The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant

One of German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder's lesser efforts, this all-female mood piece explores the relationship between Petra (Margit Carstensen as an intermittently successful fashion designer), Marlene (Irm Hermann as the personal secretary who loves Petra, but is treated like dirt), and Karin (Hanna Schygulla as a young climber whom Petra decides to turn into a model). In greatly affected (though often effective) scenes, the camera explores the shifting balance of power, as Karin becomes Petra's student, her lover, and--eventually--her chief tormentor. While Fassbinder's homosexuality lends a realistic feel to this exploration of lesbian themes, reminding us that same sex relationships are complicated by the same drives and emotions that characterize heterosexual ones, the film is so perversely stagy in its presentation (the entire setting is Petra's apartment), and overly melodramatic in its gin-soaked Gloria Swanson-like tirades that it fails to present a compelling story. Presented on DVD in a beautifully restored transfer, with the option of Dolby Digital 5.1 or mono sound, the disc also includes an excellent commentary track by author Jane Shattuc, a 30-minute 1977 documentary on Fassbinder (made when he was filming Despair), and a pair of early Fassbinder short films. Libraries with larger foreign collections will definitely want to consider, but for others it's optional. Also newly available on DVD at the same price, Fassbinder's Katzelmacher and The American Soldier. (R. Pitman)[Blu-ray/DVD Review—Jan. 27, 2015—Criterion, 125 min., in German w/English subtitles, not rated, DVD: 2 discs, $29.95; Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1972's The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant features a great transfer and an uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include Thomas Honickel's 1992 German TV doc “Role Play: Women on Fassbinder” (59 min.), “Outsiders” interviews with costars Margit Carstensen, Eva Mattes, Katrin Schaake, and Hanna Schygulla (31 min.), interviews with film scholar Jane Shattuc (24 min.) and cinematographer Michael Ballhaus (8 min.), and an essay by critic Peter Matthews. Bottom line: this Fassbinder classic—well-regarded by some critics and dismissed by others—looks sharp on Blu-ray.]