Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s, Despair, is set in the 1930s in Berlin, Germany. The main character is Herman Hermann (Dirk Bogarde) who suffers from dissociation (where the mind splits in two). He is a Russian immigrant who owns a chocolate factory. The supporting characters are Lydia Hermann (Andrea Feneol), Ardalian - Lydia’s cousin (Volker Spengler), and Felix, the carnival worker (Klaus Lovitz).
The film begins with a cracking of eggs into glasses of milk, It’s raining outside, while Lydia in her black negligee and Herman converse. Immediately we sense a mismatched couple. Lydia is in the foreground of the frame while Herman is in the background. She is a bubble brain blonde overdone with makeup and perfume (in which we see her spray upon herself repeatedly) and Herman is an intense, uptight, arrogant man.
His mind is split in two from the beginning of the film. In a scene where he is in bed with Lydia, he also sees himself in a chair in the living room as a voyeur watching their intercourse. Often Herman projects his illness on Lydia by referring to her as “scatterbrain.” He is aware he is losing his mind, but his arrogance keeps him in denial. There is a scene where he asks a stranger whom he thinks is a doctor about dissociation. The doctor turns out to be a life insurance agent who Herman later purchases a policy (on himself) from.
The theme of sexuality plays out throughout the film. At one point, Herman thinks he is with Lydia, dressed in an S&M, military costume when in reality he is in the living room chair. Lydia is in the bed pleading for him to come to bed or bring her book to her.
The chocolate factory is going bankrupt so he travels to another for a possible merger. Merger is pronounced “Murder” by Lydia and the other chocolate factory owner. Whether this gives Herman an idea or a sign to us of what is to come in the film – I’m not quite sure. The other owner throws him out.
Herman’s despair grows at this point becoming unbearable. He pictures himself trapped. He is trapped in a lousy business with a dim wit of a wife. As he walks to the train, he walks past a carnival. He spies a worker who he also pictures as being trapped (in glass doors) like himself. he tells the carnival worker (Felix) that he has his face. Herman believes they are one and strikes up a friendship with him. They plan a meeting on a park bench after Herman goes back home. Herman throws him a line about being a film star and needing a double. Felix knows this is bull. Herman hires him for money to pose as him. Felix assumes it’s for a robbery that Herman is going to commit. Herman dresses Felix up like himself down to clipping his hair, fingernails, and toenails. Herman murders him believing that other people will think it is him and in the meantime he can collect on his insurance policy via Lydia. What Herman fails to realize is that Felix looks nothing like him.
Adalian (Lydia’s cousin – who is an artist) earlier in the film is sent to a small town by Herman. After the murder Herman forgets Adalian is in the small town shows up to hide out there. Adalian spies him form a window while he is painting. Knowing that the police are looking for Herman, Adalian notifies them of his whereabouts. The police arrest Herman. Herman starts mumbling about being an actor and that he is in a film. He is escorted out of his room and the film ends.
Despair is a film about a man’s plunge into psychotic illness. Herman’s bizarre behavior bears testimony to us that he is a sick man. The focus in this film is on the dialogue. Without the dialogue, this film would be very exhausting to watch. The dialogue comes mostly from Herman. The other characters just babble. This makes us relate more to Herman and his despair. Poor Herman, a once brilliant man surrounded by ignorance. That could drive anyone insane.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment