Women's Portraits

Brigitte Pfeifer

“It is never too late for a pleasant fling”

I want to tell all women:” It is never too late for a pleasant fling! Only courage!” Self esteem can be learnt! Says Brigitte Pfeiffer, member of the remembrance- theatre group “que sera” and protagonist in the film “Passion of Women”, during her interview, conducted in her flat in the 19th district of Vienna that has also been her residential area since she was born.

Irmgard: How did you get to the theatre group “que sera” and how did you become the protagonist in the film “Passion of Women”?

Pfeiffer: I read the following advert in a newspaper: “We are looking for elder people who like to tell of their lives, and because I have always been interested in new challenges, I just answered. There were six remembrance theatre groups. We were lucky that we had a former actor and film director as our director. He had incredible wonderful ideas. He challenged us to tell something from our childhood and youth, sometimes he inquired and then he made scenes out if it. We had six performances, also at the Wiener Künstlerhaustheater. It was really, really nice. Due to some disputes and discrepancies the group broke up again. Unfortunately, too bad. But I got to know eight nice women with who I still have close contact. In this way my circle of friends got bigger.

I got around to the film through my so-called “theatre daughter”, we always said welcome like: ”Hello mum, hello daughter, hello darling”- people always gave us the strangest looks- because she is only eight years younger than me-but we had fun doing it and one day she came and told me that she knows this film maker who wants to make the film “Passion of Women”. She is looking for protagonists that want to participate. With passion I connect many things, for example the choir, I like to sing, music is very important for me, I like to cook for my family, I like to undertake things with my grandchildren and this passion is also something really beautiful. I said that I will participate. They will tell me what I have to do. Anyway, so I joined in. The director of the film led us affectionately. She asked us questions that you don’t hear in the film. When we watched the film together for the first time I actually was astonished what I actually talked about, if they would have presented me that in the screenplay I would have said “no”, there were really intimate statements from me included, that I would not have said otherwise. But after three years working together we knew each other so well, so I even talked about my orgasm. I definitely would have not said it if they had predetermined that (laughter). But it was really interesting and it got even more interesting and I gained some really nice dear friends.

Irmgard: What did you want to put across with the theatre?

Pfeiffer: First I participated without any major motivation. remembrance theatre is international and came here really late. During acting and generally afterwards I realize that we have to bring  former realities of life and expressions closer to young people, the ones that they don’t know anymore. One of our performances was called “Bassena Blues” . In this play  women meet shortly after the bridge called Reichsbrücke has collapsed, Niki Lauda just had his accident, just terrible, anyway none of the young people knows the so called communal water taps anymore. Or when I spent my childhood at my grandmother’s on the countryside (Bucklige Welt), all that I experienced and got to know there which was all natural for me, like for example the mice that were running across the attic, there was a surplus load without flush and during winter it was really cold on the toilet, the young people don’t know these things anymore. I think, there are many things that should be imparted further on. Unfortunately there is nobody that takes care of these things. Even my children were often astonished even though they are no youngsters anymore and said:” Well, really, unimaginable for us..”
Once, after a cinema show, there was a discussion and I said: “I want to tell women: women don’t have to do anything-women are allowed to do everything. They should listen to themselves and decide for themselves what is good for them and what they don’t like doing. Actually this is the message to all women.

Irmgard: Do you know the message of the film director of the film “Passion of Women?”

Pfeiffer: She picked up a taboo issue and one actress there said:” The latest when you have reached menopause, you are not part of it anymore and even less when you retire, then you have to sit at home and wait if maybe the children or grandchildren need something from you and if not, you should just be quiet and well behaved and none of us is like that.”

The director of the film also wanted to tell us: Hey, women watch out for yourselves! I also haven’t known for years that I even existed. Decades-long I have just idolized my husband and our children! I thought that my husband should not feel closed in and therefore he did what he felt like doing and never took care of us. For a long time I wanted to keep up the “happy family” for the children. But this is over with now!
Crucial for me was the participation in a workshop called “Self esteem can be learned”. Friends told me: ”Why do you participate? You have a lot of self esteem.” Maybe outwards, yes. But during this workshop I got conscious of myself and then I got divorced and took control of my life and the lives of my children. Back then my children were already adolescent and we still had some happy and peaceful years ahead of us. In former times they often got to know a suffering and crying mother. Once my older son said:” There was no more time to waste that “we” got divorced, right?” 

“Thanks for the interesting conversation”, said Irmgard and Elisabeth.

Brigitte Pfeiffer, born 1941. Since she was born she is a resident in the 19th district of Vienna. She grew up in a loving family and spent much time during her holidays at her grandparents on the country side (Bucklige Welt).

Irmgard Kreczy, Elisabeth Zimmermann