Chocolate, cuckoldry and doppelganger delusion abound in Rainer Werner Fassbinder's stunning English language adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov interwar novel.

The chocolate business has been good to Russian exile Hermann. He enjoys the good life with his beautiful wife Lydia. But Hermann is addicted to out-of-body experiences and when he meets a tramp on a business trip, he develops an insane plan of escape.

Featuring international stars Dirk Bogarde (Death in Venice) and Andra Ferrol (La Grande Bouffe) and adapted by British dramatist Tom Stoppard (Shakespeare in Love), Fassbinder s Despair is a vivid off-kilter masterwork set against the background of the Nazis in ascendance. This DVD version of Fassbinder s most optimistic film is accompanied by exclusive bonus material.

Extras:

Documentary Cinema and It Double (70 minutes)

Image gallery

Awards and Accreditations:

A Cannes Classic and Nominated for Palme d Or

German Film Awards (1978): Outstanding Individual Achievement: Direction for Rainer Werner Fassbinder

Outstanding Individual Achievement: Cinematography for Michael Balhaus.

Outstanding Individual Achievement: Production Design for Rolf Zehetbauer