Margit Carstensen

Actor

Margit Carstensen is one of the most distinctive faces of German cinema in the second half of the 20th century. Her career is closely linked to influential roles in the work of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, which gave her an unmistakable position in European auteur cinema early on. Her acting is characterized by a mixture of emotional precision and strong stage presence, which has earned her high acclaim in both film and theater. Her film appearances include 100 YEARS OF ADOLF HITLER from 1989, directed by Christoph Schlingensief. The experimental project shows her in a radically staged ensemble film that expressively depicts the last hours in the Führer's bunker and is still considered one of the most controversial works of German underground cinema. Her cinematic profile is also marked by central roles in important Fassbinder productions. These include The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant from 1972, an internationally acclaimed film in which she played the leading role. Her appearances in Martha from 1974 and Mother Küster's Journey to Heaven from 1975 are also well documented. With Chinese Roulette from 1976, she was once again part of a film that embodies Fassbinder's specific signature of psychological escalation. She also played an essential role in Fear of Fear from 1975, expanding her spectrum within contemporary German television. With these works, Margit Carstensen built up a filmography over decades that is among the most influential in postwar German culture. Her contributions to historically significant films have made her a defining representative of a radically narrated, modern auteur cinema.

Films on Sooner

100 Years Of Adolf Hitler: The Last Hour In The Führerbunker

1989

55 mins

Comedy, Drama

Reality TV from the Führer's bunker, not as a historically accurate documentary, but as an obscene performance: only a few minutes left until the end.