Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.0

Fox and His Friends Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 10, 2017

Rainer Werner Fassbinder's "Fox and His Friends" a.k.a. "Faustrecht der Freiheit" (1975) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; new video interview with actor Harry Baer; new video interview with filmmaker Ira Sachs; short segment from an episode of the French television program Pour le cinema; and more. The release also arrives with an illustrated leaflet featuring author and critic Michael Koresky's essay "Social Animals" and technical credits. In German, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The winner

I have to speculate that if Rainer Werner Fassbinder was still alive and attempted to shoot Fox and his Friends in 2017, he would have instantly become a massive target for hordes of vociferous critics. I think that an intense clash over the film’s message and characterizations would have been inevitable because they simply would not have survived the almighty filter of political correctness.

Fassbinder plays Franz Bieberkopf, a young and modest gay man who works in a traveling circus as the popular character Fox the Talking Head and is convinced that it is only a matter of time before he wins the lottery. And shortly after Franz decides to leave his dreary job, this is precisely what happens -- he wins a massive jackpot and officials from the state lottery office promptly transfer five hundred thousand marks to his bank account. Suddenly, the people around Franz become a lot more appreciative of his character and interests and he finds himself mingling with a group of very sophisticated gay socialites. He enjoys their attention and eventually begins a passionate love affair with the handsome businessman Eugen (Peter Chatel), who instantly vows to help him acquire the many important manners he needs in order to become ‘civilized’.

For a while Franz cannot believe how lucky he has been to meet Eugen and how fulfilling his life has become because of him, but then the transformation process frustrates him and he begins to doubt whether he will ever be able to meet his lover’s lofty expectations. Meanwhile, Eugen convinces him to loan his father a large sum of money that will guarantee the survival of his company, buy a chic apartment in the heart of the city, and then decorate the place with overpriced vintage ‘character pieces’ from an antique shop run by one of their mutual friends.

The film can be deliciously playful and funny at times but is also utterly uncompromising in its critique of upper class values in the now defunct West Germany during the 1970s. A lot of the contrasts that emerge and especially the manner in which Franz is mistreated actually remind of some of Charlie Chaplin’s classic films where the Tramp is portrayed as the ultimate romantic loser and is routinely placed in some seriously intimidating environment. Franz’s role in this film is quite similar -- he plays a total outsider who risks everything in the name of true love but repeatedly gets rejected in what is essentially a constantly evolving hostile environment. Obviously, the context in which the abuse occurs is drastically different, but Fassbinder and Chaplin’s deployment of social critique is indeed astonishingly similar.

There are some big chunks of the narrative that feel quite dated now -- the entire trip to Marrakesh is an excellent example because the type of interactions that occur there no longer seem possible in the current political environment -- but elsewhere the film boldly plows through all sorts of supposedly dangerous stereotypes and this makes it look surprisingly bold and fresh.

Fassbinder shot the film on location in Germany and Morocco with one of his most frequent collaborators, award-winning cinematographer Michael Ballhaus (The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant, Gangs of New York).

Fox and His Friends Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.37:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Rainer Werner Fassbinder's Fox and His Friends arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:

"Created by The Rainer Werner Fassbinder, this new digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on an ARRISCAN film scanner from the original camera negative at ARRI Film & TV Services in Munich, where the film was also restored. The original monaural soundtrack was restored from the 17.5mm magnetic track by the Fassbinder Foundation.

Transfer supervisor: Matteo Lepore/ARRI Film & TV Services, Munich.
Colorist: Traudl Nicholson/ARRI Film & TV Services, Munich."

The film looks exceptionally healthy and vibrant, but I think that its overall appearance is somewhat problematic. To be perfectly clear, detail, depth, and fluidity are enormously pleasing; anyone that has previously seen the film on DVD should instantly recognize the substantial improvements in these key areas. However, I find the new color grading to be quite unconvincing, and in certain segments clearly awkward. Indeed, there is an obvious shift towards a notably warm range of primaries and nuances that seem to be responsible for some pretty obvious anomalies. For example, there is a sequence in which Franz and his lover visit a chic boutique shop where a beautiful red shirt is quickly mentioned in a conversation, but the color red is practically non-existent there. Throughout the film a prominent light creamy yellowish/brownish hue also completely overwhelms even remote traces of whites and in some cases even white nuances (see screencaptures #7 and 17). Naturally, I find the overall color balance unconvincing. There are no traces of compromising denosiing or sharpening adjustments. Image stability is outstanding. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Fox and His Friends Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: German LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature.

There are no technical issues to report in our review. Clearly, the audio has been fully restored because clarity, fluidity, and balance are outstanding, and there isn't even a whiff of the distracting anomalies that tend to pop up when older films transition to Blu-ray without cleanup and stabilization work.

Fox and His Friends Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Fox and His Friends. In German, with optional English subtitles. (4 min, 1080i).

• Harry Baer - in this new video interview, actor Harry Baer (Philip) discusses Rainer Werner Fassbinder's relationships with his his lovers and the fact that they directly influenced his work, his preference for working-class characters, the social environment in which Fox and His Friends emerged, the film's reception, etc. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in Berlin in 2016. In German, with optional English subtitles. (17 min, 1080p).

• Pour le cinema - presented here is a short segment from an episode of the French television program Pour le cinema in which Rainer Werner Fassbinder quickly addresses the character he plays in Fox and His Friends and some of the key social overtones in the narrative. The episode was broadcast in 1975. In French, with optional English subtitles. (6 min, 1080i).

• Cinemania - presented here is a short segment from the French TV series Cinemania in which composer Peer Raben discusses his relationship with Rainer Werner Fassbinder and the original sound design of Fox and His Friends. In French, with optional English subtitles. (3 min, 1080i).

• Ira Sachs - in this brand new video interview, filmmaker Ira Sachs (Love Is Strange) explains why it is so difficult to properly profile the films of Rainer Werner Fassbinder and discusses Fox and His Friends. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in 2016. In English, not subtitled. (17 min, 1080p).

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring author and critic Michael Koresky's essay "Social Animals" and technical credits.

Fox and His Friends Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Parts of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's Fox and His Friends could feel quite dated now -- after all the country whose system of values it targets no longer exists -- but the film also boldly plows through all sorts of supposedly dangerous stereotypes and this makes it look surprisingly bold and fresh. Criterion's recent Blu-ray release is sourced from a new 4K restoration that was completed in Germany and offers the healthiest presentation of the film to date, but I have some minor reservations about the new color grading. RECOMMENDED.