Rainer Werner Fassbinder

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Lore & Background

Fassbinder was born in the small town of Bad Wörishofen on 31 May 1945, three weeks after the US Army occupied the town and the unconditional surrender of Germany. He was the only child of Liselotte Pempeit, a translator, and Helmut Fassbinder, a doctor. In compliance with his mother's wishes, Fassbinder later claimed he was born on 31 May 1946, to more clearly establish himself as a child of the post-war period; his real age was revealed shortly before his death. His parents divorced in 1951, and he was raised by his mother in Munich. She often sent him to the cinema to pass time; later in life, Fassbinder claimed he saw at least one film a day, sometimes as many as four per day. Early in his adolescence, Fassbinder came out as bisexual. As a teen, he was sent to boarding school, but his time there was marred by repeated escape attempts, and he eventually left school before any final examinations. He began leading the acting troupe Anti-Theater in 1967, with whom he staged some of his earliest productions. His first feature-length film was a gangster movie called Love Is Colder Than Death (1969). He scored his first domestic commercial success with The Merchant of Four Seasons (1972) and his first international success with Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974). His greatest success came with The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979). Between 1967 and 1982, he completed over 40 feature films, 24 plays, two television serials, three short films and four video productions, winning five of the most prestigious prizes for feature film in Germany, including the Golden Bear and multiple German Film Awards. Fassbinder died on 10 June 1982, aged 37, from a lethal cocktail of cocaine and barbiturates. His career lasted less than two decades. His premature death is often considered the end of the New German Cinema timeframe.

Reader's Guide

Fassbinder's significance lies in his prolific output and his role as a catalyst of the New German Cinema movement. His films consistently explored the aftermath of Nazism, the German economic miracle, and the Red Army Faction, often focusing on marginalized figures such as migrant workers, prisoners, and gay people. He worked with a recurring company of actors and technicians, including Hanna Schygulla and Irm Hermann, who appeared in many of his projects. His work blended Hollywood melodrama with social criticism and avant-garde techniques, examining 'the exploitability of feelings.' His legacy includes masterpieces like The Merchant of Four Seasons, Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, and The Marriage of Maria Braun, as well as films dealing with homoerotic themes such as The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, Fox and His Friends, and Querelle. He also directed the TV series World on a Wire (1973) and Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980). His death at age 37 marked the perceived end of the New German Cinema movement.

Did You Know?

• Fassbinder claimed he was born in 1946 to establish himself as a child of the post-war period; his real age was revealed shortly before his death.
• He saw at least one film a day as a child, sometimes as many as four per day, because his mother sent him to the cinema while she worked.
• Fassbinder came out as bisexual early in his adolescence.
• He completed over 40 feature films, 24 plays, two television serials, three short films and four video productions between 1967 and 1982.
• His death from a lethal cocktail of cocaine and barbiturates is often considered the end of the New German Cinema timeframe.

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