Fassbinder- short film book club

An avant-garde film maker whose works showed at GOMA in 2017.

Materials needed

Access to the following short films:

1. DER BRÄUTIGAM (The Bridegroom)

2. DIE KOMÖDIANTIN (The Comedienne)

3. DER ZUHÄLTER (The Pimp) 1968 AGES 15+

An enigmatic and complex short by Danièle Huillet and Jean-Marie Straub (to whom Fassbinder dedicated his first film), The Bridegroom, The Comedienne and The Pimp consist of three disparate sequences, including a minimalist play adaptation from Fassbinder's Anti-Teater troupe and another in which Fassbinder portrays a pimp (one of his earliest on-screen roles). Irm Hermann and Hanna Schygulla make appearances, as well as Fassbinder's long-time composer Peer Raben.

4. DER STADTSTREICHER (THE CITY TRAMP)

Fassbinder's earliest surviving film follows a Munich vagrant who discovers a gun on the street and becomes consumed with thoughts of suicide. After being rejected by the Berlin Film School, Fassbinder made this Eric Rohmer-inspired short with the financial help of his lover Christoph Roser, who in turn was granted the title role. The City Tramp also marked the film debut of Irm Hermann, who would go on to play major parts in 19 of Fassbinder's films.

5. DAS KLEINE CHAOS (THE LITTLE CHAOS) 1966-67 AGES 15+

In this ode to Jean-Luc Godard and gangster films, three youths selling magazine subscriptions door-to-door decide to supplement their income with robbery. In his first starring role, Fassbinder cast himself as a nihilistic, movie-loving hoodlum and set the stage for his later unofficial gangster trilogy (Love is Colder Than Death, Gods of the Plague and The American Soldier).

Preparation

Think about this aspect of his work:

'It concentrates on the performance aspect of Fassbinder's film and television work: the very particular language of gesture and posture that he first developed in his 'anti-theatre' ensemble. On screen, Fassbinder extended this performance style to include distinctive strategies of staging and editing. The result is an innovative path forged between analytical distance and intense emotion'

Back ground:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainer_Werner_Fassbinder

Avant-garde films (1969–1971) Working simultaneously in theatre and film, Fassbinder created his own style from a fusion of the two artforms. His ten early films are characterized by a self-conscious and assertive formalism. Influenced by Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Marie Straub and the theories of Bertolt Brecht, these films are austere and minimalist in style. Although praised by many critics, they proved too demanding and inaccessible for a mass audience. Fassbinder's rapid working methods had begun by this stage.

Influences:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Straub%E2%80%93Huillet#Filmography

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bertolt_Brecht

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Luc_Godard#New_Wave_period_.281960.E2.80.9368.29

Book club OUTLINE

We will meet out the front of GOMA (Gallery of Modern Art)

Introduce ourselves

Watch the first 3 short films

5 mins break to have a quick chat

Watch the remaining 2

Gather as a group

Discussion

Can you see the effects of Theatre on these Films?

Were the performances or the film style Brechtian?

How did they make you feel?

What was intersting?

What was annoying?

reflection

It was a cold and rainy night. One of the participants came to The Edge and we walked over together. I then waited outside for for other people to arrive. I had a small Edge postcard sign with me. One other person turned up and we headed inside and found our seats.

We watched all 5 short films in a row and then we reflected in the foyer of the cinema. One of the participants was an actor and the other was a student. It was a nice reflection and one of the participants and I kept chatting as we left the building. She showed interest in the larger project as well from our conversations. The other participant started off coming to games nights and then to the design sessions and now has come to a book club event.

Evaluation

(Pre)

42% probably not connected

Post form