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Of all the films directed by the late Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Effi Briest (1974) is probably the most literary (it’s adapted from an 1894 novel by Theodor Fontane), but there is nothing staid or inert about it. Using his customary command of technical skills and his uncanny empathy for actors, the maker of The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant and The Marriage of Maria Braun, among many others, vividly essays the tale of an innocent teenager (Hanna Schygulla) hemmed in by the rigid conventions of nineteenth-century German society and powerless to defy them. When Effi’s arranged marriage leads to an affair, and that to the lethal rage of her scorned husband, Fassbinder brings all of his powers to bear on the tense psychological atmosphere of the mounting drama. Beautifully filmed in black and white, this superb period piece was a departure for the filmmaker, but one of the most enduring works he left behind.
Effi Briest screens at 7 p.m. Sunday, March 7, in Muenzinger Auditorium on the University of Colorado’s Boulder campus, as part of CU’s International Film Series. It is the sixth of seven Fassbinder films shown on successive Sundays since February 1. The retrospective concludes March 14 with Fear of Fear. For more information, call 303-492-1531 or log on to www.internationalfilmseries.com.
