Liebe ist kälter als der Tod [Love is Colder than Death] (1969)

(On Cable TV, November 2021) Oh well. It looks as if I’m going to have to add Rainer Werner Fassbinder to my list of writers-directors that are formally interesting, but not particularly fun to watch. Love is Colder than Death, his debut film, is often mentioned as part of New German Cinema and is clearly reminiscent of other New Waves across the globe:  The bare bones of the story are a blend of romance and crime elements, but it’s the execution that sets the film apart — in this case stark black-and-white, with moments of sparse cinematography: actors shot against a pure white background, or an uninterrupted camera following petty criminals as they shop and shoplift in a supermarket. Violence is used in between tepidly paced romantic twist and turns — clearly the kind of film debut meant to impress by a responsible use of a limited budget, simple genre elements and an overall artistic vision. Love is Colder than Death is not uninteresting, but I gather that it’s more interesting to Fassbinder devotees or students of the various New Waves of cinema across the globe.