In einem Jahr mit 13 Monden (1978)

User Rating:

7.7/10   

Director:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Writer:

Rainer Werner Fassbinder (writer)

Release Date:

11 June 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

This drama follows the last few days in the life of Elvira (formerly Erwin) Weisshaupt. Years before...

Plot Keywords:

Unrequited Love | Transvestism | Sex | Prostitute | Slaughterhouse

Cast

Volker Spengler	...	Erwin / Elvira Weishaupt
Ingrid Caven	...	Die rote Zora
Gottfried John	...	Anton Saitz
Elisabeth Trissenaar	...	Irene Weishaupt
Eva Mattes	...	Marie-Ann Weishaupt
Günther Kaufmann	...	J. Smolik, Chauffeur
Lilo Pempeit	...	Schwester Gudrun (as Lieselotte Pempeit)
Isolde Barth	...	Sybille
Karl Scheydt	...	Christoph Hacker
Walter Bockmayer	...	Seelenfrieda
Peter Kollek	...	Saeufer
Bob Dorsay	...	Selbstmörder
Gerhard Zwerenz	...	Burghard Hauser, Schriftsteller
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Janez Bermez	...	Oskar Pleitgen (uncredited)
Rainer Werner Fassbinder	...	Seelenfrieda (voice) (uncredited)
Wolfgang Hess	...	Selbstmörder (voice) (uncredited)
Günther Holzapfel	...	Angestellter H. H. Brei (uncredited)
Ursula Lillig	...	Putzfrau (uncredited)

Directed by
Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Rainer Werner Fassbinder		writer

Produced by
Rainer Werner Fassbinder	....	producer

Original Music by
Peer Raben

Cinematography by
Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Film Editing by
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Juliane Lorenz

Production Design by
Franz Vacek

Art Direction by
Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Makeup Department
Jo Braun	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Isolde Barth	....	production manager

Sound Department
Wolfgang Mund	....	sound
Karl Scheydt	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Werner Lüring	....	assistant camera
Wolfgang Mund	....	lighting technician
Karl Scheydt	....	lighting technician

Music Department
Roxy Music	....	music performers: "A Song for Europe" (uncredited)

Other crew
Franz Vacek	....	stage

Production Companies

• Filmverlag der Autoren
• Pro-ject Filmproduktion
• Tango Film

Distributors

• Cinemagi (Sweden) (video)
• Dolmen Home Video (2005) (Italy) (DVD)
• Fantoma (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• New Yorker Films (1980) (USA) (subtitled)

Also Known As:

In a Year with 13 Moons (International: English title) (informal literal title) (USA)

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

France:-16 | Sweden:15 | West Germany:18

Filming Locations:

Frankfurt am Main, Hesse, Germany

Company:

Filmverlag der Autoren

Trivia:

The tape-recorded narration heard throughout the film (particularly during the final scene) was not scripted. Volker Spengler (playing Elvira Weishaupt) and Rainer Werner Fassbinder recorded the narration together, with Fassbinder asking questions and Spengler responding in character. In the final cut of the film, Fassbinder's voice is edited out.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Die 120 Tage von Bottrop (1997)

Soundtrack:

Schöner fremder Mann

One of the Best

I found this movie difficult to watch the first time I saw it, and after the initial shock faded, I found myself drawn back into this tragic tale of a desperate human being. Elviras character has to be one of the most pitifully human in the history of cinema, and the recounting of her last few days alive are rife with powerful imagery ( especially the haunting slaughter-house scene...not for the weak of stomach! Vegans beware!) to convey an extraordinarily beautiful, heart-wrenching tale. The story is loosely based on one of Fassbinder's own lover who committed suicide, and perhaps it is that personal background that infuses the film with a palpable sense of reality... few films have felt more true to me than In a Year of 13 Moons.

Fassbinder's approach in this film is a little different than in say, Ali: Fear Eats the Soul, there is less dialog, perhaps to convey the loneliness and hopelessness of Elvira in her final moments. The acting is superb, and the characters will stay with you long after you turn your TV off. I would recommend the Criterion edition for anyone interested in the film, its chock-cull of extra features, and a really cool introduction by Austin filmmaker Richard Linklater.