"Berlin Alexanderplatz" (1980) TV mini-series

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)

Series Directed by
Rainer Werner Fassbinder		(14 episodes, 1980)

Series Writing credits
Alfred Döblin		(14 episodes, 1980)
Rainer Werner Fassbinder		(14 episodes, 1980)

Series Produced by
Peter Märthesheimer	....	producer (14 episodes, 1980)
Günter Rohrbach	....	producer (14 episodes, 1980)
Gunther Witte	....	producer: WDR (14 episodes, 1980)

Series Original Music by
Peer Raben		(14 episodes, 1980)

Series Cinematography by
Xaver Schwarzenberger		(14 episodes, 1980)

Series Film Editing by
Juliane Lorenz		(14 episodes, 1980)

Series Costume Design by
Barbara Baum		(14 episodes, 1980)

Series Production Management
Dieter Minx	....	production manager (14 episodes, 1980)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Harry Baer	....	assistant director (unknown episodes)
Renate Leiffer	....	assistant director (unknown episodes)
Thomas Schühly	....	assistant director (unknown episodes)

Series Art Department
Harry Baer	....	artistic collaborator (unknown episodes)

Series Sound Department
Milan Bor	....	sound mixer (unknown episodes)
Hans R. Weiss	....	sound (unknown episodes)

Series Visual Effects by
Theo Nischwitz	....	visual effects (unknown episodes)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Karl Reiter	....	still photographer (14 episodes, 1980)
Josef Vavra	....	assistant camera (14 episodes, 1980)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Monika Jacobs	....	costume assistant (14 episodes, 1980)

Series Other crew
Doris Glatz	....	continuity (14 episodes, 1980)
Gisela Schneider	....	production office (14 episodes, 1980)
Wulf Gasthaus	....	location manager (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• Bavaria Film
• Radiotelevisione Italiana
• Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)

Distributors

• Bavaria Film International (2007) (worldwide) (all media) (international sales agent)
• Filmmuseum Distributie (2007) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Dolmen Home Video (2007) (Italy) (DVD) (restored)
• EuroVideo (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• TeleCulture (1983) (USA) (subtitled)
• Video Film Express (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)

Other Companies

• CinePostproduction  digital remastering (restored version)
• FilmFernsehFonds Bayern  funding (restored version)
• Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA)  funding (restored version)
• Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen  funding (restored version)
• Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg  funding (restored version)
• Museum of Modern Art, The (MoMA)  funding (restored version)
• Rainer Werner Fassbinder Foundation  funding (restored version)

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:

Referenced in "The Critic: A Little Deb Will Do You (#1.5)" (1994)

The restored Biberkopf

I think it's a perfect crime that this epic of human behavior has been neglected by German audiences. Even here on IMDb the people commenting on it are from various parts all over the wold but not from Germany. This is mostly due to the fact that "Berlin Alexanderplatz" was aired only once in 1980, under not very becoming conditions (it was a very bad copy of the original 16mm print that was much too dark for once), and then quickly thrown on the garbage heap of television-history. In the US for instance, Berlin Alexanderplatz was shown in cinemas and the association of American film critics at the end of the 80ies placed Günther Lamprecht under the top three actors of it's time, just behind Robert de Niro and Ben Kingsley. Figure that. Still the Germans go on saying that the Americans are mere barbarians when it comes to art. Thanks to "Süddeutsche Zeitung" and the people responsible for the quite expensive restoration-process of the series we now have a DVD and can watch the somnambulic masterpiece in all of it's original glory. It's the spiraling downfall of one man in a big Leviathan of a city, hard to swallow for most who rely on the silver or small screen for escapist entertainment. I just wish that today for every "Lost", "24" or "Profiler/CSI"-series there would at least be one "Berlin Alexanderplatz".