''Beware of a Holy Whore'' (german: Warnung vor einer heiligen Nutte) is a 1971 West German drama film written and directed by

Rainer Werner Fassbinder Rainer Werner Fassbinder (; 31 May 1945 – 10 June 1982), sometimes credited as R. W. Fassbinder, was a German filmmaker. He is widely regarded as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema movement. Fassbinder's main ...

that features

Lou Castel Lou Castel (born Ulv Quarzell; 28 May 1943) is a Swedish actor who became known through his work in Italian films. Life and career The son of a Swedish father and an Irish mother, Castel was born Ulv Quarzell in Bogotá, Colombia, where his fat ...

Eddie Constantine Eddie Constantine (born Edward Israël Constantinowsky; October 29, 1917 – February 25, 1993) was an American singer, actor and entertainer who spent most of his career in France. He became well-known to film audiences for his portrayal of se ...

, Hanna Schygulla and Fassbinder himself. Fassbinder considered this to be his favorite of his own films. While in a hotel with too much drink, drugs and time the cast and crew of a film are gradually unravelling as they await the arrival of their director. Semi-autobiographical, the film was influenced by the shooting of the director's earlier '' Whity'' in Spain. The film features music from

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

's first album ''

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'' and from '' Spooky Two'' by Spooky Tooth, among others.

Plot

''Beware of a Holy Whore'' opens with a soliloquy (delivered by Werner Schroeter) about the synopsis of a

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

story featuring Goofy, the dog. Goofy

cross-dresses Cross-dressing is the act of wearing clothes usually worn by a different gender. From as early as pre-modern history, cross-dressing has been practiced in order to disguise, comfort, entertain, and self-express oneself. Cross-dressing has play ...

in his aunt's clothes to teach a kindergarten class and, after being ridiculed by the class, takes a "poor orphan girl" into his home. The little girl is actually a dwarf gangster, Wee Willy, and he fools Goofy into caring for him by wearing the clothes that Goofy discarded after being ridiculed by the school children. That night Goofy's house is raided by police and Wee Willy is arrested, revealing the "poor orphan girl's" true identity to Goofy. When Willy's true identity is revealed the confused Goofy says, "What a shock that must have been for the poor little girl when she discovered that she is a crook". In both instances—attempting to teach the kindergarten class and caring for Wee Willy—Goofy is beaten by those for whom he only sought to care. This opening soliloquy alludes to the film's underlying themes of violence, self-blindness, and same-sex and bisexual relationships. The action of the movie then moves to a coastal hotel in Spain where the cast of the film's meta-film "Patria O Muerte" are waiting for production money and the director (Lou Castel) and the star (Eddie Constantine, as himself) to arrive. While waiting for everything the cast engages in sexual intrigues (both same-sex and opposite-sex), slander, and challenging power dynamics amongst themselves. The director then arrives by helicopter and inserts himself in the mix of cast interactions in a draconian manner, flaring the already discordant interactions among the cast. The remainder of the production depicts the mayhem of a movie production wrought with vicissitude and conflicting power dynamics. Fassbinder described the production as “a film about why living and working together as a group doesn’t function, even with people who want it to and for whom the group is life itself”.

Cast

as Jeff *

as himself * Marquard Bohm as Ricky * Hanna Schygulla as Hanna *

as Sascha *

Margarethe von Trotta Margarethe von Trotta (; born 21 February 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, and actress. She has been referred to as a "leading force" of the New German Cinema movement.

as Babs *

Hannes Fuchs Hannes Fuchs (born March 9, 1972) is a retired male badminton player from Austria. Career Fuchs competed in badminton at the 1992 Summer Olympics in men's singles. He lost in the second round to Deepankar Bhattacharya, of India, 8-15, 15-11, 15-1 ...

as David *

Marcella Michelangeli Marcella Michelangeli (born 28 January 1943) is an Italian former actress and singer. Biography Born Marcella Gherardi in Uscio, Genoa, she won several beauty contests at a young age, including Miss Liguria. While a student at the School of Fi ...

as Margret *Karl Scheydt as Manfred *

Ulli Lommel Ulli Lommel (21 December 1944 – 2 December 2017) was a German actor and director, noted for his many collaborations with Rainer Werner Fassbinder and his association with the New German Cinema movement. Lommel spent time at The Factory and ...

as Korbinian, manager * Monica Teuber as Billi, makeup artist * Magdalena Montezuma as Irm, Jeff's ex * Werner Schroeter as Deiters * Kurt Raab as Fred

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Beware Of A Holy Whore 1971 films 1970s German-language films 1970s avant-garde and experimental films 1971 drama films Films about drugs Films about filmmaking Films directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder German avant-garde and experimental films German drama films West German films 1970s German films