FASSBINDERS „BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ“ – LITERATURVERFILMUNG ALS QUEER READING

The term queer reading is borrowed from the writings of Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick. Via the example of R. W. Fassbinder’s Berlin Alexanderplatz it is demonstrated that the literary adaptation can appear as a form of queer reading strategy. The film accents queer subtexts contained in the novel. The paper investigates the means of accentuating such content. These means include narrative condensation, concentration on main characters, repetition, speech ambiguity, body language, facial gestures, music and close ups. Some of these meanings belong to the repertoire of melodrama.