Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) And that does not only include the title character, but also the co-lead played in a truly sinister manner by Katlheinz Böhm. 1974 was a great year for Rainer Werner Fassbinder. He made this 110-minute film here, but he also directed the equally brilliant "Angst essen Seele auf" and it's almost impossible for me to pick my favorite Fassbinder out of these two. I am generally not the biggest fan of the director, but these two are excellent pieces of filmmaking. In "Martha" we see one of the best combinations of writing and acting in the history of movies when it comes to sadist characters. And an equally brilliant portrayal of masochism. And still Carstensen's character occasionally tires to break free. This inner contradiction is probably also what got her the German Film Award nomination (she lost to Brigitte Mira from the movie I mentioned previously). No awards recognition for Karlheinz Böhm though although he was so so good If you have seen him in the Sissi movies, you can basically imagine the exact opposite and you will have his Helmut Salomon, a true psychopath.There are so many memorable scenes in this film, the one about wishing the title character dead, another one about Salomon's favorite food or also the beginning with Martha's father dying. In that situation, she was weak anyway and it would not have been a challenge for Salomon to break her entirely. That's why he just didn't go for it back then. Basically, there are so many great scenes in here that I cannot list them all: the way he insults her constantly, for example during their meeting at the party, the way he talks about her music, about her hair, the way how he forces her to read the book about his job after what he did to her with her job, the cat scene. He will not even share her with a pet And finally, another scene that stands out very much is the sunburn scene (keep in mind how he did not wake her up when she fell asleep, maybe even gave her pills) and how he has sex with her despite her being in huge pain. That was really really painful to watch. He is absolutely turned on by her when she is at her weakest, her most fragile and there are more examples of that how he really wants her the most when she is suffering. A textbook sadist.And then the ending: She flees from him and he is as collected and in control as always. Finally, she has a car accident that not only takes away the only person who sort-of helped her and with whom she could talk about her marriage, but it also takes away her ability to walk and that is how she becomes pretty much completely dependent on her husband. She cannot leave the house anymore as there is no way he will make it barrier-free for her and this is what he wanted from the start. In general, after such an accident it is often a reason people split and it can be considered as a true confession of love if a person does confess his love to his wife despite her new disability. But that's what he does and here it is not positive. It is love yes, but in the most sadistic manner one could imagine and I guess I really don't wanna see all the horrible things that will happen after this film from over 40 years ago ends. This is a very cruel movie. And at the same time, it is a triumphant character study about two people who are (not) made for each other. Highly recommended.

anordall A great movie, made in a special way. Not only was it made for TV, it has the style of a soap-opera. Those who have seen it must have noticed that there are a number of "episodes", separated by a gradual darkening of the screen (till completely black, then lightening up again). The acting, the decor and so on are pure soap-opera. Some reviewers have seen a touch or two of Douglas Sirk, but there's more than that to it: when Martha gives her German address in the embassy, the name of the street is "Douglas Sirk"! Pure melodrama, but with great results. Fassbinder gives the movie the necessary pace to portray a convincing tragedy resulting from fatality mixed with individual characteristics. The final words appropriately are "When God takes a step, man cannot change it".

timmy_501 Martha, the titular character of Rainer Fassbinder's 1974 made for TV (but nonetheless acclaimed) film Martha is the kind of character I detest more than any other. If there is one characteristic that defines her it is weakness. Her weakness can be seen from the very beginning, as an early scene shows her as she runs away from an emergency situation. Later, shortly after the death of her father, she begins to try things that her father had forbid her to do; thus it becomes clear that her will has been subsumed by that of her parent. Nonetheless, Martha leads a fairly happy life until she marries a domineering sadist. A good portion of the film portrays her sickening subservience to this petty tyrant and the pitiful efforts she makes to change her situation inevitably worsen it because they are so passive and ineffectual. The plot of this film makes for a maddeningly unpleasant viewing experience.At the same time, Fassbinder's film-making powers are never less than formidable, particularly in some of the earlier sequences here. Fassbinder sets the early, happy scenes in vast, richly decorated interiors. There are a lot of interesting juxtapositions created through the use of mirror images and unusual angles. Exterior scenes are also visually sumptuous, a bit like the work of French New Wave director Eric Rohmer, Academy ratio and all. Later, as the film turns more miserable the interiors seem to shrink and their uniform lack of design reflect Martha's new hopelessness. The exteriors seem to grow into vast wildernesses at the cost of their former beauty. Needless to say, Fassbinder is adept at using a character's surrounding (and the mise en scene) to suggest that character's mood.This is the third Fassbinder film I've seen and I must say that while I haven't been blown away by any of his films, his direction remains a strong point in each one. No doubt I'll eventually see one where the other aspects of the film are just as satisfying as the direction. Martha is not that film but it does increase my appreciation for Fassbinder's artistry.

FilmCriticLalitRao No one can deny the poise,finesse and grace with which Fassbinder has directed some of the most charming women characters. This quality is currently being imbibed by some of the most talented filmmakers like Todd Haynes in USA and François Ozon in France. In this particular melodramatic film,Fassbinder is at his best and there is strong belief in the minds of true cinema admirers that "Martha" would surely rank as one of his best films.Initially the setting in Italy helps the film to build its momentum but it reaches feverish pitch once the events start to unfold in Germany. The two main actors are captivating. Karl Heinz Boehm has given a chilling performance as a bizarre husband. Looking at him no one can make out whether he truly loves his wife or troubling his wife sadistically remains his past time. Margit Cartensen is great too as the wife suffering humiliation at the hands of a man she thought loved him. To my mind, Martha would be of higher interest to all those who are keen on learning more about the depiction of women in new German cinema.