Sets, Props and the ‘Havanaise’ in Fassbinder’s Fontane Effi Briest

In adapting Theodor Fontane’s novel Effi Briest to the screen, Rainer Werner Fassbinder introduced symbols to suggest the unspoken thoughts and feelings of the characters, underlying conflicts, and later developments. Sets, props, clothing, even a musical theme, are enlisted in the story‐telling process. Many of the symbols appear repeatedly in the film, always conveying the same basic meaning as in their first appearance. Thus the physical world presented on the screen becomes an articulate companion to the verbal dialogue and the narration by means of voice‐overs and intertitles. The symbolism, engaging both the eye and the ear, adds interest and depth to the film and attests to the meticulous care that Fassbinder took in bringing the novel to the screen.