Der große Verhau

The Big Mess
Directed by: 
1971
Der große Verhau (Alexander Kluge)

© Kairos Film

As in George Lucas’s space saga, the opening crawl in Der große Verhau informs us that a galactic civil war is raging. While the evil empire reigns in Star Wars, here it is the Suez Canal Company. Resistance comes from the scavengers, smugglers and junk dealers, not unlike the rebels in Lucas’s film. However, Alexander Kluge counters the good vs. evil pathos with a tongue-in-cheek anti-capitalistic nonsense narrative. (Festival information, Forum 2020)