The Cinema and its Double: Rainer Werner Fassbinder's 'Despair' Revisited

Overview

This absolutely top-notch documentary by Robert Fischer is a fascinating look back at not just the film in question, but Fassbinder's meteoric career which ended all too soon with his untimely death. Archival footage of Fassbinder is utilized (including several fascinating snippets culled from interviews he did at the disastrous Cannes premiere of Despair), as well as many others involved in the film and its release. Even if you're not a particular fan of Despair, or even in fact of Fassbinder, this is stellar documentary film making and is an intriguing look at one of the most enigmatic masters of the New German Cinema.

Cast

Andréa Ferréol

Self

Michael Ballhaus

Self

Tom Stoppard

Self

N/A

Juliane Lorenz

Self

N/A

Dieter Menz

Self

N/A

Alexander Allerson

Self

Harry Baer

Self

Isolde Barth

Self

N/A

John Coldstream

Self

N/A

Brock Van Den Bogaerde

Self