Ali: Fear Eats the Soul aka Angst essen Seele auf (1974)
I don't know if I had gotten exceedingly spoiled with these Personal Rec HoFs and the HUGE love I've had for the films nominated for me, but I may have had the bar set a little too high for - a very good film that SHOULD have wowed me a lot more, but sadly, didn't quite hit that high bar.
I think it may have been the very wooden Ali (El Hedi ben Salem) to the point of being more a "prop" for the more central figure, Emmi (Brigitte Mira), whom I felt very much for and found her performance a shining point for this film. His stoic manner appearing more like an unsure actor waiting for the camera to stop rolling. Or someone staying still for a photograph.
I did get a kick out of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's cameo as the lazy, good-fer-nuthin son-in-law, Eugen. Along with being the Writer/Director of this bleak film of loneliness and petty, cold-shouldered racism.
What I imagine was a cost necessity; it was interesting to see how empty every place was except for the characters themselves. Almost creating a kind of emotional vacuum in and about itself. Accentuating the solitude of Emmi and Ali as they attempt to make a life together.
A very solid and very worthwhile film that I am pleased to have seen and is, as with all of them, VERY thankful to have it nominated for me. THANK YOU
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I hope you'll be in the PR IV...and there's always a next time to improve on your guessing abilities. I liked your choice for me, The Earrings of Madame de…I ranked it 6th only because I had so many awesome films this time and they all couldn't be #1.
