After the death of her abusive father, the lonely librarian Martha marries an equally vile businessman - Helmut. The cruel and torturous nature of their relationship leads Martha to believe ... Read allAfter the death of her abusive father, the lonely librarian Martha marries an equally vile businessman - Helmut. The cruel and torturous nature of their relationship leads Martha to believe Helmut might be trying to kill her.After the death of her abusive father, the lonely librarian Martha marries an equally vile businessman - Helmut. The cruel and torturous nature of their relationship leads Martha to believe Helmut might be trying to kill her.
- Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination
- Taxi Driver
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- Rainer Werner Fassbinder(uncredited)
- Cornell Woolrich
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaBecause of legal reasons, the film wasn't shown for over 20 Years. Cornell Woolrich right holders claimed that the film has a lot similarities to one of his novels. Fassbinder replied, that he first read the story after filming was complete. Nevertheless Woolrich got a writing-credit. The first German screening of a restored edition was in November 1997.
- Quotes
Helmut Salomon: [after forcing his wife to read an obscure book on dam technology and listen to his favorite music] See, Martha? Those things can be fun.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Fassbinder in Hollywood (2002)
At the same time, Fassbinder's film-making powers are never less than formidable, particularly in some of the earlier sequences here. Fassbinder sets the early, happy scenes in vast, richly decorated interiors. There are a lot of interesting juxtapositions created through the use of mirror images and unusual angles. Exterior scenes are also visually sumptuous, a bit like the work of French New Wave director Eric Rohmer, Academy ratio and all. Later, as the film turns more miserable the interiors seem to shrink and their uniform lack of design reflect Martha's new hopelessness. The exteriors seem to grow into vast wildernesses at the cost of their former beauty. Needless to say, Fassbinder is adept at using a character's surrounding (and the mise en scene) to suggest that character's mood.
This is the third Fassbinder film I've seen and I must say that while I haven't been blown away by any of his films, his direction remains a strong point in each one. No doubt I'll eventually see one where the other aspects of the film are just as satisfying as the direction. Martha is not that film but it does increase my appreciation for Fassbinder's artistry.
- timmy_501
- Dec 30, 2009
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Марта
- Filming locations
- Constance, Baden-Württemberg, Germany(Martha and M. Kaiser by the lake)
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- DEM 500,000 (estimated)