Rainer Werner Fassbinder, sometimes credited as R. W. Fassbinder, was a German filmmaker, actor, and dramatist. He is widely regarded as one of the major figures and catalysts of the New German Cinema movement. Versatile and prolific, his over 40 films span a variety of genres, most frequently blending elements of Hollywood melodrama with social criticism and avant-garde techniques. His films, according to him, explored "the exploitability of feelings". His work was deeply rooted in post-war German culture: the aftermath of Nazism, the German economic miracle, and the terror of the Red Army Faction. He worked with a company of actors and technicians who frequently appeared in his projects.
Giancarlo Giannini is an Italian actor and voice actor. He won the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for his performance in Love and Anarchy (1973) and received an Academy Award nomination for Seven Beauties (1975). He is also a four-time recipient of the David di Donatello Award for Best Actor.
Seven Beauties is a 1975 Italian language film written and directed by Lina Wertmüller and starring Giancarlo Giannini, Fernando Rey, and Shirley Stoler.
"Lili Marleen" is a German love song that became popular during World War II throughout Europe and the Mediterranean among both Axis and Allied troops. Written in 1915 as a poem, the song was published in 1937 and was first recorded by Lale Andersen in 1939 as "Das Mädchen unter der Laterne". The song is also well known on a version performed by Marlene Dietrich.
Lale Andersen was a German chanson singer-songwriter born in Lehe. She is best known for her interpretation of the song Lili Marleen in 1939, which by 1941 transcended the conflict to become World War II's biggest international hit. Popular with both the Axis and the Allies, Andersen's original recording spawned versions, by the end of the War, in most of the major languages of Europe, and by some of the most popular artists in their respective countries.
Melchor Gastón Ferrer was an American actor and filmmaker. He achieved prominence on Broadway before scoring notable film hits with Scaramouche, Lili, and Knights of the Round Table. He starred opposite his wife, actress Audrey Hepburn, in War and Peace and produced her film Wait Until Dark. He also acted extensively in European films and appeared in several cult hits, including The Antichrist (1974), The Suspicious Death of a Minor (1975), The Black Corsair (1976), and Nightmare City (1980).
The Nasty Girl is a 1990 West German drama film based on the true story of Anna Rosmus. The original German title loosely translates as "The Terrible Girl."
"Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town" is a song written by Mel Tillis about a paralyzed veteran who lies helplessly as his wife "paints [herself] up" to go out for the evening without him; he believes she is going in search of a lover. As he hears the door slam behind her, he claims that he would murder her if he could move to get his gun, and pleads for her to reconsider. A line in the song about a "crazy Asian war" and the time of the song's release led to the assumption the song was about a veteran of the Vietnam War, though this was never stated in the lyrics. However, Tillis stated that the song was about a veteran of World War II.
Hanna Schygulla 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 Cinema. Schygulla won the 1979 Berlin Silver Bear for Best Actress for Fassbinder's The Marriage of Maria Braun, and the 1983 Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress for the Marco Ferreri film The Story of Piera.
The Marriage of Maria Braun is a 1978 West German drama film directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. The film stars Hanna Schygulla as Maria, whose marriage to the soldier Hermann remains unfulfilled due to World War II and his post-war imprisonment. Maria adapts to the realities of post-war Germany and becomes the wealthy mistress of an industrialist, all the while staying true to her love for Hermann.
"Never on Sunday", also known by its original Greek title "Ta Pediá tou Pireá", is a popular song written by Manos Hatzidakis and first sung by Melina Mercouri in the film of the same name, directed by Jules Dassin and starring Mercouri. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1960, a first for a foreign-language picture. The film score was first released on 1 October 1960 by United Artists Records. The song has since been recorded by numerous artists, and has gained various degrees of success throughout the world. The opening of the song bears some resemblance to that of Poinciana.
Norbert Arnold Wilhelm Richard Schultze was a prolific German composer of film music and a member of the NSDAP and of Joseph Goebbels' staff during World War II. He is best remembered for having written the melody of the World War II classic "Lili Marleen", originally a poem from the 1915 book Die kleine Hafenorgel by Hans Leip.
The Clown is a 1976 West German film directed by Vojtěch Jasný. It is based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Nobel Prize winner Heinrich Böll. It was chosen as West Germany's official submission to the 49th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film, but did not manage to receive a nomination.
Germany was represented by Lale Andersen, with the song "Einmal sehen wir uns wieder", at the 1961 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 18 March in Cannes, France. "Einmal sehen wir uns wieder" was chosen at the German national final held on 25 February.
Artur Beul was a Swiss songwriter. He was married from 1949 until her death in 1972 to the German singer Lale Andersen, best known for her interpretation of the song Lili Marleen.
Where's Picone? is a 1983 Italian comedy film directed by Nanni Loy. Although selected as the Italian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 57th Academy Awards, it was not nominated.
Gods of the Plague is a 1970 West German black-and-white drama film directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder.
The Blue Exile is a 1993 Turkish drama film directed by Erden Kıral. The film was selected as the Turkish entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 66th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.
Like Once Lili Marleen is a 1956 West German romantic drama film directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring Adrian Hoven, Marianne Hold and Claus Holm. The title refers to the popular wartime song "Lili Marleen" popularised by Lale Anderson, who performs it at a concert at the end of the film.
Rainer Werner Fassbinder was a German filmmaker.
