Drama

The Marriage of Maria Braun

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.

Release Date : 1979-03-23

Language :FrenchGermanEnglish

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : Albatros FilmproduktionFengler FilmsFilmverlag der AutorenTango FilmTrio FilmsWDR

Production Country : Germany

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Maria Braun

Original Name : Hanna Schygulla

Gender : Female

Character Name : Hermann Braun

Original Name : Klaus Löwitsch

Gender : Male

Character Name : Karl Oswald

Original Name : Ivan Desny

Gender : Male

Character Name : Bill

Original Name : George Eagles

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mother

Original Name : Gisela Uhlen

Gender : Female

Character Name : Betti Klenze

Original Name : Elisabeth Trissenaar

Gender : Female

Character Name : Willi Klenze

Original Name : Gottfried John

Gender : Male

Character Name : Senkenberg

Original Name : Hark Bohm

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hans Wetzel

Original Name : Günter Lamprecht

Gender : Male

Character Name : Frau Ehmke

Original Name : Lilo Pempeit

Gender : Female

Character Name : Counsel

Original Name : Michael Ballhaus

Gender : Male

Character Name : Peddler

Original Name : Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Gender : Male

Character Name : American on Train

Original Name : Günther Kaufmann

Gender : Male

Character Name : Doctor

Original Name : Claus Holm

Gender : Male

Character Name : Grandpa Berger

Original Name : Anton Schiersner

Gender : Male

Character Name : Red Cross Nurse

Original Name : Sonja Neudorfer

Gender : Male

Character Name : Train Conductor

Original Name : Volker Spengler

Gender : Male

Character Name : Vevi

Original Name : Isolde Barth

Gender : Female

Character Name : American at Conference

Original Name : Bruce Low

Gender : Male

Character Name : Prosecuting Counsel

Original Name : Karl-Heinz von Hassel

Gender : Male

Character Name : Notary

Original Name : Kristine De Loup

Gender : Male

Character Name : Justice of the Peace

Original Name : Hannes Kaetner

Gender : Male

Character Name : (as Baum)

Original Name : Barbara Baum

Gender : Female

Character Name : Bronski (as Berling)

Original Name : Peter Berling

Gender : Male

Character Name : Warden

Original Name : Rolf Bührmann

Gender : Male

Character Name : Reporter

Original Name : Martin Häussler

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gentleman with Car

Original Name : Horst-Dieter Klock

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Georg Kuhn

Gender : Male

Character Name : Warden

Original Name : Norbert Scherer

Gender : Male

Character Name :

Original Name : Andreas Willim

Gender : Male

Character Name : Warden (uncredited)

Original Name : Arthur Glogau

Gender : Male

Reviews

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2024-09-13

With the defeat of the Nazis looming large, "Maria" (Hanna Schygulla) marries her sweet-heart "Hermann" (Klaus Löwitch) before he is promptly sent off to the front and she loses all trace of him. With her nation now in ruins, she has no way of surviving and so has to adapt by using her wits, guile and even her body to keep alive. Fortunately, she alights on an American soldier who enables her to keep her head above water but she spurns anything more permanent as, even when told of his death, she refuses to abandon hope that "Hermann" will return. The thrust of this story continues for many a year as she begins to hone her skills of successfully combining satisfaction for others as well as herself with an increasing improvement in her circumstances. Sooner or later, though, one of these men will prove less gullible and/or lovestruck and her secret might just bring her new life tumbling down before she manages to reunite with an husband whom she's not even sure is still alive! This is a great looking drama that takes us on quite an emotionally turbulent trip into the debris of a city and a culture that saw "Maria" - like so many other hausfrau, left without any means of support as the Allies took control and struggled to deal with their own significant logistic problems. Schygulla delivers powerfully as a woman who must think on her feet to put bread on the table and a roof (or at least part of one) over her head. She's not by nature ruthless but when needs must she realises that she can rely on nobody but herself. Fassbender cleverly uses the screenplay and the bombed-out city-scape to create characters that do illicit a degree of counterintuitive sympathy. In may ways, she is a victim but will she accept that status? Her society gradually becomes akin to the phoenix and the ashes, and her determination not to be left behind is emotively captured over the two hours we spend with her and some equally ill-equipped destitute German people gradually becoming just ein bischen optimistic. It doesn't address the post-war politics of directly, but there are a few more oblique comments to add a further elements of realism to this quite poignantly written drama that marries disaster, a little humour and a great deal of fortitude.