Die bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant (1972)

User Rating:

7.4/10   

Director:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Writers:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder (play)
Rainer Werner Fassbinder (screenplay)

Release Date:

5 October 1972 (West Germany)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Sex is the ultimate weapon.

Plot:

Petra von Kant is a successful fashion designer -- arrogant, caustic, and self-satisfied. She mistreats Marlene (her secretary...

Plot Keywords:

Fashion Designer | Secretary | Model | Love | Closeted Homosexual

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Margit Carstensen	...	Petra von Kant
Hanna Schygulla	...	Karin Thimm
Katrin Schaake	...	Sidonie von Grasenabb
Eva Mattes	...	Gabriele von Kant
Gisela Fackeldey	...	Valerie von Kant
Irm Hermann	...	Marlene

Also Known As:

The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (USA)

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Hong Kong:I | Singapore:R(A) | UK:15 | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Worpswede, Lower Saxony, Germany

Company:

Filmverlag der Autoren

Trivia:

Film was shot in ten days.

Quotes:

Petra von Kant: I felt nothing for him anymore. Far from it, it got worse. When we ate together his chewing... it was like an explosion. When he swallowed my gorge rose. The way he cut meat, held his cigarette, his whiskey glass... it all seemed so absurd, so affected. I was ashamed for him because I imagined everyone must see him as I did. Of course, it was hysteria. Panic, Sidonie. There was nothing left to save. The end.

Movie Connections:

References The Bitter Tea of General Yen (1933)

Soundtrack:

The Great Pretender

slow but compelling

'The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant' focuses on a small number of characters, all female, as we see the story of the designer who can't function in her life. Living with Marlene, her co-designer, servant/slave, a shadowy figure who sees all but never speaks, Petra wallows in selfishness and introspection, which all comes to a head when she is introduced to the equally self-centred Karin, a young beauty who is more than a match for her mentor.

Shot in long scenes with close-ups, deep focus, and dominated by a large painting of classical nudes and a selection of mannequins, this film is extremely slow but involving. Petra's life and reactions are highly stylised - her main connection with her emotions through music (three songs by The Platters and The Walker Brothers are used to excellent effect) - and it is difficult to emphasise with someone so shallow.

With an ambiguous ending and characters who are largely unlikeable, this film is problematic - sometimes a bit of a bore, sometimes causing questions to occur which are never answered - but it is worth a look.