Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s Complete Film and Theater Credits
Fassbinder was a prodigiously multi-talented filmmaker and theater impresario who was intimately involved in every aspect of his productions, from writing, directing and producing to acting, design and more.
Here are complete lists of both his film credits (including his own, from all areas of production, plus other directors’ pictures with which he was connected, as indicated by an asterisk * – compiled from the Internet Movie Database and additional sources) and theater credits. Film links are to my reviews, which include full production credits for each picture.
Complete Film Credits
| Director 43 films | Writer 42 films — 39 of his own and 2 by *other directors | Actor 41 films — 20 of his own and 21 by *other directors | Editor 15 films — 13 of his own and 2 by *other directors | Producer 6 films — 5 of his own and 1 by *another director | MORE 6 films — see below |
| Short 1: “The City Tramp” (1966) Short 2: “The Little Chaos” (1966) 1. Love Is Colder Than Death (1969) 2. Katzelmacher (1969) 3. Gods of the Plague (1970) 4. The Coffeehouse (1970) (TV) 5. Why Does Herr R. Run Amok? (1970) 6. The American Soldier (1970) 7. The Niklashausen Journey (1970) (TV) 8. Rio das Mortes (1971) (TV) 9. Pioneers in Ingolstadt (1971) (TV) 10. Whity (1971) 11. Beware of a Holy Whore (1971) 12. The Merchant of Four Seasons (1971) 13. The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972) 14. Eight Hours Are Not a Day (1972) (TV mini-series) 15. Bremen Freedom (1972) (TV) 16. Jail Bait (1972) (TV) 17. Nora Helmer (1973) (TV) 18. Martha (1973) (TV) 19. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974) 20. Effi Briest (1974) 21. World on a Wire (1974) (TV) 22. Like a Bird on a Wire (1975) (TV) 23. Fox and His Friends (1975) 24. Mother Küsters Goes to Heaven (1975) 25. Fear of Fear (1975) (TV) 26. I Only Want You to Love Me (1976) (TV) 27. Chinese Roulette (1976) 28. Satan’s Brew (1976) 29. Women in New York (1977) (TV) 30. The Stationmaster’s Wife (1977) (TV) 31. Despair (1978) 32. In a Year With 13 Moons (1978) 33. Germany in Autumn (1978) 34. The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979) 35. The Third Generation (1979) 36. Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) (TV mini-series) 37. Lili Marleen (1981) 38. Theater in Trance (1981) 39. Lola (1981) 40. Veronika Voss (1982) 41.Querelle(1982) | Short 1: “The City Tramp” (1966) Short 2: “The Little Chaos” (1966) 1. Love Is Colder Than Death (1969) 2. Katzelmacher (1969) * Distant Jamaica (Fernes Jamaica) (1969 / directed by 3. Gods of the Plague (1970) 4. The Coffeehouse (1970) (TV) 5. Why Does Herr R. Run Amok? (1970) 6. The American Soldier (1970) 7. The Niklashausen Journey (1970) (TV) 8. Rio das Mortes (1971) (TV) 9. Pioneers in Ingolstadt (1971) (TV) 10. Whity (1971) 11. Beware of a Holy Whore (1971) 12. The Merchant of Four Seasons (1971) 13. The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972) 14. Eight Hours Are Not a Day (1972) (TV mini-series) 15. Bremen Freedom (1972) (TV) 16. Jail Bait (1972) (TV) 18. Martha (1973) (TV) 19. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974) 20. Effi Briest (1974) 21. World on a Wire (1974) (TV) 22. Like a Bird on a Wire (1975) (TV) 23. Fox and His Friends (1975) 24. Mother Küsters Goes to Heaven (1975) 25. Fear of Fear (1975) (TV) 26. I Only Want You to Love Me (1976) (TV) * Shadow of Angels (Schatten der Engel) [dialogue] (1976) 27. Chinese Roulette (1976) 28. Satan’s Brew (1976) 30. The Stationmaster’s Wife (1977) (TV) 32. In a Year With 13 Moons (1978) 33. Germany in Autumn (1978) 34. The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979) 35. The Third Generation (1979) 36. Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) (TV mini-series) 37. Lili Marleen (1981) 38. Theater in Trance (1981) 39. Lola (1981) 40. Veronika Voss (1982) 41.Querelle(1982) | Short 1: “The City Tramp” (1966) – man in public restroom Short 2: “The Little Chaos” (1966) – Franz * The Bridegroom, the Comedienne and the Pimp (Der Bräutigam, die Komödiantin und der Zuhälter) (1968) – Freder, the pimp * Tony’s Friends (Tonys Freunde) (1967) 1. Love Is Colder Than Death (1969) – Franz 2. Katzelmacher (1969) – Jorgos * Al Capone in the German Forest (Al Capone im deutschen Wald) (1969) (TV) – Heini * Free Till Next Time (Frei bis zum nächsten Mal) (1969) (TV) – Mechanic * Alarm (1969) – Man in uniform * Baal (1970) (TV) (Brecht’s play, directed by Volker Schlöndroff) – Baal 3. Gods of the Plague (1970) – Porno buyer 6. The American Soldier (1970) – Franz Walsh 7. The Niklashausen Journey (1970) (TV) – Black Monk * The Sudden Wealth of the Poor People of Kombach (Der Plötzliche Reichtum der armen Leute von Kombach) (1971) (TV) – Peasant 8. Rio das Mortes (1971) (TV) – Disco Dancing Partner 10. Whity (1971) – Saloon Patron (uncredited) * Mathias Kneissl (1971) – Flecklbauer 11. Beware of a Holy Whore (1971) – Sascha, Production Manager * Supergirl (1971) – Window Shopper 12. The Merchant of Four Seasons (1971) – Zucker 13. The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (1972) – appears prominently in a photograph 15. Bremen Freedom (1972) (TV) – Rumpf (uncredited) * The Tenderness of Wolves (Zärtlichkeit der Wölfe) (1973 / directed by Ulli Lommel, written by & starring Kurt Raab) – Wittkowski 19. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974) – Eugen 20. Effi Briest (1974) – Voice of the Narrator * 1 Berlin-Harlem (1974) – Himself 23. Fox and His Friends (1975) – Franz “Fox” Biberkopf 26. I Only Want You to Love Me (1976) (TV) * Shadow of Angels (1976) – Raoul * Adolf und Marlene (1977) – Hermann * The Little Godard to the Production Board for Young German Film (Der Kleine Godard an das Kuratorium junger deutscher Film) (1978) – Second Director 33. Germany in Autumn (1978) – Himself * Bourbon Street Blues (1978) – Author 34. The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979) – Peddler 37. Lili Marleen (1981) – Weissenborn (uncredited) * Polnischer Sommer (1981) 40. Veronika Voss (1982) – Man in cinema (uncredited) * Kamikaze 1989 (1982) – Jansen * Rainer Werner Fassbinder – Letzte Arbeiten (1982) – Himself * The Heiress (Die Erbtöchter) (1982) – Himself * Chambre 666 (1982) – Himself * The Wizard of Babylon (1983) – Himself | 1. Love Is Colder Than Death (1969) 2. Katzelmacher (1969) 3. Gods of the Plague (1970) 5. Why Does Herr R. Run Amok? (1970) 7. The Niklashausen Journey (1970) (TV) 10. Whity (1971) 11. Beware of a Holy Whore (1971) * The Tenderness of Wolves (1973) * Spiel der Verlierer (1977) 30. The Stationmaster’s Wife (1977) 32. In a Year With 13 Moons (1978) 34. The Marriage of Maria Braun (1979) 35. The Third Generation (1979) 37. Lili Marleen (1981) 38. Theater in Trance (1981) 39. Lola (1981) 41. Querelle (1982) NOTE: Fassbinder used his pseudonym “Franz Walsch” in the credits for the films which he edited. See his own witty gloss on “Franz Walsch”. | 3. Gods of the Plague (1970) * The Tenderness of Wolves (1973) 20. Effi Briest (1974) 27. Chinese Roulette (1976) 35. The Third Generation (1979) 39. Lola (1981) NOTE: Fassbinder was also the uncredited producer on his other films | Designer 1. Love Is Colder Than Death (1969) 6. The American Soldier (1970) 19. Ali: Fear Eats the Soul (1974) 32. In a Year With 13 Moons (1978) 35. The Third Generation (1979) Director of Photography 32. In a Year With 13 Moons (1978) 35.The Third Generation(1979) Composer/ Songwriter 6. The American Soldier (1970) * Life, Love & Celluloid (1998 / feature-length documentary by filmmaker Juliane Lorenz – included on DVD of The Merchant of Four Seasons) |
Complete Theater Credits
Fassbinder began his professional artistic life in Munich’s avant-garde when he joined the Action-Theater in 1967. Two months later it reorganized under the name Anti-Theater with the 21-year-old Fassbinder as its new leader. (Photo from his 1969 Anti-Theater production Anarchy in Bavaria.)
Fassbinder filmed four of his original plays: Katzelmacher, The American Soldier, The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, and Bremen Freedom; he also made films from three of his theatrical adaptations: Carlo Goldoni’s Coffee House, Marieluise Fleisser’s Pioneers in Ingolstadt, and Clare Booth Luce’s The Women (Frauen In New York).
Below is a list of all of Fassbinder’s theatre, and radio, productions; each was directed by Fassbinder unless otherwise noted. It was drawn from both Rainer Werner Fassbinder Plays, edited and translated by Denis Calandra – which includes six of his 14 original plays (The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, Bremen Freedom, Katzelmacher, Blood on the Cat’s Neck, Pre-Paradise Sorry Now, and Garbage, The City and Death) and an article at the Books and Writers site. For your reference, below I have provided links to all of the free, unabridged texts available in English (excepted where noted). NOTE: You can see fully-staged scenes from several of Fassbinder’s plays, performed in English, in Life, Love & Celluloid, filmmaker Juliane Lorenz’s outstanding feature-length 1998 Fassbinder documentary, included in its entirety on the DVD of The Merchant of Four Seasons.
1968
Büchner’s Leonce and Lena at the Action-Theater (collective direction); Bruckner’s The Criminals (Die Verbrecher).
1969
Fassbinder’s Pre-Paradise Sorry Now at the Anti-Theater; Fassbinder’s Anarchy In Bavaria (Anarchie In Bayern) at the Anti-Theater; Goldoni’s Coffee House (Das Kaffehaus) adapted by Fassbinder (directed with Peer Raben) at the Anti-Theater; Fassbinder and Harry Baer’s Werewolf (directed with Peer Raben) at the Anti-Theater; Lope de Vega’s Fuente Ovejuna adapted by Fassbinder as The Burning Village (Das Brennende Dorf), directed for the Anti-Theater in Berlin.
1970
Fleisser’s Pioneers in Ingolstadt adapted by Fassbinder (directed by Peer Raben) in Bremen; Fassbinder’s Pre-Paradise Sorry Now (radio play for Suddeutscher Rundfunk); Fassbinder’s All in White (radio play for Bayerischer Rundfunk/ Hessischer Rundfunk/ Suddeutscher Rundfunk).
1971
Fassbinder’s Blood on the Cat’s Neck (Blut Am Hals Der Katze) (directed with Peer Raben) for the Anti-Theater in Nuremberg; Fassbinder’s The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant (Die Bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant) (directed by Peer Raben) for the Landestheater Darmstadt at the Frankfurt Experimenta; Fassbinder’s Bremen Freedom (Bremer Freiheit) in Bremen; Goethe’s Iphigenia In Tauris adapted as a radio play by Fassbinder for Westdeutscher Rundfunk.
1972
Ferenc Molnar’s Liliom in Bochum; Fassbinder’s No One is Evil and No One is Good (radio play for Bayerischer Rundfunk).
1973
Heinrich Mann’s Bibi in Bochum; Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler [free text] at the Volksbuhne, Berlin.
1974
Handke’s They Are Dying Out (Die Unvernüftigen Sterben Aus) at the Frankfurt Schauspielhaus; Germinal adapted by Yaak Karsunke from Zola’s novel Germinal [free text] at the Theater am Turm, Frankfurt; Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya [free text] at the Theater am Turm; Strindberg’s Miss Julie (aka Countess Julie) [free text] [no production details available].
1975
Fassbinder’s Garbage, The City and Death (loosely suggested by Gerhard Zwerenz’s 1973 novel, The Earth is Uninhabitable Like the Moon) at the Theater am Turm.
1976
Clare Boothe Luce’s The Women (Frauen In New York) at the Hamburg Schauspielhaus.
