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''Effi Briest'' (also known as ''Fontane Effi Briest'') is a 1974 film directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, adapted from German author Theodor Fontane's 1894 novel of the same name. The film's full title that was originally used in West Germany was ''Fontane Effi Briest'' oder ''Viele, die eine Ahnung haben von ihren Möglichkeiten und Bedürfnissen und dennoch das herrschende System in ihrem Kopf akzeptieren durch ihre Taten und es somit festigen und durchaus bestätigen''.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071458/releaseinfo?ref_=tt_dt_dt#akas )〕 In English this is translated to mean: ''Fontane Effi Briest'' or ''Many People Who Are Aware of Their Own Capabilities and Needs Just Acquiesce to the Prevailing System in Their Thoughts and Deeds, Thereby Confirm and Reinforce It''.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://jclarkmedia.com/fassbinder/fassbinder20.html )〕 The black-and-white film uses Fontanes's words in dialogue, narration, and the text of letters. ==Plot== The film begins with Effi Briest using a swing set in her family’s back yard, where her mother, Louise Briest, comments on her wild nature, saying that she has an aerial spirit. Later, Effi is seen talking to some of the other teenage girls outside her house about when Baron Instetten was younger. She recalls a story her mother had told her about Instetten visiting her at her family estate while he was still a soldier. However, the man who would become Effi’s father was already in the council of nobles and owned Hohen-Cremmen, so when he asked to marry Effi’s mother she chose to accept. Afterward, Instetten chose to resign from the army and study law. When Effi returns inside, Effi’s mother informs her that Baron Instetten has asked for her hand. With her parent’s encouragement, along with her own desire for prestige, she accepts the proposal.〔Effi Briest. Dir. Rainer Werner Fassbinder. Perf. Hanna Schygulla. Tango Film, 1974.〕 From there Effi and her mother began to prepare for the honeymoon in Italy. Although Effi did not want for most possessions, when she desired something only the best would do. However, just before Effi leaves for her honeymoon with Instetten, she admits to her mother that while he is considerate, principled, and dashing, she is nonetheless frightened by him. After Effi leaves on a train for Italy, her parents discuss married life, during which Herr Briest comments that Louise Briest would have suited Instetten much better than Effi had.〔 Later, Effi and Instetten return to his home in northern Germany at Kessin. During her first night there she is unable to sleep due to being frightened by ghosts. During dinner the next day, Effi learns that they are the only elite in town. Effi soon begins to entertain guests who come to visit her and Instetten. Eventually, though, Instetten has to leave for the night, leaving Effi alone. Again she is unable to sleep, causing her to request the servant Johanna to keep her company through the night. Instetten rebuffed her for this, as he did not want people discovering that his wife was afraid of ghosts, but neither did he relieve her fears.〔 Soon Effi becomes pregnant. While taking a walk one day, she meets a Catholic woman named Roswitha in a garden. Seeing that she was a kind woman, Effi asked her to become a nursemaid for her child. Eventually, Effi gives birth to a girl that they name Annie.〔 One day, Effi goes to the beach with Instetten and his companion, Major Crampas. Instetten believes Crampas to be a ladies man while Crampas believed Instetten was a born schoolteacher. Effi realizes that Instetten had been using the ghost she was frightened of to educate her, as well as a way to distinguish himself from normal men. Eventually, Instetten is unable to continue the excursions as his attention is required for a political campaign, leaving Crampas and Effi to continue alone. Soon, Effi began taking walks every day, to the point that even inclement weather cannot stop her.〔 After at least several years, Effi, Instetten, and Annie move to Berlin after Instetten gains a prominent position in the government. Effi is glad of this since she always found Kessin to be spooky. However, one day Instetten finds some love letters that Major Crampas had been writing Effi. They are all old, with the latest one being several months old, revealing that although the affair had continued right under him, it had not been continued in quite some time. After going to his friend Wullersdorf for advice, he commits himself to initiating a duel with Major Crampas, in which Major Crampas is killed. Afterward, Instetten divorces Effi and gains custody over Annie, who he raises under the belief that she has no mother. Meanwhile, Effi moves into a small apartment in Berlin with Roswitha, as her parents refuse to allow her to return home. Although Annie and Effi meet each other a few years later, they behave distantly to one another. Effi becomes enraged with Instetten, blaming him for teaching her daughter to act like a stranger to her.〔 Soon, Effi develops a disease causing her parents to accept her back home. At the same time, Instetten remains unhappy. Despite numerous achievements, he still believes his life had been ruined. As Effi’s disease drew her close to the brink of death, she requested that her mother tell Instetten that she forgave him and that she was at peace. After Effi’s death, her parents wonder if they are somehow at fault for causing her fate, but they refused to analyze such notions too deeply.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Effi Briest (1974 film)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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