The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972)

Such a frustrating disappointment

A Disappointing Continuation

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

"Die bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant" or "The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant" is a West German film from almost 45 years ago and chronologically it is in the middle of writer and director Rainer Werner Fassbinder's prolific, but short-lived career. The cast is exclusively female. Men are only seen on photos or as naked statues. 3 of the 6 actresses in here were nominated or won German Film Awards for their roles here and these winners include lead actress Margit Carstensen, who plays the title character. Unfortunately, I personally did not find these 125 minutes too convincing. All this awards recognition is a bit of a joke. The actresses seem really lackluster, which is generally a problem with several of the directors' works. Of course, it can be one character's way to speak so boringly, but here everybody does it. And that is not realistic anymore. No passion, no enthusiasm, even in emotional moments. It surprises me to see that this is among Fassbinder's most known works. It is not a disaster by any means, but I felt it dragged on several occasions and the characters simply weren't interesting enough to watch for such a long time. The good thing with Fassbinder is always that he goes for realism instead of forced happy developments and endings, but even from the perspective of this being an early gay-themed film, I cannot see a lot of value.There are some Fassbinder films I like and some I do not like. This one here falls among the latter and I do not recommend checking it out if you plan on getting into the man's work. Instead, a good start may be "Martha", another Fassbinder movie starring Margit Carstensen from a couple years later. This was a great watch. As for this one here, I believe the material is more fitting for a stage adaptation really if they add a bit more focus, cut out the many irrelevant moments and give it a more modern touch. This 1972 version does not do too much for me and that is why I think you should watch something else instead. Thumbs down. The only aspect that convinced me in here was the set decoration, which is almost always good in Fassbinder's films and this one is no exception.

During his 37 years on Earth, the great German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder made a total of 41 films in his 13 year film career. Not counting the countless plays, TV series and acting gigs he did, his output was ferocious, much like his personal life. There have been many things written and spoken about Fassbinder - that he was anti-Semitic, tyrannical, misanthropic and homophobic (even though he was an open homosexual) - yet no-one will deny his raw genius and his place as a driving force in the New German Cinema movement. He made many fantastic films, and I don't think I would be alone is stating that he was at his best when dealing with melodrama, and more specifically, complex female characters.Possibly his best known film, Fear Eats The Soul, is widely considered his best, but I feel that The Bitter Tears Of Petra Von Kant shows Fassbinder at the top of his game. He usually worked with the same troupe of actors (Brigitte Mira, Kurt Raab, Karlheinz Bohm amongst others) and here he has two of his finest - Margit Carstensen as the powerful yet desperate fashion designer Petra Von Kant, and Hanna Schygulla (who played the title character in Fassbinder's other masterpiece The Marriage Of Maria Braun) as her newly appointed love interest, Karin. In my opinion, Carstensen is one of the finest actresses in cinema history, along with Bette Davis and Liv Ullmann, and is never better here. She is dominating and sadistic, yet when she opens up to her cousin Sidonie (Katrin Scaake) or her new lesbian lover Karin, she is tragic, broken and lonely. It is a tour-de-force on display, as her character changes as much as she changes her hairpieces.Petra is residing in her apartment when we first meet her, awoken by fellow designer Marlene (Irm Hermann) who stays with her. We quickly learn that Petra sadistically treats Marlene like a slave, ordering her to bring her things and even orders her to slow-dance at one point. When she is joined by her cousin, Petra reveals how her past relationships with men have ended in disaster and resentment, and that men will ultimately leave her empty and disappointed. She is introduced to Karin, a timid model who Petra visibly becomes interested in, and eventually infatuated by. As Petra and Karin start a seemingly cold and difficult relationship, Petra's jealousy and fear of loneliness comes to the fore as she struggles to hold herself together. In one particularly powerful scene, Petra sits motionless on the edge of the bed after being told by Karin how none-existent her feelings really are, and a single tear rolls slowly down her face. Her face is as white as porcelain and as motionless as a doll, as the realisation hits her that her situation is as fake as the mannequins she decorates with her creations.Adapted from his own play, Fassbinder never moves the action outside Petra's claustrophobic apartment, instead allowing the pent up feelings to explode within the confines of one room. The screenplay, acting, cinematography and music is absolute perfection, and in my opinion this is Fassbinder's crowning achievement. The final scene, which I won't reveal, is in turn hilarious and heartbreaking. If you are as spellbound as I am by the acting talents of Carstensen, then I would recommend both Fear Of Fear and Satan's Brew (both Fassbinder) to see the full range of her ability. Possibly the finest film of the New German Cinema movement.www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com

Some abstract painters who don't have the patience and dedication to learn how to paint correctly and resort to modern painting. And try to prove it's a better way to express themselves.The performance and directing have nothing to be desired. I can't relate to Petra, who whines and moans for no particular reason.It leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

"The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant" is a powerful, unflinching view of a love affair gone wrong. Though Petra is not the most sympathetic of characters (note the constant berating of her mute personal assistant throughout the film, which becomes even more intense when Hanna Schygulla's character leaves), one can't help but sympathize with her a little by the end. Not stagy at all, the actors all perform in a believable way, as though they were not actors at all but real people caught in these situations (note Mrs. von Kant's incredulousness when she discovers Petra's love affair with another woman). Excellent, but certainly not for all tastes. This is an extremely claustrophobic film; does Petra ever leave her apartment? Certainly, it's the best Fassbinder film I've seen so far, though. I'm glad I saw it, as I nearly gave up on him.