Gods Of The Plague

Gods Of The Plague (1969) is the third film directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder in the Eclipse Series 39: Early Fassbinder. It is another crime drama with noirish elements. The enigmatic Franz (Harry Baer) is released from prison and drifts from woman to woman: from Joanna (Hanna Schygulla) to Margarethe (Margarethe von Trotta)-a move that will have fatal consequences later in the film. Meanwhile, Franz reconnects with his friend Gorilla (African American/German actor Günther Kaufmann) and decides to pull off another heist as his money dwindles. This film is a step forward in the development of Fassbinder's cinematic style it has features missing from earlier productions like: tracking shots and zooms; an elegant employment of multiple planes within frames; and an expressive use of mirrors and set design. Three examples standout in my mind: the set design of Margarethe's room (seen in the still above), a high tracking shot of Franz, Margarethe, and Gorilla driving in the country, and the last scene at he cemetery where three women are juxtaposed in front of graves bearing crosses.