Editing Rainer Werner Fassbinder (section)

====''Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?'' (1970)====
The last of the four films Fassbinder shot in 1969, was his first in color, ''[[Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?]]'' ''(Warum läuft Herr R. Amok?)''. It was co-directed by [[Michael Fengler]] (the friend who had been his cameraman on the short film ''The Little Chaos'' in 1967). Only the outlines of the scenes were sketched by Fassbinder. Fengler and the cast then improvised the dialogue. Fassbinder asserted that this was really Fengler's work rather than his. Nevertheless, the two were jointly given a directorial award for the project in the 1971 German Film prize competition, and ''Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?'' has always been considered among Fassbinder's films.<ref>{{harv|Watson|1996|p=82}}</ref>

''Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?'' portrays the life of Herr Raab, a technical draughtsman married and with a small child. The pressures of middle-class life take a toll on him. A visit by a woman neighbor occasions the incident that gives the film its title. Irritated by the incessant chat between his wife and her friend while he tries to watch TV, Herr Raab kills the neighbor with a blow to the head with a candle stick and then kills both his wife and their son. Herr Raab is later found hanged in an office restroom.<ref name="Watson 1996 83">{{harv|Watson|1996|p=83}}</ref>