Directed by:
Rainer Werner FassbinderComposer:
Peer RabenCast:
Hanna Schygulla, Giancarlo Giannini, Mel Ferrer, Karl-Heinz von Hassel, Erik Schumann, Hark Bohm, Gottfried John, Karin Baal, Christine Kaufmann, Udo Kier (more)Plots(1)
Inspired a song that was extremely popular with the German soldiers during WW II, this fictional story begins in 1938 while Wilkie Bunterberg (Hanna Schygulla), a third-tier cabaret singer, performs in a Zurich nightclub. It is her boyfriend, a Swiss Jew who also turns out to be a resistance fighter who pens her the famous song Lili Marleen. She sings it in Germany and it becomes a hit with the German troops. As a result, Hitler himself invites her to perform for him. This does not set well with the songwriter's powerful who, upon learning that Marleen has become a famed singer in Germany, seek to have her barred from Switzerland. This does not stop the songwriter from loving her though and desperate to see her one last time, he sneaks into Berlin for a tryst. Unfortuantely he is arrested and she gets blacklisted. They do not see each other again until after the war. By this time, their lives have changed considerably. (official distributor synopsis)
(more)Cast
Hanna Schygulla
German Empire
Best movies:
Werckmeister Harmonies (2000)
Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) (series)
Hunting Scenes from Bavaria (1969)
Giancarlo Giannini
Italy
Best movies:
Giovanni Falcone (1993)
Casino Royale (2006)
Viva Italia! (1977)
Mel Ferrer
USA
Best movies:
Producers' Showcase (1954) (series)
Wait Until Dark (1967)
The Longest Day (1962)
Karl-Heinz von Hassel
German Empire
Best movies:
Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) (series)
The Stationmaster's Wife (1977) (TV movie)
The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979)
Erik Schumann
German Empire
Best movies:
Chinese Roulette (1976)
Slavers (1978)
Veronika Voss (1982)
Hark Bohm
German Empire
Best movies:
Knockin' on Heaven's Door (1997)
Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) (series)
Underground (1995)
Gottfried John
German Empire
Best movies:
Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) (series)
The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979)
Institute Benjamenta, or This Dream People Call Human Life (1995)
Karin Baal
German Empire
Best movies:
Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) (series)
The Tunnel (2001)
Julia, Du bist zauberhaft (1962)
Christine Kaufmann
Austria
Best movies:
World on a Wire (1973) (TV movie)
Bagdad Café (1987)
Lola (1981)
Udo Kier
German Empire
Best movies:
The Kingdom (1994) (series)
Narcissus and Psyche (1980)
Breaking the Waves (1996)
Adrian Hoven
Austria
Best movies:
Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) (series)
Martha (1974) (TV movie)
Satan's Brew (1976)
Brigitte Mira
German Empire
Best movies:
Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) (series)
Fear Eats the Soul (1974)
Satan's Brew (1976)
Harry Baer
Germany
Best movies:
Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) (series)
Why Does Herr R. Run Amok? (1970)
Jail Bait (1973) (TV movie)
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Germany
Best movies:
Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) (series) - actor, narrator
Fear Eats the Soul (1974)
The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979)
Irm Hermann
German Empire
Best movies:
Der Zauberberg (1982)
Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) (series)
Fear Eats the Soul (1974)
Franz Buchrieser
Austria
Best movies:
Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) (series)
Lili Marleen (1981)
Murer - Anatomy of a Trial (2018)
Roger Fritz
German Empire
Best movies:
Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) (series)
Cross of Iron (1977)
Despair (1978)
Raúl Gimenez
Argentina
Best movies:
Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) (series)
Lola (1981)
Lili Marleen (1981)
Barbara Valentin
German Empire
Best movies:
Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) (series)
Fear Eats the Soul (1974)
Martha (1974) (TV movie)
Herbert Steinmetz
German Empire
Best movies:
Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) (series)
Effi Briest (1974)
Lola (1981)