Editorial Review:Amazon.com essential video:Shot on location in numerous countries, this ambitious Wim Wenders fantasy takes Sam Neill, Solveig Dommartin, William Hurt, and a ragtag group in pursuit around the world and back again. Though set in 1999 under the shadow of impending disaster as a wobbly nuclear satellite threatens to Chernobyl the planet, the leisurely gait of their worldwide escapades has a distinctly '40s-era decadence. The ultimate object of their quest is a machine that records visual information from one person and reconstructs it in the brains of others--granting the miraculous power of sight to the blind for one thing, but even more mystically, enabling a person's dreams to be recorded. When the film seeks resolutions on the most intimate questions of the human soul which dovetail with the possibility of a destroyed world, the film is hampered by the VHS running time, which subtracts several hours from the laser disc version. But numerous joys, not least among them Jeanne Moreau and Max von Sydow as Hurt's parents, inhabit this thought-provoking film.
--Alan E. Rapp
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Average Rating:
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Where's The Region 1 DVD?!
I mean really - what's the holdup??? Seems like the rest of the world gets this on DVD but not the U.S.
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Brilliant
* I have seen this movie in bits on the Tele now owning it I look so foward to sitting thru it in it's entirity. A very large bowl of *hotair* popped corn...no salt but some garlic melted into the butter a mug of hot chocolate and the phone off the hook. A complex movie but wonderful concepts and insightful projections of the future, all twixed into an adorable - Love Story - ...
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Misunderstood classic
Wim Wenders established himself as the quintessential art house foreign film director in the 1980s. He had his critically claimed road movies and the well loved "Wings of Desire" under his belt. His style is hard to pin point, but if there is one word that could be used, it is exploration. Whether it be in travels or in the human condition, it is something that his characters do. "Until the End of the World" epitomizes exploration, and consequently, begs for repeat viewings.
The title itself holds so many meanings. There are two literal ones. The first being that the film involves a chase around the world for the elusive William Hurt character. The second being the fear that the world would end at the turn of the millenium.
But that doesn't even begin to scratch the clever layering of meaning within the film. Wenders loves exploring the depth of the characters, even after the chase is over, he lets us visit with them a little longer. While we're doing that, the characters are going deeper and deeper in trying explore themselves through the use of devices that allow people to see their dreams. And we do get to see this in the American 158 minute version. Although this is regarded by the director as a heavily truncated version of his vision, it's still highly watchable and entertaining.
The film is also notable for it's interesting look and concept. Wenders isn't venturing too far into the future here, but places subtle glimpses of what he felt it might look 9 years from when the film was made in 1991. He actually does a credible job and shows a genuine curiosity for science in this film.
This also boasts one of the best soundtracks period. Wenders has had some allegiances with some great bands or artists over the years. Included here are prominent Wenders collaboraters U2 and Nick Cave as well as a number of alternative icons like R.E.M., Elvis Costello, and the wonderful score by the nearly infallible Graeme Revelle.
The structure of the film can be very off putting for the regular film goer and I must admit that when I first watched it, it through me for a loop. Wenders is not satisfied with giving you merely a human drama or action story and is known for shifting gears in his films. What starts as cat and mouse chase story shifts into an exploration of the human condition through the use of dreams, looking into people's obsession with them. It makes for an odd watch that if you are pleased with, you might have another go round.
This is an excellent movie surely worthy of another look and possibly a DVD release. It wasn't well understood when it came out and Wenders grand idea probably wasn't ready for the US quite yet. I'd be willing to give this film another while, be it the 158 minute version or 280 minute trilogy version available in other regions. While many may disagree, I do think Wenders succeeded in creating his ultimate road movie - and a little bit more.
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DVD, Please
* This is also one of my all time favorites, haven't seen it in awhile, have the CD and the VHS buried here somewhere; and hoped it would be easier to finally get a new DVD version - But I don't live in Germany, I live in the Bronx for chrissakes. Is Wim Wenders holding out? It's time for a Region 1 release!! ...
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Let's get this going
By far, this is one of my favourite films of all time. I am so keen to see the diecrto's cut - I would be willing to spend a day or two watching it with no problem - so I bought the VHS tape, but I would happily have bought a no-frills DVD (like the one I have for Deliverance, among others) just to have this on disc. As cheap as it is to transfer this to a disc now, it just seems mean to not do so. Let's get it going for goodness sake.
