lengthy and relentlessly, almost obstinately focused, The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant is sometimes decried for its tediousness. While such a view is in some ways understandable, it gravely undervalues the crafting of this trying but intelligent and captivating work. Fassbinder’s penchant for using sets to divide his characters and visually illustrate their emotions is constantly stimulating, and the cinematography of Michael Ballhaus – later a favourite of Martin Scorsese – is striking throughout. Another touch that perhaps influenced Scorsese (and in turn Tarantino) is the film’s use of music. Petra’s crises play out to an occasional soundtrack of The Platters’ histrionic doo-wop, the pop chansons of The Walker Brothers and an aria from Verdi’s La Traviata.

Carstensen gives a compelling performance as Petra, a teetering cocktail of bravado and panic (not to mention cocktails, or just straight gin by the final reel), while Schygulla’s impressive portrayal of Karin will not be a surprise to anyone who has seen this Fassbinder favourite in any of his other films. Another one of his regulars, Hermann, does a lot with very little as Marlene, and in the film’s brilliant final scene proves that you don’t need dialogue to make a big impact.

Extras:
Includes End of the Commune Feature; Harry Baer Interview; Notes on Film

Chris Power