Early Fassbinder (Criterion Collection: Eclipse Series 39)

In his first feature film, "Love Is Colder Than Death" (1969), Rainer Werner Fassbinder co-stars as a small-time pimp who joins unscrupulous thug Ulli Lommel on an ill-fated crime spree. Hanna Schygulla also stars. "Katzelmacher" (1969) follows a group of shiftless friends whose mundane lives are interrupted by an enigmatic Greek immigrant. Fassbinder, Schygulla, Lillith Ungerer star. "Gods of the Plague" (1970) focuses on a small-time Berlin crook whose plans to escape his past go awry when his ex-lover sells him out to a corrupt cop. Fassbinder, Schygulla, Harry Bear star. The homage to American crime dramas "The American Soldier" (1970) follows a Vietnam veteran of German descent hired by the Munich cops to take out a criminal gang. Karl Scheydt stars. The unflinching look into filmmaking "Beware of a Holy Whore" (1970) observes a German film crew at a Spanish seaside hotel as they await their temperamental director. Fassbinder, Schygulla, Eddie Constantine star. 7 1/2 hrs. total on five discs. Standard/Widescreen; Soundtrack: German Dolby Digital mono; Subtitles: English. In German with English subtitles.