The Third Generation

"In 1979, shortly before Rainer Werner Fassbinder began concerning himself with Germany's past with his ""BRD Trilogy"" and Berlin Alexanderplatz, he took a mordant look at its present with Die Dritte Generation (aka The Third Generation), a bitterly satiric comedy of wealthy and clueless terrorists, which has been given its first release on North American DVD in this edition from Infinity Arthouse. The Third Generation has been transferred to disc in its original full-frame aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and the image is well-detailed and colorful, though it also reveals some of the grain of Fassbinder's camerawork. The audio has been mastered in Dolby Digital Stereo, preserving the film's original monophonic sound mix, and the audio is clear and crisp here. The dialogue is in German, with optional subtitles in English. As a bonus, this release includes an interview with Juliane Lorenz, Fassbinder's close friend and editor, as well as a small gallery of still photos (reproduced in too small a size to appreciate their details) and the film's original German trailer (and previews of two other titles released on DVD by Infinity). The Third Generation is often overlooked among Fassbinder's important later titles, but this release confirms that it's an audacious and effective work, and its arrival on DVD is more than welcome."