Mother Küsters Goes to Heaven
Chazen Museum of Art 750 University Ave., Madison, Wisconsin 53706
press release: West Germany | 1975 | 35mm | 108 min. | German with English subtitles
Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Cast: Brigitte Mira, Margit Carstensen, Ingrid Caven
In another memorable lead, Fassbinder mainstay Mira is the title character, a hausfrau who loses her husband in a violent incident and eventually finds herself exploited by both left- and right-wing groups, as well as the media and her own family. One of the most underrated films of the New German Cinema, the politically-charged Mother Küsters is more relevant now than ever.
Our Sunday afternoon series at the Chazen Museum of Art this fall will provide an opportunity to view 15 features by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, a founder of New German Cinema and one of the most controversial filmmakers of his generation. Fassbinder’s prolific oeuvre includes examples of virtually every genre, and while he drew inspiration from the melodramas of Douglas Sirk and the French Nouvelle Vague, Fassbinder’s own movies have influenced a whole generation of filmmakers including Todd Haynes, Quentin Tarantino and Todd Solondz. All screened on 35mm prints, the selections in this series conclude with Fassbinder’s trilogy of post-War German life (The Marriage of Maria Braun, Lola and Veronika Voss). The series will provide ample evidence of Fassbinder’s genius, reminding us of the miracle of his short career as well as the tragedy of his early demise, in 1982, at the age of 37.
All Cinematheque screenings are free and open to the public.