Despair (1978)
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- 1h 59min
- Drama, History
- 19 May 1978 (West Germany)
- Movie
In early-1930s Berlin, an elegant Russian émigré and eccentric chocolatier convinces himself that he has seen his doppelgänger, and hatches a murderous plan to trade his existence for an entirely new one. Will he get over the deep despair?
Director:
Writers:
Awards:
- 3 wins & 1 nomination.
- See more »
Photos and Videos
Complete, Cast awaiting verification
| Dirk Bogarde | ... |
Herman
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| Andréa Ferréol | ... |
Lydia
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| Klaus Löwitsch | ... |
Felix
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| Volker Spengler | ... |
Ardalion
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Armin Meier | ... |
Silverman / Sergeant Brown / Foreman
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| Peter Kern | ... |
Müller
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| Adrian Hoven | ... |
Inspector Schelling
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| Alexander Allerson | ... |
Mayer
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| Hark Bohm | ... |
Doctor
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| Roger Fritz | ... |
Inspector Braun
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| Gottfried John | ... |
Perebrodov
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Y Sa Lo | ... |
Elsie
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Lilo Pempeit | ... |
Secretary Schmidt
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| Ingrid Caven | ... |
Hotel Manager
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Voli Geiler | ... |
1st Landlady
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| Isolde Barth | ... |
2nd Landlady
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| Bernhard Wicki | ... |
Orlovius
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| Rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Harry Baer | ... |
Innkeeper (uncredited)
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Gitty Djamal | ... |
Woman in Pension (uncredited)
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Osman Ragheb | ... |
Post Office Clerk (uncredited)
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Directed by
| Rainer Werner Fassbinder | ||
Written by
| Tom Stoppard | ... | (screenplay) |
| Vladimir Nabokov | ... | (novel "Otchayaniye") |
Produced by
| Lutz Hengst | ... | production executive |
| Peter Märthesheimer | ... | producer |
Music by
| Peer Raben | ||
Cinematography by
| Michael Ballhaus | ... | director of photography |
Editing by
| Rainer Werner Fassbinder | ... | (as Franz Walsch) |
| Juliane Lorenz | ||
Editorial Department
| Christine Fritz | ... | assistant editor |
Production Design by
| Rolf Zehetbauer | ||
Art Direction by
| Jochen Schumacher | ||
| Herbert Strabel | ||
Set Decoration by
| Kathrin Brunner | ||
| Jochen Schumacher | ||
| Herbert Strabel | ||
Costume Design by
| Dagmar Schauberger | ||
Makeup Department
| Peter Knöpfle | ... | makeup artist |
| Anni Nöbauer | ... | makeup artist (as Anny Nöbauer) |
Production Management
| Don French | ... | unit manager |
| Wulf Gasthaus | ... | unit manager |
| Dieter Minx | ... | production supervisor |
| Lutz Winter | ... | unit manager |
Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
| Harry Baer | ... | assistant director |
Art Department
| Klaus Meyenberg | ... | props |
| Ulrich Wendt | ... | props |
Sound Department
| Milan Bor | ... | sound mixer |
| John Stevenson | ... | boom operator |
| Guy Villette | ... | sound engineer |
| Jim Willis | ... | sound mixer (as James Willis) |
Camera and Electrical Department
| Michael J. Jacobs | ... | special unit photographer |
| Otto Kirchhoff | ... | camera assistant |
| Horst Knechtel | ... | camera assistant |
| Karl-Heinz Vogelmann | ... | still photographer (as Karl Heinz Vogelmann) |
Costume and Wardrobe Department
| Karin Geuer | ... | wardrobe |
| Georg Kuhn | ... | wardrobe |
Script and Continuity Department
| Elke Vogt | ... | script supervisor |
Additional Crew
| Patricia Johnson | ... | publicist |
| Osman Ragheb | ... | dialogue supervisor |
| Kerstin De Ahna | ... | voice dubbing: Ingrid Caven (uncredited) |
Thanks
| Antonin Artaud | ... | dedicatee |
| Vincent van Gogh | ... | dedicatee |
| Unica Zürn | ... | dedicatee |
Production Companies
- Bavaria Atelier
- Bavaria Film
- Filmverlag der Autoren
- NF Geria Filmgesellshaft GmbH
- Société Française de Production (SFP)
Distributors
- Filmverlag der Autoren (1978) (West Germany) (theatrical)
- Gala Film Distributors (1978) (United Kingdom) (theatrical)
- Sandrew Film & Teater AB (1978) (Sweden) (theatrical)
- Mundial Filmes (1979) (Portugal) (theatrical)
- New Line Cinema (1979) (United States) (theatrical) (English-track)
- T&O Film (1983) (Norway) (theatrical)
- Syme Home Video (1989) (Australia) (video)
- EuroVideo (2011) (Germany) (DVD)
- Olive Films (2011) (Canada)
- Olive Films (2011) (United States)
- Carlotta Films (2012) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
- Raro Video (2013) (Italy) (DVD)
- The Criterion Channel (2021) (United States) (tv) (digital)
- Valhalla Films (1982) (Australia) (theatrical)
Special Effects
Other Companies
Storyline
| Plot Summary |
In early-1930s Berlin during the Weimar Republic and the Nazis' rise to power, elegant Russian émigré and eccentric chocolatier Hermann Hermann leads a petite-bourgeois life with his voluptuous, frivolous wife Lydia. Troubled about his Jewish roots, Hermann convinces himself that he has seen his doppelgänger in the person of unemployed vagabond Felix, going as far as to hatch a murderous plan, intent on trading his very existence for an entirely new one. Now, Hermann's desire for transcendence is gnawing at him. Will he get over the full-blown mental breakdown and the profound despair? Written by Nick Riganas |
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| Taglines | A "hysterical" comedy See more » |
| Genres | |
| Parents Guide | View content advisory » |
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Box Office
| Budget | DEM6,000,000 (estimated) |
Did You Know?
| Trivia | This movie cost more than all of Director Rainer Werner Fassbinder's previous movies combined. See more » |
| Goofs | Though the movie is set in Weimar Germany in the early 1930s, at 1:15:15, Hermann Hermann smokes a filtered cigarette, and those were put on the market in the 1950s. See more » |
| Movie Connections | Featured in Dirk Bogarde: By Myself (1992). See more » |