Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?

Starring:Lilith Ungerer, Kurt Raab, Lilo Pempeit, Franz Maron, Harry Baer, Peter Moland, Hanna Schygulla, Ingrid Caven, Irm Hermann, Doris Mattes, Hannes Gromball, Vinzenz Sterr, Maria Sterr, Peer Raben, Eva Pampuch, Carla Egerer, Peter Hamm, Eva Madelung, Amadeus Fengler, Jochen Pinkert
Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Michael Fengler
Studio: Fantoma
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Rainer Werner Fassbinder turned to color for his fourth film, a bleak portrait of middle-class banality. Kurt Raab, the plump, baby-faced art director usually cast as the director's most pathetic characters, stars as Herr R., a seemingly successful middle-class professional and happily married family man who stumbles through life like a grinning zombie. As one might guess from the title, Herr R. (an appropriately vague, undistinguished character that Fassbinder leaves unnamed to better stand in for a German everyman) is about to go over the edge, and the film shows us why in relentless, numbing detail. At work he's an insignificant figure of ridicule; at home he escapes into endless hours of TV when not killing time with empty small talk (largely improvised by the cast), and he soon slips into a listless depression compounded by constant headaches. Fassbinder and codirector Michael Fengler don't make the experience easy for us. The film is as purposely banal as the chatty droning of the soundtrack, shot in a hypernaturalistic approach with a palette of muddy, dull colors that give the picture the quality of a faded Polaroid. There's a genius to the gesture, and the film marches inexorably to a harrowing climax, but it's not for all tastes. Even Fassbinder fans admit that this is a tough film to get through. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

so realistic it's scary.......2007-03-09

why does herr r run amok is not a typical fassbinder movie - and it stands out stylistically from the other 50 or so movies he made... It is shot almost like a documentary.. improvised scenes that bring so much realism to the screen.. it is an interesting look at the german middle class of the time period.. and what it takes to drive a man insane... it is the realism that is so consistently presented throughout the film which makes the climax so unnerving.. it is like real life in the moment.. there is no escaping the images on the screen.. in most movies we are shielded by a sound track (which tells us how to react) or by visual cues like cutting back and forth or zooming.. there is nothing of that here no visual safety net.. This is a young and talented cast and director.. one of the early antitheatre films which would eventually evolve into a more cinematic melodramatic style.. but it are these early groundbreaking works that would set the framework for an inspired and all too brief career..

"He's more the quiet type.".......2005-06-18

What makes a mild mannered, introverted man suddenly go berserk one day and bludgeon three people to death? German director, Rainer Fassbinder asks that question in his film "Why Does Herr R Run Amok?" The film records the mundane existence of Herr Raab (Kurt Raab) through a series of scenes. These scenes include Raab's tedious mind-numbingly boring job, a social visit with Raab's elderly parents, and a meeting with Raab's son's teacher.

In each scene, Raab appears trapped, alienated and disaffected. While Raab's beautiful and engaging wife (Lilith Ungerer) attempts to entertain and charm her in-laws, Raab sits immobile amidst the superficial exchanges. He's not participating, and he doesn't even seem to be listening. He's under a great deal of pressure--there's talk of a promotion at work, and there are hints of financial constraints. Through it all, Raab acts like a zombie--with little display of emotion or interest in his surroundings. But he does suffer from headaches and is told by his doctor to take a holiday.

Fassbinder goes to incredibly intricate lengths to establish the sheer boredom and triviality of Raab's bourgeois life. While this is achieved, the viewer must, by necessity experience the details of Raab's life second hand. Raab's boredom and frustration becomes our boredom and frustration. Fassbinder's skill as a director is admirable, and the awful essence of Raab's mediocre life is transmitted through the screen, but this does not create an enjoyable viewing experience. After watching Raab's visit with his parents, I was ready to start smashing some furniture.

Fassbinder is a fascinating director--always provocative and controversial. His greatest films include "The Marriage of Maria Braun" "The Stationmaster's Wife" & "Veronica Voss". If you are new to Fassbinder, start with one of those three films. "Why Does Herr R Run Amok?" is recommended for hardcore Fassbinder fans. In German with English subtitles--displacedhuman

Powerful and Darkly Comic Early Fassbinder.......2004-09-21

This is one of those movies that you'll either love or hate I imagine. I loved it but I am a HUGE Fassbinder fan so I am a more than a bit biased. Kurt Raab's performance in this is nothing short of revelatory it also contains some witty dialogue and two of the greatest scenes in a film I have ever seen (i.e. scene w/ raab in record store and the shocking ending). The cinematography is cinema verite in style and gives hints of what was to come (i.e. dogme 95, the digital indie movement). In a weird way you might call this the granddaddy of those films. I am very much looking forward to the release of this film on dvd.

Exquisite Fassbinder demands repeat viewings.......2004-06-05

This film requires concentration and repeat viewings. Fassbinder employs exceedingly long takes and a relatively still camera to portray a man slowly being led to the end of his tether.

Herr R (Kurt Raab, a Fassbinder regular) is everyman. Indeed, each scene conveys the sheer drabness of his daily routine. Work, wife, in-laws. None of it registers. Despite the perfect middle class life--emotionally, he's stone. It has been said that he is invisible in this film. Certainly, he is not seen as something particularly dynamic or magnetic. He doesn't attract people, none of his co-workers seem interested in him personally. Likewise, he doesn't seem interested in them.

But he does feel. He's passionate about music, sings a gorgeous, heartbreaking ballad that causes him to sigh slightly and look even more wan and dejected than usual. His wife bores him, her friends irritate him. Work is a release of sorts, but he's not making any progress there. He tries to impress the right people but he ends up making a total ass of himself.

All of these factors lead him on a particular course. Hence, the title of the film. The key to answering it is careful, patient viewing. This is a brilliant example of building up evidence to support myriad theses about the motivations of a fundamental character. Just be focusing on Herr Raab's face provides essential clues as to the forces that drive him towards his destiny. Great film.

mesmerizing.......2001-06-11

This is a film that should not be too thouroughly explained prior to watching. Mostly it is a series of the every day happenings in the life of Herr R, a reticent underachiever. He is the child of a certain spiritless bourgeois existence. We watch him at his job, not quite making points with the boss, not quite winning the favour of his coworkers. We watch him try to teach his average, but slightly dreamy, son to pronounce properly. We watch his wife hosting the self-absord and catty neighbors to tea. In short, we watch an unextraordinary bit of an unextraordinary life, which is somehow familiar and for some reason completely entrancing. As one watches it can't helped but be asked why wouldn't Herr R run amok?

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