PRIDE GOES BEFORE A FALL
BEWARE OF A HOLY WHORE
A film by Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Then there's the story of Wee Willy, the gangster.
Goofy wants to be a children's nanny,
so he borrows some clothes from his Aunt Anna.
A red-and-white checked calico dress and a big hat.
He pretends to be a kindergarten teacher, which doesn't work out,
because the kids all say they've never seen such a queer teacher.
When Goofy gets beaten up by the kids
in despair, he throws the clothes in the bin.
At that moment, an escaped convict comes by,
Wee Willy, the gangster.
He's no bigger than a three-year-old girl.
He finds Goofy's clothes in the bin and puts them on.
On his way home, Goofy bumps into Wee Willy
wearing his aunt's clothes.
He takes the little girl home,
because he thinks the poor mite doesn't have a home.
They go home and he serves up pheasant and partridges
and a whole goose and Wee Willy stuffs himself full.
Goofy's pretty surprised at the little girl's appetite.
But he's mighty pleased, too,
and thumps his fists on the table.
Wee Willy behaves terribly, but at last Goofy is enjoying himself
looking after a child.
During the night, the house is surrounded by gangsters.
No, not by gangsters, by police.
They storm the house and find Wee Willy.
They recognise him despite what he's wearing.
Goofy's amazed and asks what they want of the poor girl.
"This is terrible. What has she done? Poor little orphan."
The police explain to him that it's Wee Willy, a wanted criminal.
And as the police carry Willy out,
ranting and raving, Goofy says,
"It must have been a shock for the poor little girl
"to find out she's a crook."
Look how he gives him a light.
Thanks.
I still think he's great.
Surely it's possible to get a number in Stuttgart.
Yeah, I'll wait.
David.
I'm busy.
Room 23.
Hanna.
It's Fred.
- They all belong to the same clique. - Who?
Hanna, Ricky,
David, Fred, the girl with the curly hair there.
You need to clean your teeth.
Stop mauling me.
And Kosinski.
They're a kind of commune.
What's a commune?
They all live with each other.
We start shooting tomorrow, Mr Meister.
Is there really no chance?
No, no, in Munich the cheque will be...
OK, I'll phone again later. Thanks.
It makes me sick.
Another repressed queen.
- Who? - Our coach.
I've drawn up the wake-up call list.
Idiot. We don't have the material, and you're making a wake-up list.
There's no need to shout at me.
I'll shout at you if I want.
Where's Mandig?
You have to wait for the supertrip.
Then a feeling of great tranquility overcomes you.
When I came down from a trip like that once
I experienced what it was like in the womb.
When's Jeff due back?
Candy!
Señor Candy!
Damn it! Whenever I want to ask you something, I have to shout.
What the hell are you unit manager for?
Don't you realise how much I like you?
Come on. Get up.
I hate you, you satyr.
You, too, you witch.
I could have done that.
Shut your mouth, Koberle.
I'm as quiet as a mouse.
He's probably ancient.
Who knows? There was a race steward in Le Mans who was 60,
but he was really with it.
- How much? - 1200 metres.
You're all bastards!
Arseholes.
What's the matter?
They're all so nasty.
Come on, now.
Let's have a drink.
Everything's going wrong.
We're not getting the material from Germany.
The cheque has bounced.
OK. Right.
Someone will publish my book.
You reckon?
Otherwise I'll start an international hash ring.
That's pretty dangerous.
Luck's on my side.
I don't know what he sees in Eddie.
Money...
Can you see him as a box office draw?
Ah, what do we know?
I do my job and that's all.
I like that Spanish lighting guy.
He's gay.
You think so?
Let's wait and see.
The place is crawling with gays.
Charlie.
What happens if the material doesn't turn up in time?
They've cashed the drafts.
I thought they'd wait a few days.
- Babs. - Yes?
Go up and write the call sheet.
Care to do some work? Or do you earn your money sleeping?
- Nothing I do is right. - Don't keep answering back.
- He doesn't know when to stop. - That's nothing new, darling.
Hello, Margaret. I hope you're well.
Yes, thanks, Mark.
I'm well, too, thanks.
May I sit down?
Sure.
The English dialogue...
Just a moment.
We have to coordinate the English and German dialogue
- for the German dubbing. - That's obvious.
Just do your job, and they'll leave you alone.
They won't let me do my job.
- Are you from Germany? - Yes.
Margaret, my German is not good enough to do it alone.
Thanks.
- Who?
The lighting guy.
If only I knew what I'm meant to look for.
The director of the film isn't even here yet.
The director has to cast the smaller roles.
No understand.
Jeff, hello.
But you...
No, Jeff...
Yeah, sure I understand...
But let's at least...
But...
We can talk about it again...
Ricky.
Come on, get a move on.
He's coming, but doesn't want to make the film.
Says he's spoken with people in Germany, Schlondorff, Lemke...
- He says one of them will do it. - No, I won't have that.
What shall I do with the bar? Damn it.
Here, give it to me.
Shall I get some drinks?
- A coffee, please. - Anyone else?
Do some work, you lazy bitch.
Lazy bitch, yourself. Everyone thinks they can push me around.
- Where's Ricky? - Down by the sea.
Who with?
- How are things, Hanna? - Fine, Jeff.
Where's the cameraman?
He refuses to work until he's talked to you.
No problem. Say, what is this place here?
The minister's villa.
Are you all crazy?
I want a palace and you get me this lousy hole.
I just don't believe it.
What is this? Kindergarten?
Learn how to make films first, you bastards.
A villa? Don't make me laugh.
If you want to get into car racing,
you have to do a lot of rally driving
before they'll accept you.
And that costs a bomb.
He looks really old.
Who?
I think he's great.
- How are things, David? - Fine, Jeff.
- Where's Manfred? - Room 30.
Hello.
How are the horses doing?
Good, thanks.
If you need anything, just let me know.
Have you seen the set?
Have you seen the set, I asked?
- I thought you'd like it. - It's not even a house.
Let alone a palace. It's a miserable shack.
But who cares? I'm flying back tomorrow.
Why?
The material wasn't on the plane.
What material?
We can't get the material from Germany,
so we've ordered it from Madrid.
Why Madrid?
Do you think I'm shooting with Spanish material?
There's no difference, Jeff.
Sascha.
I'll go and get him.
For once I wanted to make a film
without having all the responsibility.
You're producing it with my money anyway
and you're making a balls-up of it.
I must be nuts.
You all do what you like with me,
because I'm such a reasonable guy.
What's up now?
Sascha, I'm not putting up with it anymore.
I stuff my money down that bastard's throat,
and I don't even get first-class material.
I'm flying home.
Book me a flight for tomorrow.
Let's talk it over.
Have you seen the faces he pulls?
What?
It's really funny.
He keeps doing this...
You're beautiful.
Really?
Yeah.
She was so brazen-faced to me.
- Who? - Margret.
I feel really sorry for her.
For both of them really.
They're scared of getting old.
Why is Jeff having the film produced with our money?
Ask him.
He got into this scrape somehow.
You can't ask him anything now.
He's been so strange lately, especially to us.
Isn't he?
Yes?
Especially to our group. Maybe you can have a word with him.
You're all from Munich?
Yes.
I'm from Rome.
I'm subhuman in your eyes, I know.
I don't understand.
You treat me like a black.
You're all so self-satisfied.
I'm an outsider for you.
You don't let me in.
You're superior beings, because you all belong together.
Don't talk bullshit. Why not?
I can't get up enough concentration.
Oh, yeah?
I just want you to have fun. I'm not important.
I can't anymore.
- Babs. - Yeah?
OK, Babs, if you please.
OK, I'm going.
There's work to be done.
- Do you have any say around here? - I guess so.
I'm looking for a job
as an extra or something.
I may be able to fix you up.
Are you here alone?
No. I'm with my husband.
Oh, I see.
In that case...
Thank you.
Jeff.
Oh, Jeff.
Just let go of me, honey.
Kiss me, Jeff. I haven't seen you for two weeks.
I told you to let go or you'll regret it.
I have a right to, Jeff.
Just leave me alone.
But I love you.
You hit me.
You all saw it.
He nearly killed me.
He promised to marry me.
He wanted to have kids with me.
It's all your fault, you pig.
Pig.
You'll see...
I'll show you...
All of you.
You're all witnesses.
He nearly beat me to death again.
I'll show you.
You'll see.
Come on.
Two Cuba libres for me.
Sure.
Cheers, Jeff.
- What was wrong this time? - The usual thing.
Jeff.
Yeah?
Irm's in the production office. She wants her money.
She says you promised to marry her.
She wants her money or she's quitting.
Let her quit.
Tell her I don't want to see her here again.
I'm not shooting if that woman's on the set. Clear?
- I'm going to bed. Goodnight. - Goodnight.
- OK. I'll tell her. - At once.
OK, but I've no money to pay her off.
The lazy bitch should do some work before she asks for money.
Good evening, Mr Constantine.
- Enjoy your dinner? - It was excellent.
Am I going to get my money?
Excuse me.
Irm, Jeff said no, and he said you should go.
Four years I've worked
for that bastard.
I whored for that repulsive swine.
You'd have starved long ago if it wasn't for me.
He promised to marry me.
What a stupid bitch I am.
Just so I'd go on working for him.
He wanted to have kids with me,
and I believed it all.
Come on, Irm. Come on.
It'll be OK.
Good evening, Mr Constantine.
Good evening.
Want to tell me what we're doing tomorrow?
Sure.
Mike, I want an incredibly long, slow shot.
Dolly slowly through the two rooms.
Since this is the scene of two brutal murders,
our approach must be a complete contrast.
If we make it quick and snappy, and it's edited afterwards,
the audience will never get the feeling that a murder takes time.
That it's not so simple.
The woman must know at once she's going to die. She stares...
After a time, she begins to cry.
I want to dolly into the house with Eddie,
stay behind him a while and see
how the minister reacts to his appearance.
When the minister stands up, we travel in with Eddie.
He speaks about his mandate and honour and so on.
We dolly back to a long shot. Then the murder's committed.
Maybe pan to the woman first.
She's in the doorway, watching. She's speechless and retreats.
Then a slow pan to Eddie.
The minister is murdered.
Eddie looks for the woman, goes out of picture.
The camera stays on the minister, then pans past some oil paintings.
They're the guy's
ancestors maybe.
Return to the woman, a front shot with Eddie from the rear.
They look at each other.
Eddie strikes her. She collapses without a sound.
Eddie goes into the garden, lights a cigarette... And that's it.
A murder like that's a strange thing.
It'll appear really sentimental,
and the audience is immediately rattled,
because it thinks it knows people up there.
But not the way they tick.
That's what we want to try to show.
You have to understand what a murder really means.
Tremendous. But it won't be easy.
- You reckon Eddie can do it? - Do it? Sure. He's got brains.
- The lighting won't be easy. - I know.
- I'm going to bed. - Goodnight.
What's up?
The woman there.
Oh, I see.
What's up?
He's hot on that woman there.
I wouldn't say no either if she were to approach me.
- And if she didn't? - Then I'd keep mine buttoned up.
Sascha. Come down, will you?
Cigarette?
Me, too.
That's obvious. Do you think I'd call otherwise?
What's the problem?
Leave me in peace.
Is there something bothering you, Mark?
No.
Do you know this game?
- What? - I'll show you.
I knew I would come.
Shit.
The other way round.
David, you try it.
Well, what's up?
Can you fix it for Ricky to fuck that woman?
- Which woman? - The one sitting there.
She's here with her husband.
Offer her money.
She just has to tell him she wants to. Otherwise he can't.
No way.
Goodnight.
Want to try?
His reactions are amazing.
Society has made him dead somehow.
He can't react from within anymore.
Don't talk so much.
Try it with me.
If you hit me even once, I'll kiss you in front of everyone.
You little arse-peddler.
There.
- Come on. - You have to go?
- I'm afraid so. - Bye.
Good bye.
Go on, run after that cunt.
That's all she needs, a pig like you.
Let's go listen to some music.
OK.
And you can fuck off too in future.
How can anyone sleep with this racket?
Serves you right.
- My face feels like it's inside out. - Are you pissed?
- Yeah. - Me, too.
Do you really believe that?
Damn it. I can't understand a word when you speak French.
Shall I tell him?
Let's sing a song.
What?
I'll start and you follow. OK?
OK.
Oh, where am I to turn to...
Now.
...when suffering grief and pain?
Whom can I tell
of my delight
when joy fills
my heart again?
To You, to You
Oh, Father,
I come
in pain and sorrow
You send
bliss and gladness
You heal
All my woe
No, thanks.
I think so.
I would move to Spain, too, but...
I don't know what we should do either.
He must phone Bonn to send the second instalment earlier.
Everything OK, Mike?
- Korbinian. - Yes?
Bring me a cup of tea. Make it quick.
Don't worry, they'll get the message.
Give me back the cups. I need them.
In two years, I'll be making movies myself.
I may be a bit slow, but I'm no fool.
- Do you want a cigarette? - Yes.
You can be nice when you want to.
Yes, you can.
They were all scared of you.
But you're quite different.
Why don't we get married? We could go off to Peru together.
I can't do that to Sascha.
We never powder our faces in France.
No? We can take it off again.
Could you get a move on? How much longer must I wait?
I'm working as fast as I can.
Very nice.
- Her parents are wealthy Spaniards. - So what?
- Tell him about Bonn. - OK.
- Can I have a word with you? - Sure. Just a second.
- What are you doing? - Jeff took me with him.
- I give you your orders. - Don't shout at me.
When I tell you to be in the office, then stay there. Korbinian!
- Has Ricky been? - No.
When he turns up,
go through his dialogue with him till he knows it by heart. OK?
Go and fetch me a few Cuba libres.
It's your turn, Margret.
- Ouch. Can't you be more careful? - I'm scared of you.
Lift it a bit.
Still not far enough. Damn it.
Hi, Eddie. Everything OK?
Where's my coach?
- Having a snooze in there. - Then wake him up.
Do you think you're being paid to sleep?
Do you think the others are working just for fun?
They're all crazy, I suppose.
Get up, you lazy bastard. Sascha.
He should go through the scene with Eddie.
- Come on, off you go. - OK.
Can we go through it now?
No.
- How are things? - Fine.
Jeff, I'm so pleased we're starting at last.
Good.
I think I'll play the part
in the nude.
It gives it a completely different feeling.
If you think so.
I can't kill a woman with a karate chop.
Is that how you say it?
It's just not right.
I can't hit a woman, then kill her.
Can you tell me what it's all about?
I explained the scene to you in detail yesterday.
I don't understand why the set isn't ready. Sascha.
- What's up? - Why is nothing ready here?
You're right, you explained it all to me,
but you have to decide where you want to dolly.
Do I have to do everything? If you can't make a decision,
you'll never enjoy your work. Set it up here.
- Do you understand now? - Of course.
- Ricky, let's go through your lines. - Come on, then.
Jeff, you've got to phone Bonn. We need the second instalment.
Are you serious? You can't have spent nearly DM 200,000
by the first day of shooting.
- We have. - That's sheer madness.
- Are you going to phone or not? - Sure.
Come on, tell me if you like it.
Yeah, maybe a few more cherubs.
Where the hell am I to get cherubs from?
He gets crazier every day.
I wonder if he'll ever get the thing to work.
"Habla, habla!" What's that about?
Bonn. Understand?
Alemania.
Where's the interpreter?
She's up there with my brother.
- What's he doing here? - He's the sound engineer.
I said I'm shooting without sound. Send him home.
- Get the interpreter. - Linda.
Can you move a bit faster?
My God, the bitch is slow.
I want Bonn. Internal Affairs ministry.
Damn it. You talk to him.
What's up?
He says you should go home.
Lemmy Caution was always a gentleman,
noble, and so on.
What I want to show here
is the guy at the height of power.
Brutal,
cold-blooded,
capitalistic, rational,
cold as ice.
I don't want to show
a grain of sympathy for people who act in the name...
...of some Fascist government.
What news from Bonn?
- You're fabulous, Billie. - Come on.
We could marry and go to South America.
Sure.
I won't be content until I know
he's been completely destroyed.
I won't be content until I know
he's been completely destroyed.
Anything wrong?
No, nothing.
There's something up with you.
I've got stomach pains...
My ulcer hurts, that's all.
You should have it operated.
Yeah, probably. It was the same when I was in kindergarten.
I always sensed when something was wrong. Always.
- What do you mean by that? - Nothing special.
Because of David, you mean?
Because...
because he's assistant director?
I couldn't care less.
Look, Ricky,
David's doing it simply because I need someone.
I don't give a damn.
I guess I won't be happy until I know he's been completely destroyed.
- He needs to go to hospital. - Why?
He has an ulcer or something.
I'll have a word with him.
I was with a guy like that for two years.
Only later did I realise how much he must have suffered.
What's that supposed to mean?
My whole picture of your masculinity is fading fast here.
Margret. Margret.
I don't have stomach pains. No one's going to put me off.
I didn't let them in the navy, so I certainly won't here. Got it?
Surely you can act silent fear, you lame cow.
Or do you think you have some privilege as the producer's wife?
You're acting like a bumpkin on a village stage.
Katrin. You play the part.
No.
Why me, Jeff? Do you think I can?
Yeah. Can we get this makeup table out of here?
Linda.
I'm coming.
Can we get rid of that table?
Tell the workers to move it out.
Of course. Just don't shout.
Pack your bags, you deadbeat, and get out.
Beat it. Have I made myself clear?
Avanti. Move it.
I'd love to be sitting with Marlene Dietrich in a bar in the desert.
I imagine her ice cold,
like a businesswoman.
No, I think she's sweet and nice.
I imagine her hand on the table, and I lay my head on it.
I don't want to make this damn film.
Why not?
The whole thing here makes me sick.
I think it'll be tremendous.
Yeah, of course. That's the trouble.
You're a stupid Spanish waiter.
You're so dumb you don't even understand me.
Aren't you ashamed of yourself?
But you want to earn money, eh?
Then learn German first.
You stupid, stupid man.
Go away.
It's just for a few days.
Hey, he's as big as a tree.
And he looks like Gene.
It's just a bit of fun, that's all.
Come on, Sascha.
If I had half a chance...
Women are so strange.
I'm no fool.
But always some stupid job...
Then try directing, you arsehole.
Just don't be a unit manager.
That's hard work.
If only I knew...
My wife
she keeps me down
and I enjoy it.
Jeff.
I'm so unhappy-
- Why? - I don't know.
Where's Ricky?
He's so amateurish.
That's no way to work.
You have to get to know him.
He can give you
a sense of latitude as an actor.
And that's something rare.
OK. Six o'clock.
Wonderful.
The whole bathroom's under water.
Exquisitely young.
Oh, yeah?
Well, don't I?
I need the 25 extras by tomorrow morning.
Understood. Right.
You can treat me how you like,
because what you do
as an artist has quality.
Piss off, would you?
And then a new guy came, completely straight,
Wolfgang Wagner.
I didn't notice him at first.
One day we were in the hut,
Pretty pissed.
We were on guard duty.
We smiled at each other. I gave him a look,
and he said yes, and we went to bed together.
About two weeks later,
we were on guard duty again,
and I said,
"How about it, Wolfgang?"
And he just said, "No."
That was all.
Sascha, send them all home. I'm not shooting today.
- It's too expensive. - It's my money.
The bastard doesn't have a cent,
but he has to produce movies.
OK, send them home.
The producer says send them home.
All right. All right.
Shit.
Soon I'll have to explain every take.
Oh, come on, Jeff.
It's true, Eddie. I don't want to start from scratch every time.
Hanna, tell him. He plays it my way, or goes home.
What do you mean by "fun"?
We're all dependent on you.
Try your luck elsewhere.
That's no alternative.
It has to function here.
You've a far greater chance of enjoying your work here.
Try to understand.
That's all well and good, but we're still dependent on you.
And that dependency leads to fear, which we thought we'd escaped from.
Why are you dependent?
Because we don't understand what's going on.
And we're scared. We really are.
Let me explain.
One day Manfred calls
and says he has a Spanish co-producer
who would invest DM 250,000 in a film.
"Great," I think.
"We'll shoot it cheaply
"and make the film with the co-producer's money."
Then he made a calculation for DM 500,000
and there was no arguing about it.
So I thought, "OK, I'll invest the money we have from the state."
Then suddenly there was no co-producer,
and I realised it would be made with our money.
It was too late to back out. The contracts had all been signed.
That's the position.
And now even that's too little,
and it's us of all people who won't get a fee.
It's a pain for me, too.
This is Mandig.
You kicked Linda out.
Yeah. What about it?
One more high-handed act like that, and I'll have you deported.
This is Spain. There are laws here.
Am I right?
Do you love Ricky?
Maybe.
He only does it for the money.
So what?
He told me that himself.
Oh, Jeff, the world's so bad.
Here, it's Sascha.
Sascha, darling.
We're in bed together.
OK, I'll come down.
Get out! I don't want to see you anymore.
You bloodsuckers.
I hate you all.
You just exploit me, then leave me in the lurch.
You terrorise me, you bastards. You want my blood.
I hate you all... Korbinian.
I want 10 Cuba libres. Do you hear?
Don't forget you're making a film with people
who'd rather be at home without all this hassle.
I love you.
Sascha, I can't take any more of this.
You'll have to get someone from Germany
or finish the film yourselves. I can't go on.
You know very well no one but you can finish this film.
- No. - OK.
You know... the biggest favour you can do him is not to sleep with him.
It's important that the light's brilliant, almost expressionistic.
There can be hard crosses cast by the window on the bed.
It introduces an artificial tension.
It doesn't matter if it seems unnatural.
Come up with something yourself.
If you say you're making a film against power...
Not against power,
against brutality sanctioned by the state.
But if you portray it so aesthetically, in such detail,
that's not right either. There must be more to it than that, surely?
You're the meanest, most brutal bastard I've ever known.
You dirty, little bourgeois rat.
He said he's fond of you.
You know what the worst thing is?
When you suddenly realise how damn bourgeois you are yourself.
You can't have only just realised that.
Yes, I have.
But look at the films you've made.
You understand so much about that sort of thing.
Leave me alone. You completely screwed me over.
What do you mean?
Oh... I don't want to go over all that again.
It's crazy.
Sometimes I could kill you.
Sometimes I could tear the clothes from your body.
No, that's really perverse.
I can't play it. There's no motivation for it.
I think it's really hot. Imagine...
He's just had an orgasm, and dies.
What a death. It's terrific. Can't you see it?
No. You two go.
Hey, Ricky...
I don't think he wants to give us anymore.
Shall I?
I'll kill you, you bastard.
I'll knife you, you fat slob.
Stop it.
My wife's just the same.
She always decides
how things are done,
otherwise she refuses to sleep with me.
And one acts accordingly.
Piss off!
Leave him alone.
Aren't I right?
Sure. Absolutely.
Now beat it, you idiots.
Bastard.
You keep out of it. Beat it.
I'll give you a lift home
though I often walk home myself.
It clears the mind for thoughts one wouldn't otherwise have.
Just leave me alone.
No offence meant.
Tomorrow Babs goes home.
Do you understand, Sascha?
If I see that woman here tomorrow, you'll sort this mess on your own.
I swear it.
We'll see whether I can really use the little bit of power I have.
I've taken so much trouble,
and you never say a word.
I told you, what you've done is great.
Honestly, Fred.
You never say a word.
I always have to ask.
You do as I tell you.
If I say lay the tracks there, then the tracks go there
and not somewhere else. ls that clear?
You need to learn what films are. I had to.
But it has to fall into your laps, it seems.
It makes me sick. It really does.
Try using your heads for once.
It's not so hard to use your brains.
You know,
the only thing I accept is despair.
I just want to talk with the bastard.
Stop it.
If I can't afford to do that, what am I working for?
If I can't smash things...
I might as well be dead. Do you understand?
Ricky, did you mean what you said about the family?
What kind of film is it?
It's a film about brutality.
I've had enough.
What else would one make a film about?
Sascha, get me something to drink.
I've had it up to here with him. Maybe I'll go...
You're the only one. You...
I have a friend.
Did you bring a newspaper
from Munich?
Here.
There's a picture of you in it.
"The Devil of Grunwald. At about 10 o'clock yesterday evening,
"the Munich police arrested 23-year-old Gunther K.,
"a sexual offender who has long been wanted..."
It's going to be wonderful.
I guess I won't be content until I know
he's been completely destroyed.
AND I SAY TO YOU,
OFTEN I AM WEARY TO DEATH
OF DEPICTING HUMAN NATURE
WITHOUT PARTAKING OF HUMAN NATURE