Peter Märthesheimer

A documentary about the life and work of director Rainer Werner Fassbinder.

Peter Märthesheimer was a producer at Cologne’s public TV station, Westdeutscher Rundfunk, when he met Rainer Werner Fassbinder in 1972. He later worked with Fassbinder on DESPAIR and BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ, and, with psychologist Pea Fröhlich, wrote the scripts for LOLA and the other films in THE BRD TRILOGY. This interview was conducted in 2003.

A fictionalized version of a military training fight.

Germany in the autumn of 1957: Lola, a seductive cabaret singer-prostitute exults in her power as a temptress of men, but she wants out—she wants money, property, and love. Pitting a corrupt building contractor against the new straight-arrow building commissioner, Lola launches an outrageous plan to elevate herself in a world where everything, and everyone, is for sale. Shot in childlike candy colors, Fassbinder’s homage to Josef von Sternberg’s classic The Blue Angel stands as a satiric tribute to capitalism.

Maria marries a young soldier in the last days of World War II, only for him to go missing in the war. She must rely on her beauty and ambition to navigate the difficult post-war years alone.

Successful architect Robert has a one-night stand with a mysterious lady in red. The next day they meet again, but Carolin is now a corporate lawyer working on a major contract for Robert ...

The 12-year-old Fridolin Sternberg is looking for answers to the reasons for his parents' divorce.

A woman with a steady marriage and a little daughter, goes bezerk and enters a seducing game.

In Munich 1955, German film star Veronika Voss becomes a drug addict at the mercy of corrupt Dr. Marianne Katz, who keeps her supplied with morphine. After meeting sports writer Robert Krohn, Veronika begins to dream of a return to stardom. As the couple's relationship escalates in intensity, Veronika begins seriously planning her return to the screen -- only to realize how debilitated she has become through her drug habit.

Berlin, 1930, during the rise of Nazism. Hermann Hermann, a Russian emigrant and chocolate manufacturer, married to the capricious Lydia, loses his temper more and more every day when dealing with his workers and other businessmen; until he meets Felix, a vagrant, who seems to be physically identical to him; a disconcerting fact that leads Hermann Hermann to plot a particular way out of a fake world he actually hates.

The inconspicuous greengrocer's daughter Maria had to watch as the adored Italian Pietro broke her best friend's heart. Dressed up as a vamp, the vengeful Maria now sets a cunning trap for the attractive Papagallo. Maria is the daughter of a small German fruit and vegetable dealer, Pietro is the son of a large Italian fruit and vegetable dealer. Both live in Munich and both meet every morning at six o'clock in the Grossmarkthalle. Maria looks inconspicuous, while Pietro looks extremely attractive. Maria is hardly interested in men, whereas Pietro is interested in all girls. Maria doesn't care until Pietro first seduces Maria's best friend and then leaves her unhappy. Now Maria starts a campaign of revenge against the light-footed Casanova, in the name of her best friend and in the name of all the girls who have been seduced by Pietro. Maria lures Pietro, who is now madly in love with her, to his native Italy, where Pietro, blinded by love and jealousy, proposes to Maria.

The story of a miner's wife in the Ruhr area, and the story of 40 years of a worker's life in Germany. The biographical film acknowledges the proletarian tradition and is considered to be one of the most important documentary films of the late 60s that tried to combine the private sphere with the reality of society. The film's fascination lies, above all, in the personal charisma of the miner's widow from Duisburg. She knows how to tell the story in a vivacious and exciting way.

After the death of her abusive father, lonely librarian Martha finds herself caught up in a strange, sadomasochistic relationship with a monstrous husband whom she begins to suspect may be trying to murder her.

In Thomas Ostermeier's stage version of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's film, Maria marries German soldier Hermann Braun during World War II. The couple spend over a decade apart due to forces largely beyond Maria's control. To survive in postwar Germany, she becomes a sex worker, a wealthy industrialist's mistress, and eventually a ruthless capitalist during the German economic miracle, while still asserting her loyalty to Hermann.

The shaggy poodle-bobtail mix Willy Wuff rescues two small puppies and ends up with them involuntarily in a mountain hut. Thomas also wants to spend Christmas there with his wife Hilde, his future wife Geli and his seven-year-old son Michael. The constant quarrels between the adults make things difficult for Michael until he discovers Willy and the puppies. The boy lovingly begins to look after the dogs.

Every day they clean the dirty windows of their cars from the filthy film that has formed overnight. Measuring stations call a low smog warning. But one day a soccer player collapses on the pitch with breathlessness.

After having her second child, a German housewife suffers from postpartum depression before inexplicably falling into a continually misdiagnosed mental state, befuddling her relatives.

Peter grew up during the economic miracle, bereft of parental care and love. Learning early on that interpersonal relationships are based on the principles of exchange or purchase, he abides by these rules and gives generous presents to his family and his wife, Erika. But when he is unable to keep up this lifestyle, his story takes a horrendous turn...

A candidate in a game show is hunted by three men. He will get a Million DMark, if he survives for a week; the hunters will get the money, if they can kill the candidate. The audience of the show is watching the transmissions of twenty camera teams filming the hunt. The showmaster appeals to the TV-viewers to help either the candidate or the hunters, whomever they want.

One evening, the once successful architect Helmut is tired of the recession giving no jobs, he gets the idea of robbing a bank. He recruits members of his golf club that are not paying their fees.

A tough cop but his life in ruins. His superiors are only looking for a reason to sack him. The girl is 17 years old and lives on the street. As the cop helps her one night, she steals his gun and flees. He should report the loss of his gun to his boss, so he has to search for the girl. At the Dutch border it falls into the power of the police! Henceforth they are on the run, without a plan and without a goal ..

The 50-year-old haulier Kluth is left by his wife and falls in love with 15-year-old Anita, the daughter of the owners of his favorite pub. Anita's parents tolerate the relationship because Kluth supports them financially. But when Anita is expecting Kluth's child, they terminate their friendship and threaten to press charges. Kluth commits suicide.

Christmas is just around the corner, but Lieschen has nothing to look forward to. Unless a miracle happens, she will once again spend the festive season with her sister Mechthild in the orphanage. Lieschen's heart's desire: Christmas Eve in the bosom of a real family. When she runs away, she meets the stray Willy Wuff and makes friends with him. On their forays through the winter forest, the two discover a count's estate and are given a warm welcome. But there is no sign of the Christmas spirit here, an impending wedding is causing great confusion and the festival of love seems to be having no effect. Can Willy and Lieschen save Christmas and bring everyone's hearts together? Will Lieschen's great wish come true?