"Berlin Alexanderplatz" (1980) TV mini-series

User Rating:

8.9/10   

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

10 August 1983 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

This film, which is basically the longest narrative film ever made, is a 15-1/2 hour episodic exploration of the character of Franz Biberkopf...

Plot Keywords:

Remake | Beer | Homosexuality | Critically Acclaimed | Jail

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Günter Lamprecht	...	Franz Biberkopf (14 episodes, 1980)
Karlheinz Braun	...	Rechtsanwalt Löwenhund (13 episodes, 1980)
Hanna Schygulla	...	Eva (12 episodes, 1980)
Claus Holm	...	Wirt / ... (12 episodes, 1980)
Franz Buchrieser	...	Gottfried Meck (11 episodes, 1980)
Brigitte Mira	...	Frau Bast / ... (10 episodes, 1980)
Roger Fritz	...	Herbert / ... (9 episodes, 1980)
Gottfried John	...	Reinhold Hoffmann (9 episodes, 1980)
Barbara Sukowa	...	Mieze (7 episodes, 1980)
Günther Kaufmann	...	Theo (7 episodes, 1980)
Ivan Desny	...	Pums / ... (7 episodes, 1980)
Volker Spengler	...	Bruno (7 episodes, 1980)
Vitus Zeplichal	...	Rudi (7 episodes, 1980)
Barbara Valentin	...	Ida (6 episodes, 1980)

Also Known As:

Berlin Alexanderplatz: Remastered (Germany) (restored version)

Runtime:

West Germany:894 min (14 parts)

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:12 | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

Bavaria Film

Trivia:

This was screened at the Vista cinema in Hollywood in August 1983, in it's entirety (with a 2 hour break for dinner), making it the longest film ever to be commercially screened (15 hours, 21 minutes). "Heimat - Eine deutsche Chronik" (1984), which is only a little longer at 15 hours and 40 minutes was shown in German cinemas and at the London Film Festival, but not in a single screening, instead being split across a weekend with a night in between the first and second parts.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Fassbinders 'Berlin Alexanderplatz' Remastered - Beobachtungen bei der Restauration (2006) (V)

THE most monumental film of all time

Berlin Alexanderplatz is by far the most ambitious film of all time. It has a very unusual feel to it as it slips between the real world and the mental state of Franz Biberkopf (particularly when he relives again and again the crime which landed him in prison). Of special interest to film addicts who have not seen the movie is the final 90 minutes which evidently was Fassbinder's own filmed fantasy of the entire plot, done with a background picture of Hieronymus Bosch's "The Garden of Earthly Delights." A fabulous richly-detailed film, but some may not be able to get past the politics.