That was an excellent one.

Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

I saw this movie before reading any reviews, and I thought it was very funny. I was very surprised to see the overwhelmingly negative reviews this film received from critics.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

I have to say in general I may not be the very biggest fan of German filmmaker Rainer Werner Fassbinder, but here I kinda liked his work I guess. There are some films of his I really like ("Angst essen Seele auf", "Martha"), but also a large part of his body of work did little to nothing for me. "Händler der vier Jahreszeiten" or "The Merchant of Four Seasons" is among his earlier, but not first works and looking at how he was only in his mid-20s when he made this film, it is an impressive achievement taking that into account. A wild new generation of cinema we have here, even if it is not so obvious by today's standards as the film is of course 45 years old now already. And Fassbinder's work was also honored on several occasions here, for example by winning the grand prize at the German Film Awards that year. The two lead actors were honored too and three of the supporting cast received nominations. The only one who is absolutely deserving of all the attention is Hans Hirschmüller in my opinion. His lead performance is the heart and soul of this work here. And it helps that he is in so many scenes as he carries the action nicely and even when he isn't, every scene probably still has an impact on his character. A bit sad that he has not really been that prolific in the last 30 years or just appeared in minor projects and roles. As for the action in this one here, it is okay and interesting, but not among Fassbinder's very finest. I think a lot of the film's success is due to Hirschmüller's great performance. But this film is also once again about people talking about other people, usually in derogatory ways as it was so common back then and still is today. The costume design and sets reminds strongly of Mad Men. Those were the days that the series is portraying and Germany did not look entirely different compared to the United States. All in all, this relatively short Fassbinder film (stays easily under 90 minutes) is worth checking out. I give it a thumbs up.

This 1971 film would be the turning point in Rainer Werner Fassbinder's career. A scathing portrait of a man crushed by societal pressures. The film purposely mixes 1970's with 1950's Germany in which the story takes place. Fassbinder also applies his staged and often stilted style which actually works in the film's favor. His two leading actors are outstanding, Hans Hirschmüller and Irm Hermann manage to push beyond the artifice to something very real. It has been said that much of this film's success is owed to Fassbinder's inspiration ultimate meeting with Douglas Sirk. While this may be the case, this film is astoundingly unique. The director would go on to make even more potent films, but this was the first fully-formed vision. A film not to be missed.

Hans (Hans Hirschmüller) is a street fruit peddler and born-loser. His choice of career upsets his bourgeois family, causing him to turn to drinking and violence. After recovering from a debilitating heart attack, his business finally begins to take off. However the more he becomes a credit to his family, the more depressed he becomes."The Merchant of Four Seasons" was a turning point in Fassbinder's career, marking his entry into the international film arena. It is considered by film critics to be one of Fassbinder's best films. For me, it was alright but not what I would consider among his best. Number one would have to be "Ali", and it is hard to dismiss "World on a Wire".Granted, I have not perused the Criterion DVD, and maybe I just do not understand the complete context of this film. Another time?

In Fassbinder's earlier films, his ideas sometimes surpased his ability to execute them. He was always a great writer, but it took him some time to get his style of camera work and storytelling down pat. The Merchant of Four Seasons is one of Fassbinder's first movie to make great use of color, from the bright green pears in the merchant's cart to the bright red roses at the funeral (a funeral in a Fassbinder movie? who'd have thought).His camera work was getting there too, but it was still fairly minimalist. The occasional zooms seem a bit uncomfortable at times and unnatural, but then again, Fassbinder was still coming out of his purely avant garde phase. This might be because Michael Ballhaus isn't behind the camera, but instead the slightly inferior Dietrich Lohmann.Still, this is Fassbinder, and you get your fix here. Broken dreams shown so vividly and unflinchingly as to alienate audience and drive them into a depressed stupor. Just what the doctor ordered. An early classic that shows remarkable progression when compared to his first films released only 2 years prior.