Tenderness of the Wolves | Blu-ray Review

At long last, a worthy digital transfer has been granted the rather grim and horrific Tenderness of the Wolves, an obscure title from the extensive universe of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, here serving as producer. The fourth title assembled under Fassbinder’s production company Tango-Film, Ulli Lommel takes on directorial duty for what stands as the his most notable title. But Lommel’s contributions take a back seat to leading star and screenwriter Kurt Raab. Both members of Fassbinder’s extensive cinematic troupe, having starred in 1969’s Love is Colder Than Death, along with several future affiliations, the film’s production history proves to have its own potent elements dictating the final memorable outcome.

Padded out with a ton of notable Fassbinder faces, it’s a wonder this title isn’t more well-known, even as a cult favorite. But its explicit homosexual content, derided as harmful and negative at the time, (plus its lack of Fassbinder’s true auteur stamp), has left it vulnerable to the oblivion. In his The Celluloid Closet, Vito Russo conflated Lommel and Fassbinder’s defense of the film in response to a crusade by the Homosexual Law Reform group with similar outcries against William Friedkin’s 1980 Cruising. The fears associated with negative portrayals of LGBT representation in cinema are alive and well today, with political correctness administered as a bullying tactic to deride, dismiss, and ignore complex and distasteful depictions of realities perhaps sensationalized but nevertheless accurate. And so, perhaps the time has come to properly appreciate this daring portrayal from Kurt Raab, which predates Fassbinder’s own most explicit examples of queer characters.

Though rumors about his proclivities are spread throughout the neighborhood, folks are slow to catch on about black market dealer Fritz Haarmann (Kurt Raab), who has been murdering all those sweet young boys he lures back to his apartment in post WWII Germany. Working undercover as a police informer, his occupation only enhances his ability to find victims and dispose of their bodies (which involves selling their flesh to local friends and restaurants). But as his partner in crime Hans Grans (Jeff Roden) begins to disassociate himself with Haarmann’s wicked ways thanks to a female love interest (Ingrid Caven) and a smarmy pimp (Rainer Werner Fassbinder), the killer begins to get sloppy, leading an angry neighbor (Margit Carstensen) to indiscriminately become involved in his nocturnal affairs.

Tenderness of the Wolves feels very much like the lurid predecessor of Fritz Lang’s enduring 1931 classic, M. Lang based his Peter Lorre character on Haarmann as well (not to mention another famed German serial killer of the period, Peter Kurten, aka The Vampire of Dusseldorf, though Lang often denied this association) and Raab seems eerily styled after the eternally suspicious Lorre with a dash of Nosferatu. Except, the glaring difference is Lang wasn’t able to portray Haarmann’s sexuality, while the actual case was so sensational it was credited as causing a severe setback in the progression of the gay rights movement during this period (ironically, decades later, even cinematic representations demand palatable versions of these crimes to avoid ire and premonitions of similar equal rights setbacks).

While the actual events took place between the two great World Wars, the limited budget forced the production to take place in the reconstruction following WWII, even though the finale announces Haarmann’s execution as taking place in 1925. But the inconsistency doesn’t seem terribly important, as the years following WWII found just as many willing to turn a blind eye to ongoing atrocities.

In his essay insert, Tony Rayns (author of the first English-language book on Fassbinder) introduces behavioral factors between Raab and Fassbinder contributing to the final product of Wolves, which basically documents the undoing of a murderous sociopath thanks to his obsession with a heterosexual counterpart in crime. Parallels between Fassbinder’s own tyrannical mannerisms, including his complicated involvement with heterosexual actor Gunther Kaufmann, seems to be partial inspiration for Raab’s exaggerated treatment of Haarmann, a condemnation of Fassbinder’s own vampiric tendencies. Here, Fassbinder portrays a violent pimp, a man who played a hand in Haarmann’s eventual downfall, an additional element of prescient irony regarding the filmmaker’s own self-administered demise.

Raab cuts a striking figure as Fritz Haarmann, and he seems more menacing than the Lorre, perhaps due to the lurid nature of Wolves. Cannibalism is never quite confirmed, but it’s obvious we’re meant to assume Haarmann’s penchant for bloodsucking was a gateway to dismemberment and most likely the supply of black market mincemeat he supplied his willing customers with. A merry-go-round of familiar faces pop up, with brief appearances from El Hedi ben Salem, Brigitte Mira, Irm Hermann, and a young Jurgen Prochnow adding to the fun. A pair of standout supporting turns are worth pointing out. Ingrid Caven (Fassbinder’s spouse, at one point) is an accidental accomplice to Haarmann’s depravity, while nosy neighbor Margit Carstensen, also adds a bit of emotional depth.

Unfortunately, Lommel would eventually move to Los Angeles and become a name synonymous with schlocky direct-to-DVD thrillers, often focused on similar subject matter. But Tenderness of the Wolves remains an enigmatic item of note in his own extensive filmography.

Disc Review:

Once again, Arrow Video proves to one of the best curators of obscure international titles replete with beautifully enhanced packaging. This high definition digital transfer, presented in 1.78:1 looks significantly restored. DoP Jurgen Jurges (a Fassbinder regular who also worked with Wenders and Haneke) concocts a shadowy post-war neo-noir, allowing light to infect the frame in various ways as Haarmann’s deeds begin to be discovered. A bevy of extra features accompany the title, including a (brief) introduction from Lommel.

The Tender Wolf:
In an interview dated July 2nd 2015 in anticipation of the Blu-ray release, Ulli Lommel recollects experience of making the film as well it’s reception, an opportunity arising out of Fassbinder having government money which needed to be spent before the end of the year.

Photographing Fritz:
From this interview dated July 23, 2015, DoP Jurgen Jurges discusses his memories of making the film, including the volatile relationship between Kurt Raab and Fassbinder. The twenty-four minute segment finds Jurges relating how he became involved with project, which he sites as his second job as a cinematographer.

An Appreciation by Stephen Thrower:
A forty minute feature finds Stephen Thrower, author of Murderous Passions: The Delirious Cinema of Jesus Franco, discussing the career of Ulli Lommel and his particular admiration for Tenderness of the Wolves.

Haarmann’s Victim Talks:
Actor Rainer Will, who was only 17 at the time the film was made, shares his memories from the set. This sixteen minute interview was conducted in July of 2015 for this release.

Final Thoughts:

Though audiences are perhaps desensitized to the subject matter at hand, Tenderness of the Wolves remains a chilling and gruesomely effective film thanks to Raab’s superb performance matched by the title’s textured, gritty ambience (including the use of young children). Though its success as an empathetic portrait of Haarmann is arguable, Lommel manages to convey a basic tenet of the human condition—the nagging predictability of yearning over what we cannot control.

Film Review: ★★★½/☆☆☆☆☆
Disc Review: ★★★★/☆☆☆☆☆