Beware of a Holy Whore

RW Fassbinder's film about a group of actors making a film in Italy is his funniest and most autobiographical yet!Conceived while the director was shooting Whity in Spain, Beware of a Holy Whore details the professional, personal and sexual goings-on of a group of thwarted artists and technicians who spend their time arguing, having sex and flexing their mammoth egos, while waiting for production to begin. But the film is plagued with problems: a great deal of money was lost when one of its producers pulled out and still many of its resources have yet to arrive from Germany, including the director! When he eventually does show up, his ego appears to be the biggest all, and he laments the fact that his actors do not understand his genius. With an extended ensemble cast that includes Fassbinder himself, his contemporary, director Margarethe von Trotta, Lou Castel, Eddie Constantine and Hanna Schygulla, Beware of a Holy Whore ranks one of the best films about film-making.