Fox and His Friends (1975)

West Germany 123m, Colour
Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder; Cast: Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Peter Chatel, Karlheinz Böhm, Kurt Raab, El Hedi ben Salem

After winning the lottery, a former carnival performer, “Fox, the Talking Head” is taken advantage of by his friends, including his new boyfriend Eugen, who convinces him to invest in his father’s failing company. In a Pygmalion-like transformation, Fox struggles to climb the social ladder and impress his pretentious acquaintances, who really are only interested in his money. As a tragic character in this poignant melodrama, it is difficult to completely pity Fox, as he, though ignorant, was a willing partner in his own demise (Klaus Ming February 2016).