The Marriage of Maria Braun

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. The Marriage of Maria Braun was one of the more successful works of Fassbinder and shaped the image of the New German Cinema in foreign countries. It has also been acclaimed by critics as Fassbinder’s crowning achievement. It is the first installment of Fassbinder's BRD Trilogy, followed by Lola (1981) and Veronika Voss (1982). Plot During an Allied bombing raid in 1943, Maria Berger and Hermann Braun marry. The next day, Hermann returns to the Eastern front. At war's end, Maria is told that Hermann died. To support herself, her mother and grandfather, Maria works as a prostitute in an underground bar that allows only Allied soldiers as patrons. She begins a relationship with African-American soldier Bill, who supports her and her family. Although she refuses to marry Bill because of her devotion to Hermann, she has a tender sexual relationship with him that results in a pregnancy. On the day that she tells Bill of the pregnancy, Hermann returns home; he had been a prisoner of the Russian army. A fight ensues, and Maria kills Bill. At the trial, Hermann testifies that he killed Bill. Maria's child is stillborn. She tells Hermann that she will find work experience and buy them a house to live in once he is released from prison. She seduces Karl Oswald, a wealthy industrialist, becoming his mistress and his personal secretary. To the surprise of Oswald and his lawyer, Senkenberg, she quickly displays a ruthless instinct for business affairs, closing many deals with her sexual wiles and taking hard line stances against labor movements. Maria keeps Hermann informed of all of her actions, including the affair, reminding him that she is becoming wealthy and has bought a house for them.