Händler der vier Jahreszeiten (The Merchant of Four Seasons) (1971)

92% of critics liked it
(12 reviews)
73% of users liked it
(982 ratings)

Der Händler der vier Jahreszeiten (The Merchant of Four Seasons) is about the deterioration of a man's soul. Fruit vendor Hans (Hans Hirschmüller) cannot please his family. His mother harps on his failures. His wife is openly discontent. He must peddle produce to his beloved ex-girlfriend, and he is… More Der Händler der vier Jahreszeiten (The Merchant of Four Seasons) is about the deterioration of a man's soul. Fruit vendor Hans (Hans Hirschmüller) cannot please his family. His mother harps on his failures. His wife is openly discontent. He must peddle produce to his beloved ex-girlfriend, and he is mocked by his customers for being shorter and fatter than his wife. He is withdrawn, crushed, and humiliated. He turns to drinking and violence, but his rage causes his wife and daughter to leave him. While desperately begging for their return, Hans suffers a debilitating heart attack. His family comes back, but Hans is unable to work and must hire help for his fruit stand. Hans' first employee is his wife's ex-lover, whom he fires for embezzling. He then hires a friend and hero from his legionnaire days, Harry (Klaus Löwitsch), out of pity. Harry is hardworking, diligent, and clever. He turns Hans' business around and enlivens his home life. Harry's success also begins to displace Hans -- with his fruit stand, with his wife, and even with his child. Hans becomes useless, a nothing -- exactly what his mother, his wife, and those around him set him up to be. ~ Aubry Anne D'Arminio, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 23 min.
Directed By: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Written By: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

On DVD: Jul 9, 2002

Critic Reviews

Nora Sayre, New York Times
This soggy picture allows the disintegration of a human being to be almost as dull as the way he earns his living -- and that is appalling.
Don Druker, Chicago Reader
Rainer Werner Fassbinder has a genius for detailing the pain of suppressed emotional states, and even at its most achingly deliberate, his style in dealing with the petit bourgeois mentality is a source of endless fascination.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
What makes [Fassbinder's] vision so riveting, however, is its brutal honesty, brilliant theatricality, and masterly cinematic execution.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
The soul-sucking nature of capitalism drives this brilliant film, but the rich characters and the almost constant tension keep it emotionally resonant.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
Fully realized emotionally draining but restrained melodrama.
Ed Gonzalez, Slant Magazine
A pivotal work in Rainer Werner Fassbinder's career because it was the first film he made after meeting and befriending his muse Douglas Sirk in 1971.
Jeremy Heilman, MovieMartyr.com
[Fassbinder] places the audience where they can be at once sympathetic to the characters' plights yet are able to be analytical when considering their actions.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
Bleak to the point of near-horror

Read all 8 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Anthony L

Fassbinder's strength lies in his melodramas of suppression and release, The Merchant of Four Seasons is a brilliant example of this. Starring the incredible Irm Hermann, The Merchant of Four Seasons marks the next chapter of Fassbinder's career, just before the awesome The… More
Fassbinder's strength lies in his melodramas of suppression and release, The Merchant of Four Seasons is a brilliant example of this. Starring the incredible Irm Hermann, The Merchant of Four Seasons marks the next chapter of Fassbinder's career, just before the awesome The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant. Fassbinder is masterful at switching empathy and support between each character, by the end you will be torn as to whether you pity the main characters or reserve sympathy because quite frankly they brought it on themselves and in doing so, actually invokes a bit of self assessment. The sign of a master filmmaker.
Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]In "The Merchant of Four Seasons", Hans Epp(Hans Hirschmuller), an ex-soldier and former policeman, is now a fruit vendor along with his wife, Irmgard(Irm Hermann). After one particular argument between the couple, Hans goes off to get drunk. The… More
[font=Century Gothic]In "The Merchant of Four Seasons", Hans Epp(Hans Hirschmuller), an ex-soldier and former policeman, is now a fruit vendor along with his wife, Irmgard(Irm Hermann). After one particular argument between the couple, Hans goes off to get drunk. The couple argues again after he is late coming home which is followed by Hans beating Irmgard. When he wakes up in the morning, he finds Irmgard and their daughter Renate(Andrea Schober) gone. They fled to his mother's apartment where he soon locates them. When Irmgard calls her lawyer to rightfully ask for a divorce, Hans collapses with a heart attack.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"The Merchant of Four Seasons" is an effective look at how society looks down on laborers and the work they do. It also brings up important questions about what constitutes a success. But it is impossible to have sympathy for any man who beats his wife, a truly unforgivable act.[/font]