Institute History
Description
Created to dramatize, in fuller’s words, “the most important question that has arisen out of the Second World War: what is the difference between a Nazi and a German?” Verboten! maps the story of postwar America’s self-image as benefactor to the world onto an anti-love love story composed of a German woman marrying a G. I. for financial support while maintaining close ties to a Neo-Nazi group.
“The her’s fiancee is at the center of the structure: her friends and her brother are members of the Werewolf organization, her fiancee is an American official. Since there can be no equilibrium in Fuller’s world, she is bound to become a traitor to one side . . .
“With his waterproof and antimagnetic Regalia watch, (Luc Moullet) timed one take at 5 minutes forty seven seconds, one of five minutes twenty nine seconds and one of three minutes twenty nine seconds. The longest of these, he points out, is a record for a Hollywood feature film (leaving aside the ten minute takes in Rope). On Moullet’s count there are less than 100 shots in Verboten! which also must be something of a record: Straub’s Chronicle of Anna Magdalena Bach has 113 shots in all. Moreover, Straub’s film gives an impression of calm and serenity compared with Verboten!, to put it mildly, Fuller manages to combine being an action director—almost the non-pareil of action directors—with unusually long takes and incredibly involved camera setups.”