Fassbinder: Life and Work of a Provocative Genius

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Rainer Werner Fassbinder is perhaps the most arresting and controversial film director of all time. In a career that lasted only 16 years, ending abruptly when he died of a drug overdose at age 36, Fassbinder wrote and directed 34 films and two lengthy television miniseries. He was also a prolific playwright and actor in other people's films. Comprehensive assessments are hard to come by, but this book, written by one of Fassbinder's friends, does an admirable job of covering the prolific director's career and analyzing all of his films, including the masterworks Effie Briest, The Marriage of Maria Braun, Lola, Veronika Voss, and Berlin-Alexanderplatz. The book ends with an intriguing reassessment of Fassbinder's final movie, Querelle.

Book Description

Rainer Werner Fassbinder was the most innovative practitioner of New German Cinema. He worked at breakneck speed and in fourteen years made forty-four films, including Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1973) and The Marriage of Maria Braun (1978). Fassbinder ruthlessly attacked both German bourgeois society and the larger limitations of humanity, and his films detail the desperate yearning for love and freedom and the many ways in which society defeats that desire.

In Fassbinder, Christian Thomsen, a close friend of the director, illuminates Fassbinder's body of work while revealing his insider views of a man who, despite a furious temper, manic working habits, and rampant drug addiction, supported an extended family— including his mother, a string of male lovers, lovelorn women, and even a pair of frustrated wives—with his intoxicating and prolific imagination. This book, like Fassbinder's often-used image of the mirror, brilliantly reflects the sexual, political, and overwhelmingly human contradictions inherent in the life of this intensely creative man and the remarkable films he directed.

Customer Reviews:

eh........2007-07-02

I'm about 100 pages into it but Ill review it anyway. It is what it is. a very brief biography and a collection of brief synopses on all 44 films and the plays and videos and TV stuff. It can't decide if its film criticism or biography and unfortunately fails at both. Bummer, I had high hopes.

Into the Chaos.......2005-08-02

"Life and Work" is one of the most indepth and personal accounts of the personality behind some of the most intriguing, mysterious, and at times, revolting films of twentieth century cinema.
Christian Braad Thomsen writes with the authenticity of someone who experieneced Fassbinder first hand. If you are even remotely interested in the works of R.W. Fassbinder, start from his sixties era films and work up to his last in 1982. This book will be the perfect companion.

Thomsen's book is insightful..............2004-11-02

If you are curious about Fassbinder's film - this book offers a fine outline - with comments about Fassbinder's life interspersed - by someone who knew him and talked to him on several occasions. You can sense that Fassbinder had a great impact on Christian Braad Thomsen - his biography is done in a loving fashion.

Filmdom's Resident Ogre

.......1998-10-31

Fassbinder lived life, as the French say, ventre a terre -- with his belly to the ground. And what a belly it was. By the end, that enormous gut was the repository of more lusts and appetites than can be found in all the circles of Dante's hell. Fassbinder was, if not the 20th century's greatest filmmaker, certainly the 20th century's greatest film FIGURE. Unlike most directors, you can't whittle down his body of work to one or two masterpieces -- all his films must be seen, and a working knowledge of his corrupt and abrupt life is necessary.

Christian Thomsen's biography is no masterpiece, but it is the most complete Portrait of the Artist as a Young Monster yet written, and for that reason alone commands attention. Of course Thomsen can't explain how one man was able, in the course of 15 years, to write and direct 41 films, one of them 15 hours long. But who can? Such a driven personality can only be cautiously approached, never apprehended. Thomsen can't be blamed for what, after all, amounts to little more than a very understandable mystification.

Much less forgivable is his slipshod commentary on the films themselves. Fox and His Friends, in particular, is given annoyingly short shrift. This movie, Fassbinder's most far-seeing and revolutionary, is sort of a gay Double Indemnity, with what I believe to be the cinema's first instance of an homme fatale -- it is a truly fascinating update of 40's film noirs, brilliant in its hyperrealistic and poker-faced depiction of Germany's gay underground. But Thomsen passes right over all this, preferring instead to attack the editing, which isn't "tight" enough for his tastes. This is very lazy criticism and not even close to being accurate. I fear Thomsen is influenced by some of Fassbinder's own disdainful comments on the film, even though the director was clearly indulging in a little Hitchcockian false modesty. The point is, Thomsen knew Fassbinder personally, and may still be a little too gobsmacked by his subject to write the unbiased and considered biography he deserves.

Again -- quibbles. Here, for the first time, we learn just how fast Fassbinder could write a feature-length script ( four days ), what he needed to do it ( cocaine ), and which of his projects he held nearest and dearest to his grossly enlarged heart ( Effi Briest, Berlin Alexanderplatz ). Nor does Thomsen quail before the awesome task of explicating each and every one of Fassbinder's many films -- they're all here, every last one of them, even those not available in the U.S. The definitive biography is still to come, but in the interim, this is more than enough to tide over any but the most insatiable Fassbinder freaks.

Customer Reviews:

The BEST (most comprehensive) single-volume ENCYCLOPEDIA of (specifically) operas & their composers!.......2007-06-16

This venerable, single-volume hardcover is much better, in my opinion, than its only true successor (ignoring all intervening "abridgements" whose titles include the word "Penguin" but not the word "New"), which was somewhat modified and renamed as "The New Penguin Opera Guide" (2001).

The 2001 edition adds a modicum of relatively recent operas (and their composers), but, alas, it loses somewhat more than a modicum of older (and relatively obscure) operas and composers.

Worse still, there are nowhere near as many illustrations in the 2001 "New Penguin" as in this original, 1993 "Viking" edition. (Note: essentially NONE of the illustrations were carried over from the "Viking" to the "New Penguin." Thus, the illustrations are totally different in either edition.

And the text (font) is darker and easier-to-read in this "Viking" edition than the "New Penguin." [Note: The SIZE of the font is rather small in both editions.]

Add to that the fact that this "Viking" (unlike its "New Penguin" successor) is a HARDCOVER edition (including a dust jacket), and you begin to see why I really like this "1993" better than the "2001" version, which is just as large and fat and, ironically, feels somewhat uncomfortably heavier for browsing.

[For more details, see my Amazon review (06-15-2007) of "The New Penguin Opera Guide."]

The only "opera encyclopedia" that is still more comprehensive than this "Viking" is the huge, four-volume "New Grove Dictionary of Opera," which I also own and recommend (provided you have the requisite money and space for it!). Unlike this single-volume "Viking," the four-volume "Grove" covers not only "operas and their composers" but also operatic terminology, performers, venues, and much else.

On the other hand, this single-volume "Viking" is considerably more wieldy than any of the (still larger) volumes of the "Grove" set (each of which weighs around 6.5 pounds), and so you might just prefer reaching for this "fat yet easily manageable" book as opposed to any of those hefty (albeit eminently gratifying) "Grove" tomes. Me, I'm pleased to own BOTH!

Indispensible Reference Work.......2000-04-30

This is my favorite opera guide and general reference. It contains brief biographies of the composers, detailed but not overly long synopsis of the plot, given act by act, a brief overview of the performance history, a critical appraisal of the opera itself, and a very thoughtful discography demonstrating excellent musical taste. The work is presented alphabetically by composer, and chronologically by work for each composer. The writing style is clear, advanced but not pedantic, and should be accessible to beginners as well as to opera buffs. As if this weren't enough, there are historic photographs of key performances throughout the years.

The vision of opera is open-minded and broad. Porgy and Bess is here. So is Gilbert and Sullivan. When an opera exists in different manuscript versions, such as Verdi's Don Carlo or Simon Boccanegra, all variations are discussed.

Since opera is somewhat expensive to collect, listeners will want to have some guidance as to which recordings to purchase. Here the Viking Guide is particularly good. Many of the suggested recordings are selected by Alan Blyth, author of Opera on Record and Opera on CD (both very highly recommended, by the way), as well as long time reviewer for Gramophone magazine. I don't always rank recordings exactly as Blyth does, but I find his taste to be the most reliable of any of the critics whom I follow.

This volume was originally published in 1993, but is now very hard to find. The publishers have printed an abridged version under the Penguin Guide series. I understand they are also coming out with a CD-ROM version of the full Viking Guide. I can safely recommend both these alternative versions as well as my trusty hardcover version.

There are other valuable opera guides. The series published by Norton of the Metropolitan Opera Guide to Recorded Opera and to Opera Plots is excellent. But for a single volume reference work, nothing surpasses the Viking Guide. Amanda Holden and her team have done a splendid job.

Customer Reviews:

inferior to the updated version.......2002-10-04

Amazon sent me this by mistake. What I really wanted was the NEW Penguin Opera Guide, which is vastly superior with twice as many pages and higher quality paper with lots of B&W photographs. It also weighs a ton compared to this lightweight. Make sure you get the new edition, unless you want something lightweight to take with you to the opera. What is here, however, is fine, just not nearly as complete as the new edition.

The best opera reference book currently available........1998-05-13

Let's put it simple. If it is not in Viking, you have to do quite specialized research to find it.

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Amanda, editor Holden
Manufacturer: Viking
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000N2XF5W

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The Viking Opera Guide on CD-Rom
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Manufacturer: Penguin Electronic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Viking Opera Guide
Penguin
Manufacturer: Penguin USA Electronic
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

These puzzles, created by the country's top constructors, are smart, challenging, and fun. The back cover is constructed of extra-heavyweight board, providing firm support for ease in puzzling on the sofa or in bed. And the books make perfect, thoughtful gifts for senior citizens or anyone else who might appreciate the large, easy-to-read print.

The Ultimate Large Print Crosswords Omnibus (Ultimate Large Print Crossword Omnibus)

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Large Print Crossword Book

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Book Description

Running Press offers outstanding puzzle quality. In fact, our large-print format crosswords are America's #1 sellers! The front and back covers, constructed of extra-heavyweight board, provide constructed of extra-heavyweight board, provide firm support for ease in puzzling on the sofa or in bed. This makes a thoughtful gift for senior citizens or anyone else who might appreciate the large print.

Customer Reviews:

Large Print Crossword Book.......2006-08-26

Book was easy to read. Puzzles were difficult but are able to be solved. Good book.

Ultimate Large Print Crosswords Omnibus #4 (Omnibus)

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Ultimate Large Print Crosswords Omnibus #5 (Ultimate Large Print Crosswords Omnibus Series)

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Ultimate Large Print Crosswords Omnibus #5 (Ultimate Large Print Crosswords Omnibus Series)

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Release Date: 2004-10-12

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This is the fifth book in our very successful ULTIMATE LARGE PRINT CROSSWORDS OMNIBUS series. Never before has it been so easy to read more than 100 puzzles--based on a variety of topics, different levels of challenge, and both common and advanced word choices--assembled by many of the world's most distinguished cruciverbalists. The large print and dark type make these puzzles comfortably legible, while the large grid squares allow puzzlers plenty of room to write in each letter. The spiral binding and heavy-duty back cover also make for extra-convenient puzzling. It's a thoughtful gift for senior citizens or anyone who appreciates a challenging puzzle book that's easy on the eyes.

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The Ultimate Large Print Crosswords Omnibus #2 (#2)

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More than 100 puzzles to test your knowledge, Challenge your memory and ultimatly boggle your mind!

Book Description

Through savvy investing and the basic principles of entrepreneurship, experienced and novice investors alike can find financial freedom in real estate investments. Global real estate expert Russ Whitney provides an easy to read, comprehensive look at both traditional and creative methods of real estate investment.

In Millionaire Real Estate Mentor: The Secrets to Financial Freedom through Real Estate, Whitney discusses when to purchase property, describes details to research, and introduces the pros and cons of various types of real estate, investing, and financing. He encourages his readers not to be intimidated by real estate investments but to educate themselves, set goals and stick to them. The publication is the ultimate reference guide for all real estate investors, experienced and novice, to financial freedom.

Customer Reviews:

Handbook for beginners in real estate investing--excellent.......2007-05-09

Real estate investing has different levels of players. Some are content to buy at list prices and hope for appreciation of the value of their holdings, some buy at list price and then rent a property to hope to offset some or most of the mortgage value while waiting for appreciation. Mr. Whitney goes a step further to show how to buy below list price and then to make the maximum amount possible by renting, leasing, or selling. This is a very useful handbook for the beginning investor. He provides many links to other resources, as well as very clear explanation of how and where to find the right kinds of properties to invest in.

Covers no real estate finance and overall not very useful.......2007-04-17

This book is not that useful in that it does not cover any investor return topics surrounding real estate. By that I mean the book does not cover any techniques for measuring your return on a piece of property. It does give some general idea of different areas of real estate, however he does make mention many times that you should attend his seminars.

Millionaire Real Estate Mentor: Investing in Real Estate: A Comprehensive and Detailed Guide to Financial Freedom for Everyone.......2006-09-24

The book was just "ok" Author try to sell his products throughout the book

Packed With Need to Know Concepts! .......2006-02-15

Millionaire Real Estate Mentor, Russ Whitney

If you want to make millions in real estate, I can tell you one thing that you can take to the bank; that is read as many quality real estate books as possible. Preferably about real life guys that have made it happen. FYI - See my other reviews.

Russ makes a compelling case for real estate and an even more compelling case for being wealthy. This book uses more real life examples, mostly people that have taken his course and done well in real estate, (including a minister). There are lots of key concepts covered, such as: leverage used for appreciating assets, being your own boss, creating a team, focusing on money-generating tasks, the law of averages and of course the importance of cash flow.

Another great concept is, "you will be worth tomorrow what you owe today". The point here is, assuming you buy appreciating assets with the borrowed money, using leverage can create massive net worth down the road as it is paid off and appreciates.

Russ shares a lot of knowledge that he has accumulated over the years, some if it-not so easily. For example, he talks about finding funding, and if the deal is right its always possible to find funding, you just need to know where to look.

Overall, you'll walk away with a few good ideas that could make you millions as with all of the books mentioned in my reviews and on my blog bloglines.com/blog/KevinKingston

By Kevin Kingston, Author of, A 20,000% Gain in Real Estate

Millionaire Real Estate Mentor : Investing in Real Estate: A Comprehensive and Detailed Guide to Financial Freedom for Everyone.......2005-10-03

This book is even better than his last!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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