DirectorRainer Werner Fassbinder WriterLale Andersen, Manfred Purzer, Joshua Sinclair Release date14 January 1981 (1981-01-14) Initial releaseJanuary 14, 1981 (West Germany) ScreenplayRainer Werner Fassbinder, Joshua Sinclair, Werner Uschkurat CastHanna Schygulla (Willie Bunterberg), Giancarlo Giannini (Robert Mendelsson), Christine Kaufmann (Miriam Mendelsson), Hark Bohm (Taschner), Karl-Heinz von Hassel (Henkel), Erik Schumann (von Strehlow) Similar moviesValkyrie, Dreamgirls, Monty Python's Life of Brian, The Pianist, Lust, Caution, Talk to Me
Lili marleen fassbinder 1981
Lili Marleen is a 1981 West German drama film directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder and starring Hanna Schygulla. The screenplay was produced using the autobiographical novel Der Himmel hat viele Farben (The Heavens Have Many Colors) by Lale Andersen. However, according to Lale Andersen's last husband, Arthur Beul, the film's plot bore little relation to her real life.
The film is set during the Third Reich and is about the forbidden love between the German singer Willie (Hanna Schygulla) and the Swiss Jewish composer Robert Mendelssohn (a character based on Rolf Liebermann), who actively seeks to help an underground group of German Jews.
Cast
Hanna Schygulla as Willie
Giancarlo Giannini as Robert
Mel Ferrer as David Mendelsson
Karl-Heinz von Hassel as Henkel
Erik Schumann as von Strehlow
Hark Bohm as Taschner
Gottfried John as Aaron
Karin Baal as Anna Lederer
Christine Kaufmann as Miriam
Udo Kier as Drewitz
Roger Fritz as Kauffmann
Rainer Will as Bernt
Raúl Gimenez as Blonsky
Adrian Hoven as Ginsberg
Willy Harlander as Prosel
Peter Jirgens as British fighter
Awards and nominations
Of the 23 theatrical films that Fassbinder directed, Lili Marleen was the only one that Germany submitted to the Academy to be considered for a Best Foreign Language Film nomination. The film, while a German production, was one of the few that Fassbinder shot in English. Ultimately, the film was not nominated.