The Third Generation
The director of The Third Generation ("Die Dritte Generation"), Rainer Werner Fassbinder, was friends with Andreas Baader during their teenage years. Fassbinder was also generally considered a left-wing director, so this film must have come as a jolt to those expecting to find a film supportive of terrorist causes.
Die Dritte Generation is pessimistic enough to concoct a grand coalition between terrorists and the wealthy power brokers; the kidnappings and attacks are merely jointly coordinated fodder for dada-esque jokes on society. Coming only about a year after the kidnapping and brutal murder by the Red Army Faction of Hanns-Martin Schleyer, this film must have disturbed many people by presenting a Schleyer-like character that actually helps plan his own kidnapping for fun.
This film departs from the typical Douglas Sirk-style melodrama that populate Fassbinder's career, but equals those films in quality. Fassbinder was never anything less than shocking, and he doesn't disappoint with this film.
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