''Love is Colder Than Death'' (german: Liebe ist kälter als der Tod) is a 1969 West German

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

film 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 ...

, his first feature film. In the original theater presentation in Berlin the title was first ''Kälter als der Tod''; at the beginning of film production, it was ''Liebe – kälter als der Tod'' as on some film posters. The cinematographer

Dietrich Lohmann Dietrich Lohmann, B.V.K. (German Society of Cinematographers; 9 March 1943 – 13 November 1997) was a German cinematographer. He was born in Schnepfenthal, Waltershausen, Thuringia, Germany. He studied at the Staatliche Fachschule für Optik u ...

and the cast as an ensemble won an award at the

German Film Awards German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

in 1970.

Plot

Petty hood Franz (Fassbinder) refuses to join the syndicate, where he meets a handsome young thug called Bruno (Lommel) and gives him his address in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

. It is the flat of the prostitute Joanna (Schygulla), where Franz lives as her pimp. Bruno has been ordered by the syndicate to follow Franz and on going to the address is told he has moved. So he goes round the streets of the city asking prostitutes if they know a prostitute called Joanna. Eventually he finds where the pair are hiding, because Franz is being sought by a Turk for killing his brother. Bruno offers to solve the problem, so the three go to the café where the Turk can be found and shoot him. As they leave, Bruno also shoots the waitress who is the only witness. Franz is picked up by the police for both killings and, while he is held for questioning, Joanna starts an affair with Bruno. When Franz is freed because the police have no evidence, the three then plan a bank robbery. As they arrive outside, plain clothes police appear and Bruno is killed in a shootout while Franz and Joanna get away. In the car she tells him she had tipped the cops off about the robbery. He says "Nutte"

hore Hore is an English name, English surname, a variant of Hoare, and is derived from the Middle English ''wikt:hor#Middle English, hor(e)'' meaning grey- or white-haired. Notable people with the surname include: * Andrew Hore (born 1978), New Zeala ...

and keeps on driving as the film fades to white.

Cast

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 ...

– Bruno *

– Franz *

Hanna Schygulla Hanna Schygulla (; born 25 December 1943) is a German actress and chanson singer associated with the theater and film director Rainer Werner Fassbinder. She first worked for Fassbinder in 1965 and became an active participant in the New German ...

– Joanna * Katrin Schaake – Woman on train * Liz Soellner – Newspaper Saleswoman * Gisela Otto – Prostitute * Ursula Strätz – Prostitute * Monika Stadler – Waitress * Hans Hirschmüller – Peter * Les Olvides – Georges *

Peer Raben Peer Raben (born Wilhelm Rabenbauer, 3 July 1940 – 21 January 2007) was a German composer who worked with German filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Life Raben was born in Viechtafell, Bavaria, and attended Musische Gymnasium Straubing. He died ...

– Jürgen * Howard Gaines – Raoul * Peter Moland – Interrogator *

Kurt Raab Kurt Raab (20 July 1941 – 28 June 1988) was a West German stage and film actor, as well as a screenwriter and playwright. Raab is best remembered for his work with German film director Rainer Werner Fassbinder, with whom he collaborated on 31 ...

– Department Store Detective *

Peter Berling Peter Berling (20 March 1934 – 21 November 2017) was a German actor, film producer and writer. He has worked on several occasions with director Werner Herzog, among them his collaborations with actor Klaus Kinski like ''Aguirre, the Wrath of Go ...

– Weapons Seller * Anastassios Karalas – Turkish Man

Reception

Initial reception was generally negative, and the film was even booed at the

19th Berlin International Film Festival The 19th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 25 June – 6 July 1969. The Golden Bear was awarded to the Yugoslav film '' Rani radovi'' directed by Želimir Žilnik. Jury The following jury members were announced for the fes ...

in 1969. Today, however, it is seen as a fine example of Fassbinder's early style, with a heavy '

nouvelle vague French New Wave (french: La Nouvelle Vague) is a French art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentation and a spirit of iconocla ...

' influence. The film is dedicated to " Claude Chabrol,

Éric Rohmer Jean Marie Maurice Schérer or Maurice Henri Joseph Schérer, known as Éric Rohmer (; 21 March 192011 January 2010), was a French film director, film critic, journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and teacher. Rohmer was the last of the post-World ...

Jean-Marie Straub Jean-Marie is both a given name and a surname. Notable people with the name include: * Jean-Marie Abgrall (born 1950), a French psychiatrist, criminologist, specialist in forensic medicine, cult expert, and graduate in criminal law * Jean-Marie C ...

, Linio, and Cuncho". The last two refer to the main characters in

Damiano Damiani Damiano Damiani (23 July 1922 – 7 March 2013) was an Italian screenwriter, film director, actor and writer. Poet and director Pier Paolo Pasolini referred to him as "a bitter moralist hungry for old purity", while film critic Paolo Mereg ...

's 1966 film '' A Bullet for the General''. Ulli Lommel's styling (and also the poster artwork) is inspired by Alain Delon in ''

Le Samouraï ''Le Samouraï'' (; ), is a 1967 neo-noir crime thriller film written and directed by Jean-Pierre Melville. The film follows a professional hitman named Jef Costello who is identified by witnesses and his efforts to provide himself with an alibi ...

''.

References

External links

*
Criterion Collection essay by Michael Koresky
{{Rainer Werner Fassbinder 1969 films 1960s avant-garde and experimental films 1969 crime films German avant-garde and experimental films German gangster films West German films 1960s German-language films Films directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder German black-and-white films Films about prostitution in Germany Films set in Munich 1969 directorial debut films 1960s German films