The Marriage of Maria Braun : Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Director

This study of "The Marriage of Maria Braun" contains the editor's introduction, a chronology, a biographical sketch of Fassbinder, a full transcript of the film as released, notes on the shooting script, interviews with the scriptwriter and director, a commentary on Douglas Sirk by Fassbinder, and reviews and commentaries by Thomas Elsaesser and Sheila Johnston.

The film is its director's attempt to recount and assess postwar German history through the personal example of his main character, Maria Braun herself (played by Hanna Schygulla).

Fassbinder had a reputation as an "enfant terrible".

His personal life, homosexuality, drug experimentation, and enormous output (over 32 films in 10 years), made him notorious, and he had an enormous influence on German New Wave Cinema.