The Marriage of Maria Braun film "Lili Marleen" with Hanna Schygulla in the main role. Horst Wendlandt would produce the two other films in the BRD Trilogy, "Lola" and "Veronika Voss". His success also allowed him to realize his last project, "Querelle" which was co-financed by Gaumont. As Fengler had oversold the rights to the film, the profit share of Fassbinder was an open question. Eckelkamp saw himself as the sole owner of all rights, but sent a check in the amount of 70,000 DM to Fassbinder in 1982 to appease the director. After Fassbinder's death his mother and heiress Liselotte Eder revived the claims,
The Marriage of Maria Braun and even amusing film, at the same time extraordinarily artful, artificial and full of twists and turns". Hanna Schygulla was praised by many film critics. In the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" on 23 March 1979 Gottfried Knapp wrote that the director gave her a magnificent opportunity to display her acting talent, and that her character, emotions, charm and energy had an enormous effect. The film and Hanna Schygulla were also praised by foreign film critics. In "The New Yorker" David Denby called Schygulla "an improbable cross between Dietrich and Harlow". Schygulla, too, was the runner-up for the National Society of Film Critics