Seven Women, Seven Sins represents a quintessential moment in film history. The women filmmakers invited to direct for the seven sins were amongst the world’s most renown: Helke Sander (Gluttony), Bette Gordon (Greed), Maxi Cohen (Anger), Chantal Akerman (Sloth), Valie Export (Lust), Laurence Gavron (Envy), and Ulrike Ottinger (Pride). Each filmmaker had the liberty of choosing a sin to interpret as they wished. The final film reflected this diversity, including traditional narrative fiction, experimental video, a musical, a radical documentary, and was delivered in multiple formats from 16, super 16, video and 35mm.
Tag: WEST GERMANY
Klaus Lemke′s first feature-length film depicts the odyssey of society drop-out Frank Murnau from Schliersee to Rome and Acapulco. Actually, he could have led an easy life. Monika, the daughter of a rich factory owner is in love with him, hesitating at first, Frank finally opts for jet set beauty Laura: by choosing her, he also chooses independence, which he otherwise fears to lose. He is looking for adventure, attempts to get rich by revealing industry secrets and tries to secure a place among the rich by emulating the style he learned from American gangster movies. But soon he′s in over his head, since he can not escape his own past.
In the summer of 1967, journalist Katharina is visited in Munich by her French friend, Anne. They take day trips and visit cafés, acquaintances and parties. In a series of conversations, they talk about the chances for female emancipation in a male-dominated society… This essay film puts five different types of women at the centre of the episodic narrative – an unmarried professional woman, a divorcee confused about her future, a career woman, a deceived wife and a “dream woman”
New York in the 1930’s. A group of wealthy women meet in beauty and fashion salons, at parties and other social occasions. Their lives circle around their wealthy husbands or lovers. Film version of a play Fassbinder directed in Hamburg, Clare Booth Luce’s “The Women”.
In Switzerland, German singer Willie falls in love with Jewish composer, Robert, who offers resistance to the Nazis by helping refugees. But his family thinks Willie is a Nazi and may be a risk for them. One day Willie helps Robert but, has to stay in Germany. As Willie starts to sing the song ‘Lili Marleen’ she becomes very famous and every soldier hears that song via radio – even Hitler wants to meet her, but she still does not forget Robert, and helps to smuggle photos of concentration camps to the free Switzerland. Robert wants to visit her, but is captured. Will never see Willie again until war is over.
Aging German man Heinz Alfred Geise is a successful business owner whose past is quite haunting; during World War II he helped orchestrate a Nazi-led bloodbath in a small Greek village. When this secret is exposed in a newspaper article, it causes his son, Andreas, to try to kill both his father and himself.
After a line of mischief Philip Gale, an American sailor, is lured into hiring on the “Yorikke”, a tramp cargo, by Lawski, a stoker from Poland. Still, the two become friends within the motley crew of losers from all nations. Gale and his new companion soon are more than disillusioned: the “Yorikke” is far from seaworthy and more of a coffin than a ship, work is close to slavery, and treatment by the officers and their subalterns is harsh and cynical. One day they make an alarming discovery in a tin of plum butter they have procured from the ship’s cargo…
A young shoemaker is arrested for stealing a small amount of money, and is released after being jailed for 15 years. He wants to have a pass to get a job and start anew, but without a job he doesn’t get a pass; and without a pass, he doesn’t get a job. He gets into the net of Prussian bureaucracy, and can’t see a solution. Until he enters a small Second-Hand Shop, and sees a Prussian Uniform that fits him like a second skin…