Finally got round to seeing Fassbinder's debut feature film, and it's overall pretty impressive stuff. Fassbinder himself stars as Franz, a small-time criminal who finds himself being compelled to join a local gang. The film follows Franz as he and his associates, including fellow criminal Bruno (Ulli Lommel) goes through various scenarios, including the killing of a revenge-fuelled Turkish man. The police are on their tail on this one (and on other crimes the pair have been fingered for as well), and the film climaxes in a planned armed robbery which goes wrong, leading to the death of Bruno after being shot by the police. Franz ends up escpaing with his girfriend Joanna (Hanna Schygulla), and here the film ends.
Filmed in black and white, "Love Is Colder Than Death" initially has a stagey feel to it, but soon opens up as Franz and co wander through the environs of an un-named Bavarian town. Faasbinder spends an inordinate amount of time smoking and snarling at all and sundry, and this with his leather biker jacket, kicks off the public image that he had through much of his career. Ulli Lommel acquits himself well (and dresses in a style remisicent of Hunter S Thompson in his "Fear and Loathing..." era). Hanna Schygulla doesn't have that many lines, but looks striking and delivers a much-needed female presence to the film. The direction itself is competent and functional, but there are hints to what would later develop into Fassbinder's trademark style (use of slow camera pans, "still" images on film etc).
As a debut feature entry into the emerging New German Cinema, this is definitely an important film, I reckon. I have some rather large gaps in my Fassbinder film viewing, and this has certainly whetted my appetite to check out more of his output this year. Very much recommended if you're interested in post-war German cinema.