The Film The Lost Honor Of Katharina Blum - 1324 Words

The German films The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum, directed by Dir. Volker Schlondorff and Margarethe von Trotta in 1975 and The Marriage of Maria Braun, directed by Dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder in 1979 both display issues with gender equality. In The Lost Honor of Katharina Blum, Katharina shares a night with a wanted man and she falls in love with him. She is harassed by the police and the press when she tells them that she had no part in helping Ludwig GÃ ¶tten, the wanted terrorist, escape. Katharina is an example of how women were victimized at this time by establishments run by primarily men, like the police. In The Marriage of Maria Braun, Maria’s husband, Herman, is sent off to battle. After hearing the announced death of her husband, and experiencing his arrival soon after, Herman is put into prison and Maria promises Herman a life together once he is released. Against the gender roles present during this time period, Maria works to attain wealth to fulfill her prom ise. Though each film presents it differently, both display set gender roles which provide expectations and issues that Katharina and Maria effectively overcome. Katharina stands firm, refusing to allow any of the men to control her or to break her through victimization and harassment. And Maria adapts her femininity in order to exceed the social, political and cultural expectations set for women. Men play significant roles in both films, they have a major influence on Katharina and Maria, and they are