This is one of Fassbinder's most charming and, as someone else wrote here, positive series/films. While there are some dark moments, they are relatively few compared to his other work, and there are some downright lovely moments in the series. The main romance between Gottfried John and Hanna Schygulla is sweet and charming, and the tribulations of the workers are realistically done without being boring. There are lovely moments throughout, and you don't feel like you're being manipulated like you might in a Hollywood series. Fun fact about this series is that it's only five episodes. It was originally supposed to be eight, but the German government cut the funding due to resentments about the "controversial" Fassbinder. Ironically, the series ended up being 8 hours anyway. This was also Fassbinder's first series. He had made around 6 films or so at that point, and he wanted to get into TV because that's where most of the audience was in the 1970's. They were watching TV in West Germany instead of going to the pictures. Fassbinder knew the audiences for his films were enthusiastic but very small. He wanted a wider audience. TV was not looked down upon in 1970's Europe like it was in the US at the time, so many directors went there to make series.
This is a wonderful, charming series, and one of Fassbinder's most underrated and underappreciated shows.
This is a wonderful, charming series, and one of Fassbinder's most underrated and underappreciated shows.