Last night at 7pm (just over exactly 24 hours ago for me), I started watching Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 15-hour masterwork Berlin Alexanderplatz. I had not planned to start watching it, and upon my discovery of the entire film on YouTube, I decided on the spur-of-the-moment that I would watch it gradually over the next two weeks. The film is split into 14 episodes, so I thought I’d watch one episode per night for fourteen days. That night I watched two episodes. The moment I got up the next morning I turned on the laptop and started episode three. Then four. Then five. Then six. Now, as I’m writing this, I’m about to start episode seven. That means I’ve watched approximately 380 minutes of this 900-minute film in just over twenty-four hours.
It won’t continue at this pace, though. Tomorrow I’m taking a trip to watch the Pro/Am golf tournament (featuring American actor Don Cheadle) and I shall be away for the whole day. So tonight, I’m trying to watch as many episodes of this mammoth film as I can before calling it a day. Since the day after tomorrow will be Monday for me, I won’t be seeing at at a very quick rate over the week, but I hope to have it finished before Thursday, as we are going away for an Easter weekend holiday on that date and I won’t be back until the following Monday.
Since I had nothing else to post today (and there won’t be a post tomorrow), I thought I’d fill you in on my latest film-watching venture, and the incredible places to which it is taking me. I’m not even halfway through Berlin Alexanderplatz, but I can say with all certainty that it is a magnificent spectacle, a truly great film neatly cut up into episodic form. With each episode I finish, I can’t wait to start the next one, and the moment I finish it, I’ll be sure to post a review.
What about you? Have you seen the film? Does the prospect of a 15-hour movie pique your interest, or make you recoil in horror? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below, and pray for my soul.
