GER25 Berlin Alexanderplatz: Part 3

Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980) is a 14-part miniseries (plus an epilogue) directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, adapting Alfred Döblin’s 1929 novel. It follows Franz Biberkopf (Günter Lamprecht), who is struggling to reintegrate into Berlin’s seedy underworld after serving four years in prison. He initially vows to live an honest life but is drawn into crime through the manipulative Reinhold (Gottfried John), leading to a tragic spiral of violence, betrayal, and existential despair. Fassbinder’s adaptation is a towering work of New German Cinema, blending melodrama, surrealism, and psychological depth. Shot in muted tones with long, immersive takes, the series portrays Weimar-era Berlin as a grim, oppressive world of poverty and corruption, mirroring Biberkopf’s internal struggles. The final epilogue, an abstract, dreamlike sequence, expands the film into a metaphysical meditation on fate, love, and personal destruction. Berlin Alexanderplatz is a demanding but rewarding experience, regarded as one of Fassbinder’s greatest achievements. It transforms Döblin’s modernist novel into a deeply personal and politically charged statement on Germany’s past and Fassbinder’s own cinematic obsessions. The full 15-hour cycle of Berlin Alexanderplatz is presented across three sessions. PART THREE Episodes 11 - 14 290 mins plus intermissions Ep.11, "Knowledge Is Power and the Early Bird Catches the Worm" | "Wissen ist Macht und Morgenstund hat Gold im Mund", 59 mins Ep. 12, "The Serpent in the Soul of the Serpent" | "Die Schlange in der Seele der Schlange", 60 mins Ep. 13, "The Outside and the Inside and the Secret of Fear of the Secret" | "Das Äußere und das Innere und das Geheimnis der Angst vor dem Geheimnis", 59 mins Ep. 14, "My Dream of the Dream of Franz Biberkopf by Alfred Döblin, an Epilogue" | "Mein Traum vom Traum des Franz Biberkopf von Alfred Döblin - Ein Epilog", 112 mins