ZUCKERBABY (SUGAR BABY)
Germany, 1985, 86 minutes, Colour
Marianne Sagebrecht.
Directed by Percy Adlon.
Sugar Baby is written and directed by German Percy Adlon. After making a number of very serious films in Germany including Celeste, the story of Marcel Proust's housekeeper, Adlon made this frothy but serious comedy about a thirty eight year old overweight single woman who works in a funeral parlour, her taking five weeks holiday, her infatuation with a train driver, her complex searching out of his identity and finding out all about him, her affair with him for a fortnight - and its disastrous ending. Adlon had the advantage of actress Marianne Sagebrecht as his leading lady. She has a strong and striking screen presence. Adlon was to make his next two films with her in the U.S., Baghdad Cafe and Rosalie Goes Shopping.
The film is full of light touches, humorous presentations of Marianne and her new boyfriend, Huber, the married train driver. However, they also talk intimately and seriously about themselves, their past, their dreams, their frustrations. There are exuberant elements as Marianne comes alive in this new experience, culminating, in the rock 'n roll dancing which ends so hurtfully for her. The film is often tricksy in its cinematic style, especially the use of particular colours for sequences and the surreal atmosphere given to Marianne's train rides, the underground rail system, her reaction at the mortuary. The film was broadly adapted as an American telemovie, Baby Cakes with Ricki Lake (Hairspray) and Craig Schaffer.
1. Entertaining humane story? About men and women? About needs, love, frustration?
2. The German settings: the city, the underground rail system in all its detail, the mortuary, apartments and houses? The musical score - especially the use of the song, Sugarbaby? (The use of particular colours and monochromes for sequences - adding to the surreal atmosphere or distracting?)
3. The title, Marianne's discovery of the song, her memories, applying the name to Eugen Huber?
4. The opening mood: Marianne, her age, appearance, weight? Her eating at home? Her apartment, bed, television? The monotony of her going to work and back? The glimpses of work with the corpses? The monochrome of the train rides - and the continuous announcing of the next station and "stand clear"? The overall effect, her frustration in life?
5. Audience response to Marianne as a person? Her being late for work, confronting her boss, asking for the holiday, compromising with five weeks? Her going about her investigations with strong will? The rosters, the complaints department, befriending the officials, their explaining things to her, her reasons and motivations? Disguises, going into off limit areas? Her finally tracking down Huber, finding out the details about him, the youngest driver - the Sugarbaby?
6. Her preparation for the encounter, changing her clothes, buying the underwear? The scent? Changing her appearance? Following Huber, watching his apartment, discovering his family set-up, marriage - and the cantankerous wife?
7. The encounters with Huber, the railway station, the sweets? His attraction to her? The invitation - her setting it up, the frustration at his not coming, her grief? The suddenness of his appearance and his good reason for being late? His helping with the cooking, the fire, enjoying the meal?
8. The affair: reasons, motivations? Moral stances - amoral? The attraction, the sexual encounter? Marianne and her needing someone to mother - feeding Huber, the bubble baths, washing him? His response to her? His not being the tough macho type - but enjoying being mollycoddled?
9. The experiences together, their gradually talking? His telling his story, remembering how long he was married, the payments and instalments? His story, his non-explanations of sport and skills, his body building? Marianne's memory of
growing up, criticisms, her relationship with her parents? Frustrations? Death - and her working in the mortuary? The revelation of each to the other? The sexual intimacy? The good companionship? Bringing the best out of each other?
10. The build-up to the finale: their talking, the reflections about their work, the dead, dangers from suicides? Huber and his comparative inexperience?
11. The rock 'n roll dance, their going? The exhilaration of the dancing? The wife coming back, spying on them? The sudden attack on the dance floor? The humiliation and the violence against Marianne? Nobody stepping in to stop her, Huber standing back? His wife hitting him? Taking him off?
12. Marianne in the swimming, floating - as she was at the beginning? Dead, hurt coming to life? The enigmatic sequence of her standing, attractively dressed but with the black eye on the station? Her future - with or without Hubert? Her going back home?
