Effi Briest

At the age of seventeen, the radiant Effi Briest (Hanna Schygulla) marries Baron von Instetten (Wolfgang Schenck), a diplomat twenty years her senior, and is whisked away to a remote Baltic port. Trapped in a passionless existence, she enters into a halfhearted affair with a charming military officer-an indiscretion that eventually brings her tragedy, ridicule and shame. Based on Theodor Fontane's classic 19th century novel, Effi Briest explores the strict social codes and conventions of Prussian society during the Bismarck era. Intended to be Fassbinder's directorial debut but delayed because of it's grand scale, the film was not released until 1974. (official distributor synopsis)