Edgar Reitz blends the scope of the political history his film spans and the sheer breadth of the characters who occupy it better than any film I've ever seen. Nothing I can think of, not The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, not Little Big Man, not The Battle of Algiers, not The Travelling Players, is able to match the history of a country (over 60 years worth, in this case) with an enormous, branching cast of characters quite as seamlessly as this one. As the initial family we're introduced to in the opening grows up, branches off into numerous directions, and starts their own families, the film's scope continues to increase in scale. This culminates in the final episode where we see the full outcome of how much the initial family tree in the first episode has branched out (sobering shots of gravestones and family albums in the last episode contain a strong level of emotional weight). Though billed as the main character and listed first in the credits of each episode (for the 7 part release I watched, at least), Maria is clearly just as secondary as the next character and is often overshadowed by other characters in certain episodes. Making her a supporting character in her own film though is just a way to emphasize the film's scope by providing someone to remind you of the family's size whenever she reenters the film. Aside from the scope, the vivid personalities who occupy the film also remained fresh in my mind throughout the several days I spent with them. From the one eyed boy whose disability makes him a perfect sharpshooter, to the romanticized portrayal of the pedophilic relationship between Hermann and Klärchen which is born from centering that sub plot from both their perspectives, to the somewhat mysterious character of Paul who's unable to commit himself to Maria and spends most of his life away from her, to the elderly narrator who keeps us on top of the various stories and sub stories in the film, their colorful personalities contain such a wide variation of emotions which kept the film fresh, all in spite of the episodes topping 15 hours. Even the cinematography's shifts between black and white and color, though Reitz said this was done randomly to fit whichever palette would suit each scene/shot the best, add an extra layer of variation to the film (some shots also predate Sin City's visual style by several years). This isn't the easiest film to track down (it's virtually impossible to find online and some DVDs for it can be $50 or more), but if you're able to come across it, I would highly recommend giving it a go.
Review of Heimat: A Chronicle of Germany
