Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Satan's Brew Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 17, 2023

Note: This film is available on Blu-ray as part of Arrow's The Rainer Werner Fassbinder Collection: Volume 3.

Arrow has been curating interesting collections of Rainer Werner Fassbinder films courtesy of both The Rainer Werner Fassbinder Collection: Volume 1 and The Rainer Werner Fassbinder Collection: Volume 2, and now with this latest third volume. The first two editions offered some of Fassbinder's better known efforts like The Marriage of Maria Braun and The Merchant of Four Seasons, and while this third collection offers titles that will no doubt be known by Fassbinder aficionados, it might present more "cult"-ish productions.

It's kind of interesting that initial perceptions of Rainer Werner Fassbinder may not include humor as one of his guiding principals, because even some of his most serious works can have rather scabrous comedy running through them, if at times beneath the surface. Satan's Brew kind of throws caution to the comedic winds, though, finding Fassbinder "going for the gusto" in a story that has certain "meta" implications, and which addresses some aspects of both literary worth and theatrical sensibility, all within a bizarre context involving a celebrated poet named Walter Kranz (Kurt Raab), who, considering he soon is beset with almost Job level problems, might be a sympathetic character if he weren't such an out and out jerk. And, it turns out, either intentionally or unintentionally, a plagiarist, which leads to a whole gonzo subplot where he tries to convince people he's the reincarnation of the guy he's ripping off.

This is Fassbinder at his most unhinged, and the film is stuffed full of morally ambiguous (some might argue reprehensible) characters, all out for their own advancement, but all thrust together in unexpected and often extremely chaotic ways. While there are threats to life and limb (to say the least), the fact that the film treats these issues as "minor inconveniences" may be a clue as to how best to approach this wacky exploration of pitch black humor.

Satan's Brew Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Satan's Brew is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Arrow Video with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. Arrow's insert booklet groups the films together in its informational verbiage about the restorations, as follows:

All films are presented in their original aspect ratios of 1.37:1* with mono sound. The restorations for The American Soldier, Gods of the Plague, Mother Kusters Goes to Heaven and Satan's Brew were produced and provided by the Rainer Werner Fassbinder Foundation from original 35mm camera negatives scanned on an Arriscan film scanner at Arri Media GmbH in Munich. The Niklahausen Journey, Rio das Mortes and Fear of Fear were originally made for television, with restorations produced and provided by the Rainer Werner Fassbinder Foundation from original 16mm camera negatives, and are presented in standard definition.

*See individual reviews, since not all aspect ratios are actually 1.37:1.

Satan's Brew features a very appealing looking transfer that offers a nicely resolved grain field, with detail levels that are commendable throughout the presentation, even in some midrange shots, though especially in a number of close-ups. The color timing struck me as just a bit on the yellow side (maybe even a little toward orange-yellow at times), even more so than what I perceived in Mother Küsters Goes to Heaven.

Satan's Brew Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Satan's Brew features LPCM Mono in the original German. While Peer Raben contributes another score to a Fassbinder film, this is a carnival ride in the sound design department courtesy of almost screwball level antics between characters, and with at least a hint of Howard Hawks-ian overlapping dialogue and sound effects. Despite the "noisiness" of much of the proceedings, dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Satan's Brew Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary by critic Tony Rayns on Satan's Brew


• The Culture Industry Needs Something Like Me (HD; 47:46) is a 1976 documentary by Gert Ellinghaus about the production of Satan's Brew. Subtitled in English.


• Fassbinder: Love Without Demands (HD; 1:47:11) is a 2015 documentary about Fassbinder by Christian Braad Thomsen. Subtitled in English.


• Satan's Brew Theatrical Trailer (HD; 3:04)


• Image Gallery (HD)

Satan's Brew Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I mentioned Frances Farmer in my Fear of Fear Blu-ray review , and in a way Satan's Brew might be Fassbinder riffing on Farmer's lover Clifford Odets' frequent "art vs. commerce" dialectic. The comedy here is often just flat out weird, but this is certainly a tonal change of pace from many of the other films in the third Fassbinder volume from Arrow. Technical merits are generally solid, and the supplements very enjoyable.