Rolf Dieter Brinkmann was a celebrated and iconoclastic German poet who brought the rebellious attitude of the Beat Movement to Europe in the early Sixties. Having no use for the sentimental poetry and burdens of moral responsibility that permeated post-war German, Brinkmann's verse depicted contemporary life with a bold immediacy which also informed his work in film, photography, visual art and audio collage. Brinkmann's life outside of the public eye was every bit as turbulent as his public image, though in different ways -- he had a stormy relationship with his wife and their son was severely handicapped. Filmmaker Harald Bergmann wrote and directed Brinkmanns Zorn (aka Brinkmann's Wrath), a biographical drama which stars Eckhard Rhode as Brinkmann and Alexandra Finder as his spouse. Brinkmanns Zorn was screened in competition at the 2007 Rotterdam International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
