I think the more bitter you are, the more you understand a Fassbinder film. Some of them I just don't get at all, but in ten years time I should be there.

Something I always find so funny about Fassbinder's films is that he directed his actors -- with the exception of Hanna Schygulla, who had a very different, sensual aura -- to perform as if they would rather be anywhere else in the world but there; it's almost as if he's standing behind the camera with a loaded gun, forcing them to do it.. which may actually have been the case, now that I think about it. His films are more 'depressed' than 'depressing'. It's a style that not everyone can appreciate.

'Gods of the Plague' is an early Fassbinder film, a weird film noir crime tribute/pastiche with no jokes and some really interesting cinematography.

With having found out a while ago that a friend had recently become a fan of writer/director Rainer Werner Fassbinder's (who I heard about for the first time 2 years ago,on the excellent audio commentary for Dario Argento's The Bird With The Crystal Plumage)work,I decided to take a look on Ebay in the hope of tracking down,any possibly overlooked Fassbinder titles.Getting near the end of the first page,I was shocked to spot a Fassbinder film that was about to go for pennies!,which along with being a very intriguing title that my friend would enjoy,would also give me the chance to take a look at Fassbinder for the first time.

The plot:

Relesed from jail after serving a long sentence,small time crook Franz Walsch is relived to find that despite his time away from the outside world,the city's underworld is still run by the gangster's and dames that he has spent his while life surrounded by.Welcomed back into the underground world by the arms of his singer/mistress Joanna,Walsch finds his attention on Joanna being obstructed by the sight of his brother's (who was murdered by a fellow small time crook called "The Gorilla") former girlfriend Magdalena Fuller.

Searching for "The Gorilla",Franz finds his desire to avenge his brother's death to slowly subside,as he finds his interaction with "The Gorilla" quickly changing to each of them agreeing with the other's philosophy on life.Accepting that his brother's death was "just business",Walsch begins planning with "The Gorilla" about committing a heist at a local supermarket.Unbeknowst to Franz and "The Gorilla",as each of them begin to plan their upcoming heist,Walsch's cold-shouldered mistress Joanna begins to have meetings with a cop,who is very interested in Franz and "The Gorilla's" current activates.

View on the film:

Looking around online for any info related to this great Film Noir, (which forms the middle section of a loose trilogy of movies nicknamed "The Franz Trilogy")I was astonished to find out that this film was only editor/actor/writer/director Rainer Werner Fassbinder's third feature title,due to Fassbinder showing an assertiveness and stylish eye that is well beyond being mere baby steps in film making.

Opening with a steady tracking shot which creates a strong impression about the amount of time that Franz has spent behind bars,cinematography Dietrich Lohmann and Fassbinder ,(who along with playing Franz in his first 2 features,would also use the character's name as an editor's pseudonym) reveal that the underbelly of the world which Franz had to leave behind,has been left at a complete standstill,with Fassbinder giving the movie a very stylised low-lit appearance,which along with creating a strong Film Noir atmosphere,also shows how each of the character's are attempting to keep their true motive's from being pulled out of the shadows and into the glaring light.

Whilst he shows a real focus in his eye catching directing,Fassbinder seems uncertain with the screenplay over how fast and how far he should allow Franz (who instead of being played by Fassbinder,is here played by a rough edge Harry Baer) to re-enter the dark shadows of the Film Noir world Franz had left behind with his lover Margarethe, (played by a striking Margarethe Von Trotta)with Fassbinder allowing Franz to stay in the light (with the exception of the wonderfully bleak ending) just a little bit too long,which leads to this plague of a Film Noir not being as deadly as it easily could have been.

the movie seems to be random events and unconnected characters, but when i watched it the second time everything fell in place. the main character has just got out of jail (this is not explicit, but he walks by a long wall which seems to be circular and confining...see now that's art/clever)...so he gets out of jail and starts contacting people in his life, including girlfriend, brother, brothers abused wife, friends named gorilla and joe, etc...the lead actor did a wonderfull job of expressing the film's many ideologies, initially he seems expressionless but later you understand why he is the way he is...some themes are the trauma of jail (minimal actually),the petty crook mentality, girls and lovers and the futility of getting a job when one's only goal is to live, eat and love. The photography is high contrast black and white. Either they were copying old time russian directors or because they are from theatre they liked the lightning scheme, but i think they just wanted to jar the viewer's perspective and it works, never seen a movie with this type of photography. Highly recommended for the serious movie viewer. geocities.com/free_love98