Considered one of the seminal works of the German new wave of the '70s, Rainer Werner Fassbinder's Ali: Fear Eats the Soul gets the treatment it deserves from Criterion on this DVD release. The film has been remastered and has never before looked or sounded this good on home video. The English subtitles have been retranslated and are better than they are on any other video edition of the film. Supplemental materials include an introduction from Todd Haynes, whose award-winning Far From Heaven took its inspiration from the same films that inspired Fassbinder to make Ali. Haynes' comments are cogent and incisive. An episode of the BBC series Omnibus dealing with Fassbinder and his contemporaries (Werner Herzog, Wim Wenders, and others) is a fascinating look at how one culture looks at another country's films. Interviews with lead actress Brigitte Mira and editor Thea Eym่sz offer insights into both the film and Fassbinder's legendary work habits. A clip from Fassbinder's The American Soldier, and the original theatrical trailer round out this typically flawless Criterion title.