Until The End Of The World (1991) ****
Wim Wenders' Until The End Of The World (1991), in its original 287-minute director's cut, is an incredibly ambitious independent film of epic scope. Setting out to make the ultimate road movie—a sci-fi drama taking place roughly ten years in the future—Wenders' film, which cost over 20 million dollars to make, was a spectacular box office flop (grossing less than a million dollars in the US). The film's nearly 5-hour length might prove a test of even the most adventurous cinephile's patience but, for the most part, I didn't find it an issue. I'm sure it helps that I watched the first part (the film is split over two discs in the Criterion edition), took a nap, then watched the second part.
UTEOTW really is a film of two halves. The first one is mostly spent chasing our protagonist Claire across multiple continents, countries, and cities. The second takes place mostly in the Australian outback, where the sci-fi elements kick in. The plot is convoluted but it's never confusing. The film boasts a top notch cast—including Solveig Dommartin (of Wenders’ earlier 1987 film Wings Of Desire, who coauthored the idea of the film), never more radiant here, William Hurt, Sam Neill, Jeanne Moreau, and Max von Sydow. There are many other smaller character parts that I wish were further developed.
Despite the film performing poorly, the soundtrack sold quite well. That's no surprise, as Wenders was able to enlist an amazing array of musicians (Talking Heads, Lou Reed, Can, R.E.M., Elvis Costello, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Patti Smith, Depeche Mode, U2, and Peter Gabriel among them) to write original songs for the film, tasking them with envisioning what a song of theirs would sound like ten years in the future. As excellent as these original songs are, I didn't find any of them (save the Talking Heads one) necessarily played to the specific scenes, rather just providing background dressing. On the other hand, when the cast sing their version of The Kinks' "Days" (which Costello also provided a cover of, played earlier in the film), it serves as the most important musical moment of the movie. Additionally, Graeme Revell's sad and lamenting score marries to the images beautifully.
Robby Müller's cinematography is simply breathtaking for the entirety of the film. Virtually every frame of film feels like a work of art. UTEOTW also makes use of early HD video for its dream sequences, which creates an interesting lo-fi aesthetic that juxtapositions Müller's sumptuous visuals. Images play an important role in other ways too, as they pertain to dreams, love, healing, technology, soul-searching, and addiction. In particular, the use of mobile and digital technology and the glimpse of our audiovisual culture in the film proved to be quite prescient.
Though UTEOTW struck me as a film of disparate elements, a set of circumstances that often only loosely tie together its narrative, I couldn't help but be entranced. For when a work of art looks and sounds this great, it's a marvel to behold. Wenders is a true humanist, a thoughtful director who always seeks to explore the depths of the human condition. I've only seen five of Wenders' films and I still have a lot more exploring to do.
You can find my Wim Wenders Films Ranked list here.
UTEOTW really is a film of two halves. The first one is mostly spent chasing our protagonist Claire across multiple continents, countries, and cities. The second takes place mostly in the Australian outback, where the sci-fi elements kick in. The plot is convoluted but it's never confusing. The film boasts a top notch cast—including Solveig Dommartin (of Wenders’ earlier 1987 film Wings Of Desire, who coauthored the idea of the film), never more radiant here, William Hurt, Sam Neill, Jeanne Moreau, and Max von Sydow. There are many other smaller character parts that I wish were further developed.
Despite the film performing poorly, the soundtrack sold quite well. That's no surprise, as Wenders was able to enlist an amazing array of musicians (Talking Heads, Lou Reed, Can, R.E.M., Elvis Costello, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Patti Smith, Depeche Mode, U2, and Peter Gabriel among them) to write original songs for the film, tasking them with envisioning what a song of theirs would sound like ten years in the future. As excellent as these original songs are, I didn't find any of them (save the Talking Heads one) necessarily played to the specific scenes, rather just providing background dressing. On the other hand, when the cast sing their version of The Kinks' "Days" (which Costello also provided a cover of, played earlier in the film), it serves as the most important musical moment of the movie. Additionally, Graeme Revell's sad and lamenting score marries to the images beautifully.
Robby Müller's cinematography is simply breathtaking for the entirety of the film. Virtually every frame of film feels like a work of art. UTEOTW also makes use of early HD video for its dream sequences, which creates an interesting lo-fi aesthetic that juxtapositions Müller's sumptuous visuals. Images play an important role in other ways too, as they pertain to dreams, love, healing, technology, soul-searching, and addiction. In particular, the use of mobile and digital technology and the glimpse of our audiovisual culture in the film proved to be quite prescient.
Though UTEOTW struck me as a film of disparate elements, a set of circumstances that often only loosely tie together its narrative, I couldn't help but be entranced. For when a work of art looks and sounds this great, it's a marvel to behold. Wenders is a true humanist, a thoughtful director who always seeks to explore the depths of the human condition. I've only seen five of Wenders' films and I still have a lot more exploring to do.
You can find my Wim Wenders Films Ranked list here.
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