Film: The Marriage Of Maria Braun
Release date: 7th August 2006
Certificate: 15
Running time: 115 mins
Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Starring: Hanna Schygulla, Klaus Löwitsch, Ivan Desny, Gottfried John
Genre: Drama
Studio: Arrow
Format: DVD
Country: Germany
Set against a post-war landscape after World War II, The Marriage Of Maria Braun is positioned from a fresh perspective: that of a German woman. An integral film by a pioneering director of New German cinema, it is the first in Fassbinder’s Wirtschaftswunder (economic miracle) trilogy, recently released on DVD for the first time since its 1979 theatrical release date.
In a tragic romance, Hermann Braun (Klaus Löwitsch) disappears moments after his wedding leaving his wife, Maria (Hanna Schygulla Hermann), to struggle through poverty and the loss of a husband during post-war Germany.
After his disappearance, Maria spends her days alone roaming the train station; questioning people, and making money from selling her most precious possessions (including her wedding dress). Eventually, she begins to lose hope, and takes a job at a local bar, where she attracts the attention of an American soldier. Maria refuses to fully accept the soldiers advances until one day, Hermann’s comrade, Willi (Gottfried John), arrives home with the news that he is dead. Maria returns to the bar where she works to seek comfort in the arms of the American soldier, with whom she begins an affair and falls pregnant. However, their relationship comes to an abrupt halt when Hermann suddenly arrives home to find the two naked in Maria’s bedroom, resulting in the soldier’s murder.
When Hermann is arrested, Maria loses the baby and uses her feminine allure to secure a job with French business man, Karl Oswald (Ivan Desny). Karl falls hopelessly in love with her, but Maria proceeds to have an affair with him purely using him for money and companionship while Hermann is away…
This results in a complex relationship between Maria and Hermann, who has difficulty in accepting her other lovers. The marriage faces difficulties from the outset of the film, with the two ducking gun fire and explosions, while attempting to sign their marriage certificate. Later, they must survive Hermann’s disappearance, incarceration and eventually his move to Canada upon payment from Maria’s lover; all taking place in between the love affairs, which Hermann has great difficulty in coming to terms with. They never wholly communicate with each other (what is not said often figuring more prominently than what is), and Hermann’s morose expressions depict his inner turmoil, which Maria appears completely oblivious (or uncaring) towards, as she repeatedly claims that she leads this life for their marriage.
Although, at times, the acting from some of the supporting cast is overly melodramatic, overall Hanna Schygulla delivers a performance which is both gripping and subdued, winning her a Silver Berlin Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1979. As the story unfolds, Maria becomes more hardened, pushing away those closest to her while she comes to terms with the hardships she has suffered as a strong female character that must use her sexuality and femininity to survive the difficult climate in which she lives. However, her character also works as a metaphor for Germany as a nation - the rebuilding of her life and rise to wealth representing the rebuilding of Germany into an economic superpower.
The visual style of the film is thoroughly depressing. This war torn landscape figures prominently as the characters clamber through the rubble of destroyed buildings, reflecting the broken dreams and fragmented families that the war has left behind. This is juxtaposed against the elegant costumes and lavish home that Maria has earned by the end of the film, although her wealth and beauty come at the expense of her soul and ability to love.
The music is sparse, silence figuring as a reflection on the emptiness that swallows Maria over the course of the film, while a background of gun fire serves as a constant reminder of the war. There are, however, brief outbursts of music which demonstrate the melodramatic tone of the film; suddenly appearing at randomly inexplicable times. For example, at the moment when Maria walks into the doctor’s office to ask for a health certificate, there is a dramatic orchestral score which suggests that this is an important moment - signalling the beginning of Maria using her sexuality to get what she wants, which will ultimately be her downfall.
The Marriage Of Maria Braun is a refreshing take on how war affects the ordinary person, featuring a captivating performance from an actress who showcases the glamour of a classical Hollywood actress brought down to earth by the street smarts of a war torn widow. HB
In a tragic romance, Hermann Braun (Klaus Löwitsch) disappears moments after his wedding leaving his wife, Maria (Hanna Schygulla Hermann), to struggle through poverty and the loss of a husband during post-war Germany.
After his disappearance, Maria spends her days alone roaming the train station; questioning people, and making money from selling her most precious possessions (including her wedding dress). Eventually, she begins to lose hope, and takes a job at a local bar, where she attracts the attention of an American soldier. Maria refuses to fully accept the soldiers advances until one day, Hermann’s comrade, Willi (Gottfried John), arrives home with the news that he is dead. Maria returns to the bar where she works to seek comfort in the arms of the American soldier, with whom she begins an affair and falls pregnant. However, their relationship comes to an abrupt halt when Hermann suddenly arrives home to find the two naked in Maria’s bedroom, resulting in the soldier’s murder.
When Hermann is arrested, Maria loses the baby and uses her feminine allure to secure a job with French business man, Karl Oswald (Ivan Desny). Karl falls hopelessly in love with her, but Maria proceeds to have an affair with him purely using him for money and companionship while Hermann is away…
This results in a complex relationship between Maria and Hermann, who has difficulty in accepting her other lovers. The marriage faces difficulties from the outset of the film, with the two ducking gun fire and explosions, while attempting to sign their marriage certificate. Later, they must survive Hermann’s disappearance, incarceration and eventually his move to Canada upon payment from Maria’s lover; all taking place in between the love affairs, which Hermann has great difficulty in coming to terms with. They never wholly communicate with each other (what is not said often figuring more prominently than what is), and Hermann’s morose expressions depict his inner turmoil, which Maria appears completely oblivious (or uncaring) towards, as she repeatedly claims that she leads this life for their marriage.
Although, at times, the acting from some of the supporting cast is overly melodramatic, overall Hanna Schygulla delivers a performance which is both gripping and subdued, winning her a Silver Berlin Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin International Film Festival in 1979. As the story unfolds, Maria becomes more hardened, pushing away those closest to her while she comes to terms with the hardships she has suffered as a strong female character that must use her sexuality and femininity to survive the difficult climate in which she lives. However, her character also works as a metaphor for Germany as a nation - the rebuilding of her life and rise to wealth representing the rebuilding of Germany into an economic superpower.
The visual style of the film is thoroughly depressing. This war torn landscape figures prominently as the characters clamber through the rubble of destroyed buildings, reflecting the broken dreams and fragmented families that the war has left behind. This is juxtaposed against the elegant costumes and lavish home that Maria has earned by the end of the film, although her wealth and beauty come at the expense of her soul and ability to love.
The music is sparse, silence figuring as a reflection on the emptiness that swallows Maria over the course of the film, while a background of gun fire serves as a constant reminder of the war. There are, however, brief outbursts of music which demonstrate the melodramatic tone of the film; suddenly appearing at randomly inexplicable times. For example, at the moment when Maria walks into the doctor’s office to ask for a health certificate, there is a dramatic orchestral score which suggests that this is an important moment - signalling the beginning of Maria using her sexuality to get what she wants, which will ultimately be her downfall.
The Marriage Of Maria Braun is a refreshing take on how war affects the ordinary person, featuring a captivating performance from an actress who showcases the glamour of a classical Hollywood actress brought down to earth by the street smarts of a war torn widow. HB
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