The Marriage of Maria Braun

The Marriage of Maria Braun
Theatrical poster
Directed byRainer Werner Fassbinder
Written byPeter Märthesheimer
Pea Fröhlich
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Produced byMichael Fengler
StarringHanna Schygulla
Klaus Löwitsch
Ivan Desny
Gisela Uhlen
CinematographyMichael Ballhaus
Edited byFranz Walsch
Juliane Lorenz
Music byPeer Raben
Production
companies
Albatros Filmproduktion
Westdeutscher Rundfunk
Trio Film
Distributed byUnited Artists
Release dates
  • 20 February 1979 (1979-02-20) (Berlinale)
  • 23 March 1979 (1979-03-23) (West Germany)
Running time
120 minutes
CountryWest Germany
LanguagesGerman
English
Budget1.975 million DM[1]
Box office$5.6 million[2][3]
$1.1 million (US/Canada)[4]

The Marriage of Maria Braun (German: Die Ehe der Maria Braun) is a 1979 West German drama film directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. The film stars Hanna Schygulla as Maria, whose marriage to the soldier Hermann remains unfulfilled due to World War II and his post-war imprisonment. Maria adapts to the realities of post-war Germany and becomes the wealthy mistress of an industrialist, all that while staying true to her love for Hermann.

The Marriage of Maria Braun was one of the more successful works of Fassbinder and shaped the image of the New German Cinema in foreign countries. It has also been acclaimed by many critics as one of Fassbinder’s most profound accomplishments.[5] It is the first installment of Fassbinder's BRD Trilogy, followed by Lola (1981) and Veronika Voss (1982).

  1. ^ Baer, Harry (1990). Schlafen kann ich, wenn ich tot bin (in German). Kiepenheuer & Witsch. p. 281. ISBN 3-462-02055-2.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference var was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference nat was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Donahue, Suzanne Mary (1987). American film distribution : the changing marketplace. UMI Research Press. p. 298. ISBN 978-0-8357-1776-2. Please note figures are for rentals in US and Canada
  5. ^ "The guide to Rainer Werner Fassbinder's six best films". faroutmagazine.co.uk. 2022-05-31. Retrieved 2023-02-12.