The Future of Emily (Flügel und Fasseln) is the work of Helma Sanders-Brahms, one of the original New German Cinema directors of the early 1970s. Unlike some of her more caustic films about the German experience, this is a relatively conventional drama of generational jealousy and bitterness, a picture that could well be a stage play. It’s also reminiscent of American movies about strong women in conflict, pitting famous German star Hildegard Knef against French actress Brigitte Fossey. Knef’s big break came with the very first post-war German success The Murderers Are Among Us. Fossey’s best-known picture remains René Clément’s Forbidden Games, where she played a Parisian tot orphaned by the war. The film’s original German title translates as “Wings and Shackles”, which apparently refers to the predicament of its movie star heroine Isabelle, a woman adored by fans but hobbled by family disapproval.Read More »
