The Marriage of Maria Braun (Die Ehe der Maria Braun) (1979)

93% of critics liked it
(14 reviews)
89% of users liked it
(4,822 ratings)

The film that elevated German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder from domestic approbation to international acclaim, The Marriage of Maria Braun stars the director's on-and-off favorite actress Hanna Schygulla in the title role. During the allied siege of Germany in the last year of the war, Maria's… More The film that elevated German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder from domestic approbation to international acclaim, The Marriage of Maria Braun stars the director's on-and-off favorite actress Hanna Schygulla in the title role. During the allied siege of Germany in the last year of the war, Maria's new husband (Klaus Löwitsch) is shipped off to the Russian front before the marriage is consummated. As she struggles to survive wartime deprivations, Maria haunts the local train station, seeking out information concerning her husband. When it appears that she's a widow, Maria takes a job as a barmaid and befriends a black soldier (George Byrd) from the occupying allied troops, who sees to it that Maria's family receives vital food and supplies. The opportunistic Maria eventually takes a job with a wealthy importer (Ivan Desny), building herself up to a position of power and indispensability. Though she sleeps with her employer, Maria still carries a torch for her husband. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 2 hr.
Directed By: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Written By: Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Peter Marthesheimer, Peter Märthesheimer, Pia Frohlich
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Dec 31, 1979 Wide
On DVD: Sep 30, 2003

Critic Reviews

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Fassbinder himself was cruel and distant to those around him, particularly those who loved him, and in Maria Braun, he created an indelible monster who is perversely fascinating.
Vincent Canby, New York Times
The Marriage of Maria Braun is both an epic comedy and a romantic ballad, two not especially friendly forms that become seamlessly one in the sweet, tough, brilliantly complex performance of Hanna Schygulla.
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Though Fassbinder takes a more open attitude toward his characters, letting them exist as fully developed psychological specimens, his deadly irony continues to operate on the level of mise-en-scene.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
The stark atmosphere, icy performances, and poignant revelations make it one of the most important films to emerge from Germany in the 1970s, and one of Fassbinder's best.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
The film's epic structure and period detail has always pleased critics, but Fassbinder avoids the usual trappings of the genre and manages a raw intimacy throughout.
Donald J. Levit, ReelTalk Movie Reviews
Enormous if sobering fun -- and one of the notable accomplishments of modern German cinema.
Carlo Cavagna, AboutFilm.com
This is what happens when theme is emphasized over story--a series of inorganic plot developments constructed to suit Fassbinder's indictment of postwar Germany.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
The Marriage of Maria Braun can be seen as the story of a shrewd and ambitious woman or as a parable on the decadence of postwar Germany.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
No matter how Maria Braun is interpreted, Fassbinder's film is always poignant and striking and alarmingly frightening.
Christopher Null, Filmcritic.com
A masterwork

Read all 10 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Michael S

An incredible character study.
Stella D

with a bravura performance from hanna schygulla and shot by michael ballhaus, who became scorsese's cinematographer, this is an absolutely stunning film for 1979, and the one that made fassbinder an international star, a mere 3 years before his death. on the surface it's… More
with a bravura performance from hanna schygulla and shot by michael ballhaus, who became scorsese's cinematographer, this is an absolutely stunning film for 1979, and the one that made fassbinder an international star, a mere 3 years before his death. on the surface it's the story of an independent woman who does what she has to to get ahead in the chaos of post war germany. on another level it's political allegory about germany itself and it's place in history. funny and highly entertaining, fassbinder's aim was to make a german hollywood film and he references some of his favorites, especially curtiz' 'mildred pierce'. really fascinating work.
Stefanie C

Another brilliant post WWII response, this film reviews West Germany's Wirtschaftswunder. A compellingly wrought marriage of contradictions: survival and adaptation; idealism and cynicism; compassion and coldness. The final, ironic commentary "Germany has won" raises… More
Another brilliant post WWII response, this film reviews West Germany's Wirtschaftswunder. A compellingly wrought marriage of contradictions: survival and adaptation; idealism and cynicism; compassion and coldness. The final, ironic commentary "Germany has won" raises chilling implications.
Dimitris S

A doomed marriage,hence a classic leading lady.Oh you Fassbinder,executive persona.