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The only Fassbinder film actually set during the Third Reich, Lili Marleen is loosely based on the story of Lale Anderson, a German chanteuse popular during World War II for her rendition of the titular song. Hanna Schygulla stars as Willie, a cabaret singer in a Zurich nightclub in love with a Swiss–Jewish composer named Robert (Giancarlo Giannini). Suspicious of Willie's allegiances and the effect it could have on their underground operation smuggling Jews to safety in Switzerland, Robert's family conspires to keep the pair apart. When Willie's recording of "Lili Marleen" becomes a runaway hit with the troops, she shoots to fame, rubbing elbows with the Nazi elite and even being invited to perform for Hitler. Even though the war has separated them, she still pines for Robert. But Willie's newfound fame proves disastrous for both. Lili Marleen had the largest budget of all of Fassbinder's features, and it is evident in the gloss and Hollywood patina throughout. Though the perverse glamor of fascist spectacle is on display, Fassbinder said that his intent was "to make the Third Reich transparent" by depicting its own self-revelation.

M | Moderate sex scene and nudity