Händler der vier Jahreszeiten (The Merchant of Four Seasons)

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Cast

Hans Hirschmüller
as Hans Epp

Irm Hermann
as Irmgard Epp

Hanna Schygulla
as First sister

Andrea Schober
as Child

Gusti Kreissl
as Mother

Ingrid Caven
as The merchant's great love

Klaus Lowitsch
as Harry

Karl Scheydt
as Anzell

Kurt Raab
as Brother-in-law

Peter Chatel
as Doctor

Lilo Pempeit
as Customer

El Hedi ben Salem
as The Arab

Hark Bohm
as Policeman

Daniel Schmid
as Candidate

Harry Baer
as Candidate

Michael Fengler
as Playboy

Rainer Werner Fassbinder
as Zucker

Elga Sorbas
as Marile Kosemund

Walter Sedlmayr
as Fruit cart salesman

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Critic Reviews for Händler der vier Jahreszeiten (The Merchant of Four Seasons)

Audience Reviews for Händler der vier Jahreszeiten (The Merchant of Four Seasons)

• Apr 16, 2016

  Fassbinder stops experimenting and goes back to storytelling, and the film is all the better for it.
  Marcus W Super Reviewer
• Mar 21, 2014

  "The Merchant of Four Seasons" is a grim portrait of a troubled fruit seller. Scarred by an unloving mother and unrewarding stints in the Foreign Legion and the police, he struggles to keep his modest business afloat while enduring a loveless marriage in which both partners are unfaithful. He drinks too much and beats his wife, but his self-loathing becomes wholly unmanageable after he suffers a heart attack and can't work anymore. He hires others to peddle his stock, but they only make his masculinity feel more threatened. "Merchant" is actually easier to watch than many Fassbinder films. Its scenes are shot in brightly lit interiors, and there is no murky musical score to endure (in fact, there's no score at all). The cast is loaded with good faces to study, and a splash of full frontal nudity (alas, the luminous Hanna Schygulla stays dressed) will tickle the audience's libido.
  

  Eric B Super Reviewer
• Aug 06, 2013

  A turning point in Fassbinder's career with the consolidation of his style as a storyteller; a film in which he explores emotional tragedy using a theatrical frame (the acting, mise-en-scène, the distinct palette of colors) to make a striking commentary on the petit bourgeois mentality.
  Carlos M Super Reviewer
• Apr 15, 2006

  [font=Century Gothic]In "The Merchant of Four Seasons", Hans Epp(Hans Hirschmuller), an ex-soldier and former policeman, is now a fruit vendor along with his wife, Irmgard(Irm Hermann). After one particular argument between the couple, Hans goes off to get drunk. The couple argues again after he is late coming home which is followed by Hans beating Irmgard. When he wakes up in the morning, he finds Irmgard and their daughter Renate(Andrea Schober) gone. They fled to his mother's apartment where he soon locates them. When Irmgard calls her lawyer to rightfully ask for a divorce, Hans collapses with a heart attack.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"The Merchant of Four Seasons" is an effective look at how society looks down on laborers and the work they do. It also brings up important questions about what constitutes a success. But it is impossible to have sympathy for any man who beats his wife, a truly unforgivable act.[/font]
  Super Reviewer

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