Fassbinder A-Go-Go
Now Playing: EFFI BRIEST (1974) and THE AMERICAN SOLDIER (1970) [both seen in theatre]
I hadn't seen either of these before, so being able to see them on the big screen was pretty cool, even if neither of the films was one of his best. I'm not very well-equipped to say much about EFFI, since I watched much of it just on the edge of dozing off, but I certainly liked what I saw well enough. The big problem, however, was that the story of a well-bred woman who finds herself cast out of society for her improprieties has become well-worn territory for period pieces, so I can't help but compare it with other films along these lines, such as THE HOUSE OF MIRTH and THE PORTRAIT OF A LADY. Fassbinder's film, quality-wise, lies somewhere between these two, and perhaps it's a problem with me that I couldn't overlook its similarities to other films like it and take it on its own merits, especially when most of the films I've seen like this one post-date it. Talking about the film with a bud of mine afterwards, we pretty much agreed that it's a textbook example of a period piece made by a director who's "reining it in" after more modern and kinetic work (see also: THE AGE OF INNOCENCE, BARRY LYNDON, IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, etc.), except that the film isn't quite as good as those others I mentioned. Still, it's well worth seeing, with another great performance by Hanna Schygulla and soft, beautiful black-and-white cinematography.

The second film in the double feature was Fassbinder's early gangster picture THE AMERICAN SOLDIER. Honestly, I don't remember very much about this one, but what I do remember is that it felt like a put-on of BREATHLESS, which seems pretty pointless in theory since you can't kid a kidder. But it's pretty cool all the same, never more so than in the uproarious slo-mo final shot, which Fassbinder stretches out far beyond its logical breaking point until it's long-since lapsed into willful self-parody. The rest is OK too, but non-fans need not seek it out.

Effi Briest: ***.
The American Soldier: **.