The Marriage of Maria BraunAlong the road of life, you choose a path and you traverse it. Some may say that the path chooses you, but if you were to ask Maria Braun (Hanna Schygulla), one suspects that she would refute this claim--not directly, but in her coy, casual way which might have you believe that you reached that conclusion of your own accord. Maria is the central character in The Marriage of Maria Braun, although she proclaims that she orbits around her husband of two days, Hermann Braun (Klaus Löwitsch), who is imprisoned and missing after the end of World War II. Along this road, Maria eventually stops asking for directions, and starts forging her own path to her destination.
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The Marriage of Maria Braun combines elements of a black comedy and melodrama with deft ease, as illustrated from the first several frames; she marries her husband in the midst of an assault by allied forces. She insists the priest stamps the certificate to make it official; she is--and has been--in command. The idea of a woman leading the charge was an unorthodox opinion in that age, and the war of the sexes still rages in select channels. Maria defies easy classification; she is a self-made woman, but she builds herself up by profiting off of others. Our reaction of shock at her occasional lack of humanity is at odds with her martyr-like devotion to her husband. Maria understands that she will not find her husband with a sign on her back, but discovers a few key truths about post-war Germany, fighting poverty and understanding the American occupation. She takes a job in a bar--a position which leads others like her mother (Gisela Uhlen) to assume it is a euphemism for prostitution--where she begins her process of utilizing her skillset for profit; read that how you will. Maria learns fast; from the moment she obtained her key black dress--a resource sold to her by a black market dealer, played by director Rainer Werner Fassbinder--she understands that even though something remains unspoken or illegal, that doesn't mean that it isn't in demand, and that those who wish to succeed will not sit around to wait for it to happen, but will catapult themselves into the fray and take the opportunities first. A moment which reinforces this reading of Germany prostrate after the war is prior to Maria meeting the black market dealer. In this dilapidated part of town, a man plays the German anthem for money, selling himself for coin to survive. Maria masks her motivations from others--and even us--as she falls into the arms of an American G.I. named Bill (George Byrd), who teaches her English. Maria learning English is not only important because she can use this skill to advance in life, but because it reflects the encroachment of the United States into Germany following the war, not just in language and occupation, but in a way of life, where capitalism replaces the socialist movement endorsed by the Nazi party; Maria takes to capitalism like a fish to water. The two appear to fall in love, and soon Maria is "expecting"; but Hermann reappears unexpectedly just as the two prepare to celebrate with a bout of lovemaking. And yet the biggest shock comes when tensions appear to be diffusing, and Maria crashes a bottle over Bill's head--killing him--with no hint as to her intent. The matter of fact manner with which she performs the act is shocking, especially because up until this point, there would be no reason for us to assume that she would not have been completely happy in a life with Bill, save for Hermann's reappearance. Perhaps she would have, and another opportunity just came along which she chose to claim instead; or perhaps--like Karl Oswald (Ivan Desny) later--we are taken in wholly by her guile, in the throngs of the deadlier of the species. But her killing illuminates that Maria can no longer afford to operate in a world where her emotions dictate her future, and not her own "triumph of the will".
Watching all of The Marriage of Maria Braun, it is impossible to say with absolute assurance if Maria is strictly a confident woman exercising her independence or a ruthless, sociopathic murderess and gold digger; maybe she is both, and maybe she is neither. Maria's pursuits are born both of her independent spirit and her desperation, and rarely do the two mix. One has to wonder what became of Bill and her unborn son, who is described as deceased before we have any inkling that he was born; if she could kill the father without batting an eye, there appears to be no love lost at the mysterious death of the son sacrificed on the altar of her marriage. Maria Braun represents the dawn of a new age, where she profits by capitalizing on finding a need and exploiting it. She comes across Oswald on a train, and seduces him with a mix of allure and aloofness. She sleeps with him--she cannot claim she doesn't know Hermann is not alive, as he has taken the fall for her by going to jail for the death of Bill--but she proudly proclaims to Karl that it is not he that is having an affair with her, but "she is having an affair with him". Before that, she has proven herself as a valuable employee, translating how she feels it should be heard in English to a business prospect, and securing a risky deal which ensures the success of Oswald's textile company at the dawn of the "German economic miracle". One perception of the film is that Maria rises to command the company as a result of her relationship as Oswald's mistress, but I suspect that it has more to do with her innate savvy for drawing out success under difficult situations even more. It is unclear whether Hermann feels the same, as Maria has made it clear to her husband that she is sleeping with Oswald, but it is not from love. When Hermann is finally released from prison, he avoids Maria, claiming he must make himself into a "human being" by himself, leaving a rose for her for every month he is away. The great irony here is that Maria can no longer embrace an ideology of profit for the purpose of supporting her husband; she must confront with herself that she does this out of a desire to conquer and succeed first and foremost, a revelation which drives her deeper into cynicism and cruelty toward Oswald and those who serve her now. A favorite moment is when Maria accidentally places her purse among the roses Hermann has left her, a metaphor for her confusing love and money. When Oswald finally dies--suffering from an ailment of the liver, presumably unbeknownst to Maria--the will is read not only in front of Maria, but Hermann who has finally returned. Just prior to this, the two exchanged proclamations to the extent of "what's yours is mine", reaffirming their wedding vows, but the will forces them both to be honest, as Oswald has left his entire estate not just to Maria, but also to Hermann, who had befriended him in prison--unbeknownst to Maria. Her response is quietly distressed; she claims she has a headache, and goes to the bathroom to run cold water over her wrist. Is she frustrated because Hermann played her at her own game, or because she no longer feels that she is the one to serve her husband exclusively? Maybe it's just the gas...
Recommended for: Fans of a sharply pointed study of a woman who races with abandon toward success, without regard as to the methods of achievement; her ultimate goal is elusive, perhaps even to her. It is an unromanticized portrayal of post-World War II Germany and a riveting drama about a few people in that time and place, with Maria aggressively behind the wheel.
Watching all of The Marriage of Maria Braun, it is impossible to say with absolute assurance if Maria is strictly a confident woman exercising her independence or a ruthless, sociopathic murderess and gold digger; maybe she is both, and maybe she is neither. Maria's pursuits are born both of her independent spirit and her desperation, and rarely do the two mix. One has to wonder what became of Bill and her unborn son, who is described as deceased before we have any inkling that he was born; if she could kill the father without batting an eye, there appears to be no love lost at the mysterious death of the son sacrificed on the altar of her marriage. Maria Braun represents the dawn of a new age, where she profits by capitalizing on finding a need and exploiting it. She comes across Oswald on a train, and seduces him with a mix of allure and aloofness. She sleeps with him--she cannot claim she doesn't know Hermann is not alive, as he has taken the fall for her by going to jail for the death of Bill--but she proudly proclaims to Karl that it is not he that is having an affair with her, but "she is having an affair with him". Before that, she has proven herself as a valuable employee, translating how she feels it should be heard in English to a business prospect, and securing a risky deal which ensures the success of Oswald's textile company at the dawn of the "German economic miracle". One perception of the film is that Maria rises to command the company as a result of her relationship as Oswald's mistress, but I suspect that it has more to do with her innate savvy for drawing out success under difficult situations even more. It is unclear whether Hermann feels the same, as Maria has made it clear to her husband that she is sleeping with Oswald, but it is not from love. When Hermann is finally released from prison, he avoids Maria, claiming he must make himself into a "human being" by himself, leaving a rose for her for every month he is away. The great irony here is that Maria can no longer embrace an ideology of profit for the purpose of supporting her husband; she must confront with herself that she does this out of a desire to conquer and succeed first and foremost, a revelation which drives her deeper into cynicism and cruelty toward Oswald and those who serve her now. A favorite moment is when Maria accidentally places her purse among the roses Hermann has left her, a metaphor for her confusing love and money. When Oswald finally dies--suffering from an ailment of the liver, presumably unbeknownst to Maria--the will is read not only in front of Maria, but Hermann who has finally returned. Just prior to this, the two exchanged proclamations to the extent of "what's yours is mine", reaffirming their wedding vows, but the will forces them both to be honest, as Oswald has left his entire estate not just to Maria, but also to Hermann, who had befriended him in prison--unbeknownst to Maria. Her response is quietly distressed; she claims she has a headache, and goes to the bathroom to run cold water over her wrist. Is she frustrated because Hermann played her at her own game, or because she no longer feels that she is the one to serve her husband exclusively? Maybe it's just the gas...
Recommended for: Fans of a sharply pointed study of a woman who races with abandon toward success, without regard as to the methods of achievement; her ultimate goal is elusive, perhaps even to her. It is an unromanticized portrayal of post-World War II Germany and a riveting drama about a few people in that time and place, with Maria aggressively behind the wheel.