GamerTab That was an excellent one.

Bereamic Awesome Movie

Humaira Grant It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Jonah Abbott There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

Richard Chatten Some of Fassbinder's best work (notably 'Ich will doch nur, daß ihr mich liebt', 1976) was made for TV, of which 'Martha' is a prime example. It was unfortunate that the credits came at the end, as it would have been useful to have known at the start that 'Martha' was drawn from a story by Cornell Woolrich, since I would have been paying more attention, and better prepared for what develops.'Martha' is nearly two hours long and takes an inordinately long time to get going. (The presence in the opening scenes of El Hedi ben Salem from 'Fear Eats the Soul', for example, proves a red herring.) The lack of a music score also contributes to making the early scenes feel creakingly tinny & pedestrian. But when Carstensen finally returns with Böhm from their honeymoon (which includes one of the most comical and excruciating - but sexy! - nude scenes ever filmed) the film undergoes a dramatic transformation as Michael Ballhaus's camera moves in closer and closer and the colours get brighter and brighter to observe her increasing subjugation to his whims. At first I was wondering if he was simply gaslighting her; later, when he criticises her taste in music and puts his own choice on the record player, 'Bluebeard's Castle' would have been appropriate. As the film progresses it also recalls the Buñuel of 'El' and - at its conclusion - of 'Belle de Jour'.

andrabem Martha is disturbing yet very interesting. It's a psychological drama portraying a complex sadomasochistic relationship in which a man, Helmut (Karlheinz Böhm) slowly destroys his wife Martha (Margit Carstensen). There's no background music to underline the emotions of the characters and the camera concentrates on the people (the landscape - be it beach, sky, land, house - remains in the faraway background). As Helmut slowly shuts his wife out of the world outside, so as to have her solely for his own use, the claustrophobic feeling of the film grows in such a way as to become unbearable. There'a moment in which Martha realizes dimly what is being done to her, and there's the last flight to freedom, doomed to failure."Martha" doesn't explain everything - it gives hints and is open to interpretations. Many questions remain unanswered. I've surprised myself thinking about the film (Martha, oh why?) days after having seen it.The interpretations are excellent (especially Margit Carstensen as Martha). This is not a comfortable film to watch but it's a memorable study of human relationships.

zetes Good, nearly great Fassbinder about an adult woman who passes from the care of her controlling parents to the even tighter control of a bizarre husband. Margit Carstensen plays the woman and Karlheinz Böhm (whom you probably remember as the protagonist of Michael Powell's Peeping Tom) the husband. This is one of Fassbinder's better films. Jonathan Rosenbaum, who doesn't seem to be much of a Fassbinder enthusiast, cites it as his very favorite. It would rank as one of my favorites, too, but for a couple of reasons. It kind of makes its point fairly early on, especially after the marriage takes place. Then it gets a tad repetitive, and goes on for nearly two hours. The next year, Fassbinder made an even better film dealing with similar themes called Fear of Fear, which also starred Margit Carstensen. Carstensen's performance is exceptional in Martha (and just as good in Fear of Fear), and Böhm is quite good, too.

a-cinema-history A selfish, immature and hysterical woman is progressively destroyed psychologically by a sadistic husband. In line with other Fassbinder movies, such as die Ehe der Maria Braun, this movie depicts a bourgeoisie only interested in money and keeping up appearances, where love is impossible. Beautifully filmed in particular in a baroque house, the effect of the movie is reinforced by the apparent kindness of the husband and its constant reference to love.