After they are married, Hermann has to go to war. Maria learns of his death and becomes part of the seedy commodity-based underground culture typical of West Germany at the time. Fassbinder’s cameo appearance illustrates how German culture degraded during this period when he uses Beethoven’s fifth to signal his lookout before offering Maria a stolen copy of the collected works of Heinrich von Kleist, which she turns down in favour of a bottle of liquor and a pretty black dress.

Hermann comes back from the dead after Maria begins an affair with a black American occupying soldier. The American fights with Hermann, defending Maria, but Maria kills him. To spare Maria, Hermann takes the rap for his death and goes to prison. Maria enters into a new career in the textile industry and a new love affair with a textiles tycoon, who assists her in building her own fortune. Maria continues to visit Hermann in prison, who sanctions her new relationship, until his release from prison, which culminates in the final and most confusing scene of the film.

Maria symbolizes postwar Germany’s attempt to cope with and recover from its horrific past. Many parallels exist between the trope of separated lovers representing a divided nation, which surface in North and South Korean films as well. In an attempt to move on, Maria tries to ignore her past, setting aside her morality in her quest for material wealth – another characteristic considered typical of Germany in the 1950s.

Actress, Hanna Schygulla plays the part well. Yet, she was the second choice. Originally, Fassbinder wanted Romy Schneider to play Maria, but the director and actress could not get along and Schygulla took over the role. The two had not worked together for about five years, but Schygulla carries the audience along through the story of Maria Braun’s life.

Some viewers find Fassbinder’s use of sound irritating in this film. The racket of machinery continues in one form or another throughout, whether it is the sound of construction and rebuilding or the sound of the industrial sewing machines in the textiles plants. At other times, the characters’ voices are barely audible over the blare of a radio, which reminds us of the date and historical context in which the film is set. All of the sounds come together to represent the rebuilding of Germany throughout the film.

The sharpness of symbolism in this film is what really leaves an impression on viewers, which the New York Times calls “both an epic comedy and a romantic ballad” – a very interesting combination for something as politically charged as Die Ehe der Maria Braun.

See also

Feinstein, Howard. “BDR 1-2-3: Fassbinder's Postwar Trilogy and the Spectacle.” Cinema Journal 23.1 (Autumn, 1983): 44-56.

Katz, Robert. Love Is Colder Than Death: The Life and Times of Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Westminster, Maryland: Random House, 1987.

Linville, Susan E. Feminism, Film, Fascism: Women's Auto/Biographical Film in Postwar Germany. Austin: U of Texas P, 1998.

Mosely, P. “The Historical Film: History and Memory in Media.” Quarterly Review of Film and Video 19.2 (April-June 2002): 187 - 190

Triggs, Jeffery Allen. “The Faustian Theme in Fassbinder’s
The Marriage of Maria Braun.” (1989) Available online

Von Moltke, Johannes. “Camping in the Art Closet: The Politics of Camp and Nation in German Film.” New German Critique  63 (Autumn 1994): 76-106.