534 - Beware of a Holy Whore, Germany, 1971. Dir. Werner Rainer Fassbinder.

Thursday, December 6, 2018

534 - Beware of a Holy Whore, Germany, 1971.  Dir. Werner Rainer Fassbinder.

Hochmut Kommt vor dem Fall
Pride goes before a fall.

And I say to you that I am weary to death of depicting humanity without partaking of humanity. - Thomas Mann.

You know, the only thing I accept is despair. - Sascha, the Production Manager.  Played by Fassbinder.

If I can't smash something, I might as well be dead. - Jeff, the Director.  Played by Lou Castel.

Sometimes I could kill you; sometimes I could tear your clothes off. - Manfred, the Producer.  Played by Karl Scheydt.


In Fellini's 8 1/2 (1963), Marcello Mastroianni's character Guido, a director, cannot make a film because of internal angst and marital problems.

In Godard's Contempt (1963), Michel Picoli's character Paul Javal, a screenwriter, cannot write a film because of internal angst and marital problems.

In Antonioni's film Identification of a Woman (1982), Tomas Millan's character Niccolo, a director, cannot make a film because he is still searching for the right woman to star in it.  And to be his muse to inspire him.

In Werner Rainer Fassbinder's film Beware of the Holy Whore (1971), Lou Castel's character Jeff, a director, Karl Sheydt's character Manfred, the producer, and Fassbinder's character Sascha, the production manager, cannot make the film because they have no MONEY.

Fassbinder cuts to the chase.

Writer's block?  What writer's block?  I can make films as fast as I can breathe.  Now if only I could breathe faster.  The only thing that stops a film from getting made is good old-fashioned money.

This is not to say that the director Jeff is without internal angst and marital problems.  Indeed, he has more of that than the other three combined.  It is just that personal problems are not going to get in the way of his making his movie.

Money will.

And politics might.

And the stupidity of others--according to Jeff--may.

But it will not be because of him.

He has shown up, by helicopter in fact, to the coast of Spain, and he knows exactly what he wants.  And he has the temerity to yell at people to get it.  Or do whatever else it takes.

Fassbinder fans can see that he is having fun at his own expense.  Making fun of his own persona.  And the events of the previous film shoot for Whity.  Apparently, there was some drama.

At least Fassbinder knows just what to do with drama:  Put it into your next feature film.

This is not a movie about making a movie.  This is a movie about waiting around waiting to make a movie.

At 1:40.51 of our movie, they finally film their first take.  An extra, playing a butler, walks down the stairs and opens the door.  Eddie Constantine enters with a gun drawn.  The woman appears at the top of the stairs.  Constantine marches up the stairs.  He strikes the woman on the back of the head.  She falls forward.  He stands.  The statue of St. Francis stands behind them in the corner, watching over the murder.  We hear a woman singing opera music.  We cannot hear but can tell that they call cut.  The woman stands up delightedly and hugs and kisses him.

It's going to be wonderful.

He has rediscovered something that has been forgotten.  Time.

The director slowly looks up

I guess I won't be content until I know he's been completely destroyed.


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Wee Willy the Gangster.

Goofy wants to be a children's nurse.

It must have been a shock for the poor little girl to find out she's a crook.

When I came back from a high once, I knew what it was like in the womb.

The oldest form of life is socialism.