A N D R E Af e r r e o l

D I R KB o g a r D e

P H O T O S C A N B E D O W N L O A D E D A T w w w. B ava r i a - f i l M - i n t e r n at i o n a l . c o M

“ D e s pa i r i s t h e M o s t h o p e f u l M o v i e i ’ v e M a D e . ” R A I N E R W E R N E R F A S S B I N D E R

BAVARIA FILM INTERNATIONAL presents a production of BAVARIA STUDIOS MUNICH for NF GERIA II FILM a film by RAINER WERNER FASSBINDER ‘DESPAIR’ starring DIRK BOGARDE • ANDREA FERREOL • KLAUS LÖWITSCH VOLKER SPENGLER dramatised for the screen by TOM STOPPARD based on a novel by VLADIMIR NABOKOV with PETER KERN • ALEXANDER ALLERSON • HARK BOHM • GOTTFRIED JOHN and BERNHARD WICKI director of photography MICHAEL BALLHAUS music by PEER RABEN production design ROLF ZEHETBAUER costume design DAGMAR SCHAUBERGER edited by JULIANE LORENZ • FRANZ WALSCH production supervisor DIETER MINX

production executive LUTZ HENGST produced by PETER MÄRTHESHEIMER directed by RAINER WERNER FASSBINDER restored by BAVARIA MEDIA in co-operation with CINEPOSTPRODUCTION

P H O T O S C A N B E D O W N L O A D E D A T w w w. B ava r i a - f i l M - i n t e r n at i o n a l . c o M

SCREENING AT LOCARNO 2011 Thu, Aug 11 16.00h Rialto 1

2 D e s pa i r

s Y n o p s i s Is Hermann going to spend his whole life in the chocolate business? Hermann, a Russian

living in exile, owns a comfortable apartment in Berlin, drives a fast car, and is married

to Lydia, who is only moderately intelligent but very attractive. The management of his

company – a chocolate factory – takes him only a few hours a day. Business is stagnating,

perhaps because of the Great Depression; but Hermann doesn’t mind too much. What

fascinates him more and more is the feeling of being able to step out of his body, stand

beside it, and watch it. One evening he leaves the bedroom door open, so that he, sitting

in the living room, can watch Lydia and himself make love. He starts enjoying this state

and would like to refi ne his ability to double himself, to cultivate it like an artistic skill.

While relaxing on a business trip he meets a jobless man named Felix Weber. Curiously,

Hermann is convinced that Felix is a spitting image of himself, down to every last physical

detail. He promises to keep in touch with him. Back in Berlin, the existence of his

doppelganger fires up his imagination: What if he were to disappear and start a new

life with another man’s name? Hermann then meticulously begins to plan a perfect crime,

his rebirth, his journey towards the light ...

Featuring international stars in the lead roles with Dirk Bogarde (“Death in Venice”) and

Andréa Ferréol (“La Grande Bouffe”) and in the technical departments with cinematographer

Michael Ballhaus (“The Departed”, “Goodfellas”, “Gangs of New York”) and Oscar-

winning production designer Rolf Zehetbauer (“Luther”, “The Boat”, “Cabaret”), “Despair”

is an adapation from a novel by Vladimir Nabokov by Oscar-winning British script writer

Tom Stoppard (“Shakespeare in Love”, “Brazil”). “Despair” is a psychedelic drama set in

the 1930s against the background of the rising power of the Nazis. This English-language

masterpiece by Germany’s most renowned director Rainer Werner Fassbinder originally

premiered in competition at the Cannes Film Festival (1978) and was honored with three

German Film Awards in Gold. We now present a fully HD restored version and newly

produced bonus features of Fassbinder’s greatest international film.

3 D e s pa i r

rainer werner fassBinDer the director Rainer Werner Fassbinder (1946-1982) directed his first feature-length film, “Love is

Colder than Death”, n 1969, but he made his definitive breakthrough with his next

film, “Katzelmacher” (1969). He achieved his first major commercial success with

“The Merchant of Four Seasons” (1971) and caught the attention of international critics

and audiences with “Ali – Fear Eats the Soul” (1974), which won the International Critics

Prize at Cannes. His biggest success, which brought him the popular acceptance he

sought, came with “The Marriage of Maria Braun” (1978). Other acclaimed fi lms of his are

“The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant” (1973), “Lili Marleen” (1981) and “Veronika Voss”

(1982) The TV series “Berlin Alexanderplatz” (1980) and “Effi Briest” (1974) are two of his

best-known adaptations. His last fi lm, “Querelle”, was shot in 1982. Fassbinder made 41

movies in 14 years, and also worked as an actor, producer, theater manager, composer,

designer, editor, and cameraman. His oeuvre stands out for its wrenchingly personal

themes, intimate portraits of betrayal and despair, and unsparing criticism of Western

society. “Despair” is an homage to all who see their existential crises not as weaknesses

but as possibilities.

4 D e s pa i r

Dirk BogarDe is Hermann Born into a highly artistic family, Dirk Bogarde (1921-1999) was one of the greatest British

actors of the 20th century. His strikingly handsome features and often melancholy aloofness

predestined him for roles as men with a mystery. He began garnering international attention

in the 1960s in fi lms by Joseph Losey, such as “The Servant” (1963). While his role in

“The Night Porter” (1974) was criticized even by many of his most ardent fans, his roles

in the Luchino Visconti fi lms “The Damned” (1971) and “Death in Venice” (1977) were

universally acclaimed and are among his fi nest fi lms. Among his other notable productions

are “Victim”, “Losey’s”, “King and Country” and “Accident”, Oscar-winning “Darling”,

George Cukor’s “Justine” and Alain Resnais’s „Providence“.

anDrea ferreol is Lydia Born in Aix-en-Provence, Andréa Ferréol became a noted stage actress before launching

her career as a fi lm actor in France and abroad. The fi lm that catapulted her to international

fi lm was Marco Ferreri’s “La Grande Bouffe” of 1973, in which she combined eroticism

with an infectious love of life. The following year, she dazzled alongside Romy Schneider

and Michel Piccoli in “Le trio infernal” and began appearing in Italian fi lms as well, including

Francesco Rosi’s “Three Brothers” (1980). Next to Rainer Werner Fassbinder, she cultivated

excellent contacts with other German directors as well, such as Werner Schroeter (“Les

fl ocons d’or”) and Volker Schlöndorff (“The Tin Drum”). She also appeared in François

Truffaut’s “Le dernier métro” alongside Catherine Deneuve.

klaus löwitsch is Felix, the double Klaus Löwitsch (1936-2002) owes part of his reputation as a serious actor to his work

with Fassbinder. In addition to “Despair”, his Fassbinder fi lms include “The Merchant of

Four Seasons” and “The Marriage of Maria Braun”. He starred in more than 300 fi lms and

TV productions and appeared in international features such as “The Odessa File” (with

Jon Voigt) and Sam Peckinpah’s “The Cross of Iron”.

CAST hermann hermann Dirk BogarDe lydia hermann anDrea ferreol felix weber klaus löwitsch ardalion volker spengler müller peter kern mayer aleXanDer allerson doctor hark BohM perebrodov gottfrieD John orlovius BernharD wicki

CREW directed by rainer werner fassBinDer director of photography Michael Ballhaus music by peer raBen production design by rolf ZehetBauer costumes by DagMar schauBerger edited by Juliane lorenZ and franZ walsch produced by peter MÄrtesheiMer production companies Bavaria stuDios Munich for nf geria ii filM restored by Bavaria MeDia in co-operation with cinepostproDuction

TEChniCAl dETAilSgermany 1978, 115 minutes, color, 1:1.66, dolby digital

Restored in 2011 by Bavaria Media in cooperation with Cinepostproduction

Bavaria Media GmbH, Bavariafilmplatz 7, 82031 Geiselgasteig | GermanyPhone +49 89 6499 2686, Fax +49 89 6499 3720, international@bavaria-film.de, www.bavaria-media.de