Broadcast on German TV in the early 70s but never before released in the U.S., Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s five-part miniseries Eight Hours Don’t Make a Day arrives like a gift from the movie gods. Not only is it a major work from the trailblazing German filmmaker—indeed, his most ambitious project prior to Berlin Alexanderplatz in 1980—it also showcases a side of Fassbinder revealed only fleetingly in his films. Generous and humane, the series may be the only Fassbinder work whose characters are, for the most part, well-adjusted and happy. That’s not to say that Eight Hours is sentimental; rather, it presents Fassbinder’s usual themes (sex, love, longing, and class relations) in a different light, illuminating hidden corners of his oeuvre.
The remainder of this first episode details the couple’s blossoming romance, which Fassbinder parallels with scenes of the couple at their respective jobs and of Jochen’s noncomformist grandmother finding companionship with a kindly widower named Gregor (Werner Finck). Yet the couple’s happiness is complicated by two factors. First, Jochen learns that the boss wants his close-knit laborers to complete a big project in less time than they’re usually given; second, the hero discovers that Marion must care for her younger brother, which means Jochen will have to take on some of the responsibility if he gets serious with her. Jochen manages to resolve both issues: he invents a new process that allows the laborers to finish their project on time, and he accepts Marion’s terms for the romance. Adulthood, it seems, requires compromise and innovation, but Fassbinder’s characters are up to the task.
Directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder. 472 min. Fri 5/18-Thu 5/24. Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State, 312-846-2800, siskelfilmcenter.org, first part $11, remaining parts $7 each.
