Once known as the enfant terrible of the New German Cinema, Rainer Werner Fassbinder shows a startling gift for capturing the tenderness between two lonely outsiders in Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1973). Presented on DVD in its original theatrical aspect ratio (1.33:1), the film's bright, saturated colors appear flawlessly onscreen, highlighting Fassbinder's strongly defined framing shots. This two-disc set, available from the incomparable Criterion Collection, also features a plethora of extras that will delight those familiar with the director's work as well as those seeking to learn more about him.
The plot of Ali: Fear Eats the Soul is a deceptively simple one: Emmi (Brigitte Mira), a woman in her late 50s or early 60s, enters a bar on a rainy night. As she sits patiently waiting for the rain to stop, Ali (El Hedi ben Salem), a foreign worker nearly half her age, asks her to dance. Despite their radically different backgrounds, Emmi and Ali recognize a kindred spirit in one another, and find they have more to talk about than either would have initially guessed. At the end the evening, Ali offers to escort Emmi home, and winds up staying the night at her place. Shortly thereafter, the two wind up getting married. Their happiness, however, is short-lived. While their love for each other is strong, it is put to the test by an unforgiving, racist society that refuses to look beyond outside appearances.
The film includes some beautifully composed shots, many of which frame the couple, thereby placing an emphasis on the degree to which they are being watched (or, in many cases, stared at) by the larger society. Fassbinder unblinkingly condemns the racism that continued to permeate postwar Germany, and is careful to counterbalance Ali's increasing acceptance by society with the marginalization of other immigrants.
What elevates Ali: Fear Eats the Soul to a more immediate, emotional level, however, are the central performances by Mira and ben Salem. While ben Salem channels the inner rage and ambivalence of someone who is doomed to live on the outskirts of German society, Mira is absolutely heartbreaking as the gentle, lonely widow who struggles to find a way to love him.
The DVD extras offer further insight into this wonderful film. Arguably the most valuable interview is with director Todd Haynes, who articulates the major concerns – both aesthetic and thematic – of Fassbinder's work and goes on to explore the influence of Douglas Sirk on both Ali: Fear Eats the Soul and Haynes's own Far From Heaven (2002). Brigitte Mira, who at 93 is as radiant as she was in the role of Emmi, is on hand to tell stories of her working relationship with the director. Finally, Thea Eymèsz, who edited several of Fassbinder's films, including Ali, discusses the rapid-fire pace at which this film was assembled.
In addition to these interviews, the second disc includes a short film entitled Angst isst Seele auf (2002). Directed by Shabaz Nashir, the film is based on a real-life incident, and reunites Mira, Eymèsz, and Ali cinematographer Jürgen Jürges. Shot from a subjective point of view, Angst isst Seele auf (Fear Eats the Soul) recounts the beating of the lead actor in the stage version of Ali: Fear Eats the Soul at the hands of a gang of neo-Nazis.
The disc also includes a short documentary on New German Cinema that originally appeared on the BBC show Omnibus in 1976. Despite its (disappointing) brevity, the show includes illuminating interviews with Fassbinder, Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders, Volker Schlöndorff, and Hans-Jürgen Syberberg.
Finally, the original theatrical trailer is shown in its entirety, as is a long scene from the Fassbinder film The American Soldier (1970), which features a young Margarethe von Trotta recounting the tale that would become the basis for Ali's plot. A must-see for all Fassbinder fans.
Copyright © Beth Gilligan 2002-2005
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