Berlin Alexanderplatz: Part 2

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 TWO Episodes 6 - 10 294 mins plus intermissions Ep. 6, "Love Has Its Price" | "Eine Liebe, das kostet immer viel", 59 mins Ep. 7, "Remember — An Oath Can Be Amputated" | "Merke: Einen Schwur kann man amputieren", 58 mins Ep. 8, "The Sun Warms the Skin, but Burns It Sometimes Too" | "Die Sonne wärmt die Haut, die sie manchmal verbrennt", 59 mins Ep. 9, "About the Eternities Between the Many and the Few" | "Von den Ewigkeiten zwischen den Vielen und den Wenigen", 59 mins Ep. 10, "Loneliness Tears Cracks of Madness Even in Walls" | "Einsamkeit reißt auch in Mauern Risse des Irrsinns", 60 mins