Criterion Reflections is David Blakeslee’s ongoing project to watch all of the films included in the Criterion Collection in chronological order of their original release. Each episode of this second season of the podcast features conversations with a variety of guests offering insights on movies that originally premiered in 1970 and were destined to eventually bear the Criterion imprint. In this episode, David is joined by William Remmers to discuss Volker Schlöndorff’s Baal, starring Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Margarethe von Trotta, based on a 1919 stage play written by Bertolt Brecht.

Episode Links:

Volker Schlöndorff

VolkerSchloendorff.com (official)

Criterion

Deutsche Welle

European Graduate School

Society of Audiovisual Authors

Wikipedia

Bertolt Brecht

Criterion

Encyclopedia Brittanica

Holocaust Encyclopedia

Poetry Foundation

Spartacus Educational

Theatre Database

Wikipedia

Reviews

Film Blerg

Film Gazette (German)

Hard Sensations (German)

MUBI

Splatting Image (German)

Sydney Morning Herald

Opening scene of Baal, featuring the vocal styling of Rainer Werner Fassbinder:

David Bowie’s performance as Baal, as directed by Alan Clarke:

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ZATOICHI MEETS YOJIMBO

MORE!

Criterion Reflections blog (1922 – 1967)

Criterion Reflections columns on CriterionCast (1968)

The Eclipse Viewer

A Journey Through the Eclipse Series

CONTACT US:

David Blakeslee [ Twitter / Website  / Facebook ]

William Remmers [ Twitter / Instagram / Letterboxd ]

Up Next:

Zatoichi Meets Yojimbo