Martha
(Fantoma/Fassbinder)
Picture: C
Sound: C+ Extras: B- Film: B+
As an aspiring cinephile and an academic who fancies
himself a wannabe film scholar, I have a number of gaping, and shameful, holes
in my film-viewing resume. One such oversight
is the exceptional films of Germany, especially critical darling Rainer Werner
Fassbinder. Sure, I have seen the most
famous Herzog, Lang, and Wenders films (although I have yet to see M, for shame), but beyond that, I have
a lot of work to do. Therefore, it is
pleasure to visit and review films that I would otherwise have overlooked.
Fassbinder, the extremely busy but short-lived filmmaker,
has over 40 films to his credit, especially considering he passed away at age
37. Fassbinder produced numerous works
for both the large and small, displaying adroitness for maximizing the artistic
potential for both media. The
combination of a consistent stable of actors with Fassbinder’s keen writing and
directing guarantees that the Fassbinder opus did not sacrifice quality for
quantity.
Martha, like Berlin Alexanderplatz, was originally
produced for the small screen for German television (this is one thing where I
am envious of the Europeans, so many of their marquee directors made film for
television: Bergman and Scenes from a
Marriage and Fanny and Alexander,
Fassbinder and Berlin Alexanderplatz,
Kieslowski and the Decalogue, to
name a few). So, it is quite enjoyable
to watch the well timed fade outs that indicate where the commercials were
placed.
Martha explores many of the themes that permeate most of
Fassbinder’s work: identity, alienation, toleration, oppression. Martha, a single lady in her thirties,
(played by Fassbinder regular, Margit Carstensen) is vacationing in Rome with
her domineering father who rarely misses the opportunity to belittle his
daughter. But the vacation turns deadly
when her father false victim to a heart attack. However, Martha’s life of submission continues as she returns
home to her equally condescending mother, who mocks Martha for being single,
suggesting that she will become an old spinster—unwed and unhappy. To assuage the verbal assaults, Martha
accepts the marriage proposal of Helmut Salomon (played by the eerie Karlheinz
Böhm, who is exceptional in Michael Powell’s Peeping Tom—a film I highly recommend). But Helmut might be the worst of all: he has Martha leave her
loving job (unbeknownst to her, but knownst to us), sends her mother to the nut
house (like mother like daughter?), allows Martha to sunburn and then brutally
rapes her. Martha suffers the slings
and arrows of Helmut’s abuse, and accepts this as her lot in life. She befriends a former co-worker who shows
her that this is not what a marriage must be like. However, that does not guarantee she will listen, convinced that
her husband is trying to kill her, she teeters on the brink in insanity. Like many who stay in abusive relationship,
there is always a sense of guilt (perhaps masochistically generated) that they
deserve the abuse or that such physical and psychological abuse is part of a
normal relationship. Fassbinder
attempts to highlight that dynamic through the film in equal parts black-comedy
and melodrama (not forsaking his Sirkian inspirations). A task that, in the hands of a lesser
director, risks spiraling down into the abyss of triviality.
The film explores the rich terrain of social pressures and
how guilt, oppression, and abuse not only cross gender boundaries but
generational divides as well. There is
a wealth of artistic insight that ruminates on how patriarchy can label women
as crazy and weak (A Streetcar Named
Desire, for example), and Martha
is clearly part of that conversation.
Considering that the film was originally made for
television (in that subtle symbols do not read on the smaller media; naturally
it was shot in 1.33 ratio), it was beautifully shot. The rich color, interesting cinematography and finely tuned
directing make for an enjoyable viewing experience. The new digital transfer is more than acceptable and the sounds
quality is equally serviceable (mono).
But, for a film that is so dialogue heavy (especially for us non-German
speaking Americans), any lapses in the sound quality do little to affect the
film.
The extras are also not half bad. The feature length documentary of
Fassbinder’s foray into Hollywood is a collection of interviews and insights by
Fassbinder collaborators and friends.
It highlights Fassbinder’s complex, perhaps love/hate, relationship with
Hollywood and what it stands for.
Overall, quite good.
If you enjoyed other Fassbinder films, I am sure you will enjoy this
one.
- Ron Von Burg
