Search - Effi Briest [Subtitled] on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Violence, Adult Situations, Strong Sexual Content, Not For Children Movie Release: 1974 DVD Release: 03/18/2003 Format: DVD - Black and White,Pan and Scan Edition: Restored/Remastered Audio Tracks: German Subtitles: English SwapaDVD Credits: 1 Number of Discs: 1 Run Time: 2 hrs 20 mins Studio: Fox Lorber Members Wishing: 4 Genres: Drama, Period Film, Melodrama

Rainer Werner Fassbinder's adaptation of a late 19th-century novel by Theodor Fontane is an austere period piece that may be the least characteristic of the German director's films. The titular heroine, played by Fassbinder regular Hanna Schygulla, is a 17-year-old girl forced into a loveless marriage with an old count. Living as the aristocrat's trophy wife, Effi endures her provincial existence unhappily. Her circumstances lead to a brief affair with a young lieutenant that attracts the attention of the townspeople, but not her unsuspecting husband's. Years later, however, the count discovers the love letters between his wife and her lover. As dictated by convention, he challenges the lieutenant to a duel and throws his wife out of their home. The shamed Effi is forced to live by herself, shunned by society and spurned by her family. Effi eventually returns to her unsympathetic parents, who reluctantly take in their disgraced daughter. ~ Elbert Ventura, All Movie Guide

Rainer Werner Fassbinder's intelligent and idiosyncratic adaptation of Theodor Fontane's novel gets a simple, but well-executed, presentation on DVD. Effi Briest has been given a full-screen transfer to disc in the full-frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and the audio has been mastered in Dolby Digital Stereo. The dialogue is in German with optional English subtitles. Bonus materials include filmographies for Fassbinder and the cast, information on other titles by the director, and links to related Internet websites. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide