Title: Is it camp or is it serious....
Product review: This was Fassbinder's final film, and I didn't like very much about it. I saw in a pan and scan VHS copy, and thought it was one of the silliest, most pretentious things I've ever seen. Seeing it in a widescreen DVD has altered my opinion only slightly. I do love the photography and the hilarious set design, which is overly phallic and rivals Ken Russell's films. It's hard to tell whether Fassbinder meant this as camp or as a serious film. The performances are really over the top, especially Hanno Poschl and Franco Nero's performances. There's a hilarious scene in which Poschl and Querelle (Brad Davis) are fighting, and they are interrupted by Jesus carrying the cross. The film is very homoerotic, more so than any other Fassbinder film, but it doesn't make it any better or more interesting. It's a shame this was his final film, but it doesn't diminish his legacy at all...
Would you say this review depicts the product in a flattering or unflattering light?
