Bolwieser (1977)

A woman destroys her civil-servant husban by adultery during Hitler's rise in Germany.

From memory: Congenial adaptation of the Oskar Maria Graf novel meticulously dissects petty bourgeois society and ideology at a time just before the Nazi takeover of the country; an intense melodrama with excellent cast from Fassbinder's actors troupe. 

Maltin**1/2: "Studied, stylized look...Some telling moments, and fine performances, but awfully slow going."

 

Die Ehe der Maria Braun (1979)

A World War II widow seeks to adjust to life in postwar Germany.

From memory: Excellently produced  movie mirrors post-war Germany and its immorality in the fate of a singular woman; good to look at on the screen and a great vehicle to showcase Hanna Schygulla's talent.

Halliwell*: "A mixture of solemnity and irony which keeps its basic points well concealed but, despite a sometimes flagging pace, more or less consistently entertains the eye."

Maltin***1/2: "Schygulla shines in the Joan Crawfordesque role...Riveting..."