FONTANE EFFI BRIEST. LEGGERE LA PAURA

Fontane E√ Briest. Reading Fear · Fassbinder’s E√ Briest (1974) is the film adaptation of one of the most important novels of the late 19th century in Germany. The analysis focuses on the relationship between cinema and literature, social criticism and the director’s formal choices, starting with the title chosen by the director, which includes the author Theodor Fontane as an object of interest no less important than his 1895 novel. Through an almost anthological fidelity and a claustrophobic visual style, Fassbinder develops the theme of fear that is omnipresent in E√’s life and denounces how the social system (yesterday as today) is accepted and consolidated by individuals even when they recognise its flaws. In this, his interpretation proves to be much closer to Fontane’s intentions than he himself thought.