Pioneers in Ingolstadt [Pioniere in Ingolstadt] (1970) - Rainer Werner Fassbinder

The film depicts the exploits of a group of German "pioneers" (soldiers sent to work on public projects) who are assigned to build a wooden bridge in the out-of-the-way town of Ingolstadt. They seek relief from the boredom of their project, and lives, through alcohol, sexual adventures with local women, and intermittent acts of violence.

Two domestic servants, Alma and Berta both see the pioneers as an opportunity, but with very different goals in mind. Alma (Irm Hermann) sees them as a way to earn money by prostituting herself, much to the disgust of the other women in town, while Berta (Hanna Schygulla) is looking for love, while deflecting the affections adorned on her by her employer's son, Fabian (Rudolf Waldemar Brem). The men see these women as nothing more than something to pass their time, with no thought of romantic involvement, and useful only for fulfilling their sexual whims. With no war to fight, they have to look for excitement, either getting drunk in the local taverns, or cruising the streets for someone to beat up. The local park serves as a meeting place for the men and women, with their intimate encounters taking place just off the pathways in the dark. Here, Berta meets Karl, a narcissistic young engineer, but has reservations due to fear of losing her virginity. She becomes romantically attached to Karl, despite his aloofness, and total disinterest in anything but himself, or a fleeting and meaningless sexual adventure. Alma, on the other hand, takes up with anyone interested, boasting her sexual prowess as justification for compensation. As both women look for their own version of fulfillment, work on the bridge continues, and while it brings the rest of the world closer, it also deepens the void between desire and happiness.

Pioneers in Ingolstadt (German: Pioniere in Ingolstadt) is a play by German playwright Marieluise Fleißer, which premiered on 25 March 1928 in Dresden. The play is set in 1926 and is described as a comedy in 14 Scenes. Fleißer based the play on real incidents, and worked on it in collaboration with Bertolt Brecht. The play was revised and produced at the Theater am Schiffbauerdamm in Berlin in March and April 1929, directed by Brecht and Jacob Geis, with set-design by Caspar Neher. In 1968 Fleißer began a third revision, which was performed in 1970. In 1971, Rainer Werner Fassbinder adapted the play as a film for television.

Stars: Hanna Schygulla, Harry Baer, Irm Hermann, Rudolf Waldemar Brem, Walter Sedlmayr, Klaus Lowitsch, Carla Egerer, Gunther Kaufmann, Burghard Schlicht
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