The Stationmaster’s Wife [Bolwieser] *** (1977, Elisabeth Trissenaar, Kurt Raab, Bernhard Helfrich) – Classic Movie Review 6204

The Stationmaster’s Wife is the 111-minute cinema movie version of Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 200-minute German TV two-part mini-series Bolwieser, in which the pathetic hero, the boring stationmaster Xaver Bolwieser (Kurt Raab), is dominated by his lovely, sexy and unfaithful wife Hanni (Elisabeth Trissenaar) in a pre-World War Two German village.

As adapted in Fassbinder’s screenplay, Oskar Maria Graf’s novel makes for fine viewing on screen, even if Fassbinder loftily and casually seems to despise all his characters with the lip-smacking, love-hate sneer of the true sadist.

Even in this cut version, excising intricate subplots, he lets the movie ramble and includes drossy scenes along with extremely fine ones, seeming as though he doesn’t care or know the difference, though of course that is never actually the case with the meticulous and assiduous Fassbinder.

But thanks to Michael Ballhaus’s striking Eastmancolor cinematography, this is a handsome looking film, which is extremely well made and exquisitely acted by the fine cast, though, as always with this director. Raab is excellent and Trissenaar outstanding.

Also in the cast are Gustl Bayrhammer, Bernhard Helfrich, Udo Kier, Volker Spengler, Armin Meier, Peter Kern, Willy Harlander, Doris Mattes, Elma Karlowa, Hannes Kaetner, Karl-Heinz von Hassel and Lilo Pempeit (Fassbinder’s mother).

It is produced by Herbert Knopp and Willi Segler, scored by Peer Raben, and the production design is by Nicolaus Kehrhahn, Peter Müller, Kurt Raab and Jochen Schumacher.

The TV version has the name of the husband but the movie version’s title has the character of the wife.

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6204

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