MovieChat Forums > Die bitteren Tränen der Petra von Kant (1972) Discussion > Psychodrama - 'The Bitter Tears of Petra...

Psychodrama - 'The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant'

posted 14 years ago by annuskavdpol
1 reply | jump to latest

Saw the movie last night. Sat next to a woman who couldn't stop laughing. My feelings were the opposite though. I felt sorry for Petra von Kant. Her marriage ended, she had no idea how to treat her assistant properly and she feel inlove with a woman 10-20 years younger then her - just to have her heart broken. Petra von Kant seemed to know life and have control over it - but in actual fact - she had no control. And this is a universal theme. No one has control over life. Nor can anyone be shaded or protected from Cupido's arrow. When love strikes, it strikes. It can lead to happiness but it can also lead to despair, hurt and loss. The pain can be unbearable - crushing all light, being and ambition. That is what happened to Petra von Kant.She loved. Was inlove and lost. She was left with bitter tears. In a way I thought this movie was about karma. Because how she talked about her husband, with such disgust - and her feelings of hatred - made her describe him and their last 6 months together as something so revolting. Then she gets the same treatment from Marlene. Marlene may say she loves Petra but how can she love Petra when she sleeps with a random man and then goes back to her husband, taking Petra's money to pay for the plane ticket and extra money? Of course those are all details to Petra - who loves loves loves Marlene.

Annuska

[–] chuck-526 9 years ago

at next to a woman who couldn't stop laughing.

I agree this is a very odd and unreasonable response to the film.

... how can she love Petra when she sleeps with a random man

The assumption that "love"=>"monogamy" is indeed very common, but the reasoning behind it is in actuality awfully thin. Fassbinder seems to be arguing something here that a lot of viewers aren't ready to accept, that "non-monogamy" does not imply "non-love".

and then goes back to her husband, taking Petra's money to pay for the plane ticket and extra money

The point was that Karin wasn't originally intending to do any of those things. (She may have been intending to "visit" her ex-husband and then return to Petra, but not to "go back to him" and leave Petra for good.)

In the argument leading up to Karin leaving, Petra essentially told Karin "either be monogamous, or get out" ...and given that ultimatum she chose to get out. According to the movie, the blame for Karin's leaving falls mostly on Petra herself.