The Scarlet Letter
Anchor Bay // 1972 // 86 Minutes // Not Rated
Wrong Move
Anchor Bay // 1975 // 99 Minutes // Not Rated
The American Friend
Anchor Bay // 1978 // 125 Minutes // Not Rated
Lightning Over Water
Anchor Bay // 1980 // 90 Minutes // Not Rated
Room 666
Anchor Bay // 1982 // 46 Minutes // Not Rated
Tokyo-Ga
Anchor Bay // 1985 // 92 Minutes // Not Rated
Notebook On Cities And Clothes
Anchor Bay // 1989 // 81 Minutes // Not Rated
A Trick Of Light
Anchor Bay // 1996 // 76 Minutes // Not Rated
Reviewed by Judge Brett Cullum // January 11th, 2007
"Originality now is rare in the cinema and it isn't worth striving for
because most work that does this is egocentric and pretentious. What is most
enjoyable about the cinema is simply working with a language that is classical
in the sense that the image is understood by everyone. I'm not at all interested
in innovating film language, making it more aesthetic. I love film history, and
you're better off learning from those who proceeded you."
- Wim
Wenders
Ernst Wilhelm Wenders was born in 1945, and the director reshaped the world of cinema with over forty-six productions as of this writing. He professionally renamed himself Wim Wenders, and won international acclaim with the 1987 watershed event Wings of Desire. Wenders also produced Paris, Texas and Buena Vista Social Club. The love for his artistic visions extend around the globe, and he's achieved the status of living icon while still alive. Despite the kudos, most common moviegoers would be hard-pressed to name one of his films let alone admit to sitting through one. Wenders is appreciated mostly by art house fans and cinema buffs. The Wim Wenders Collection, Volume 2 assembles eight productions that have not often been screened in America for the ardent, the faithful, and the fanatic.
This Wim Wenders collection includes the following titles:
* The Scarlet Letter (86 minutes)
This is a 1972 adaptation of
the famous Hawthorne novel, and a pretty strange one at that. Hester Prynne
speaks German, but she's still a woman in colonial New England who bears a child
out of wedlock. It feels odd thanks to Southern Spain being the true shooting
locale, and has more of a Spaghetti Western look than it should. The Scarlet
Letter represents the first time Wenders had a budget, and it remains an
interesting curiosity.
* The Wrong Move (99 minutes)
This 1975 entry is a reworking of
a Goethe novel named Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship. It's about an
artist who sets out to cross the country to meet people and learn who he is. It
follows him for six days as he attempts to put some color on his blank canvas.
The artist ends up gathering an unlikely entourage to travel with him: a mute
girl, a 1936 Olympian athlete, an actress, a large poetry fan, and a suicidal
neighbor. Natassja Kinski (Cat People) makes an early appearance in this
journey movie.
* The American Friend (125 minutes)
One of the most accessible
of Wenders's early films, this 1977 title examines the differences between
American and German sensibilities while also providing an interesting
psychological thriller. It follows a picture framer who finds out he has
leukemia, and is then recruited as a mob hit-man. He's doing it to ensure his
family's financial future without him, and figures he has little to lose. This
sly metaphor about Hollywood and Germany clashing is made subtly clear by the
appearance of many famous American directors during the movie. Dennis Hopper
(Blue Velvet) makes an appearance as the titular character. If you buy
one title as a stand alone disc in lieu of this set, this is the one to own.
* Lightning Over the Water (90 minutes)
Again NYC makes an
appearance in a Wenders film, and in 1980 Wim himself appears in this
documentary style exchange between the German director and Nicholas Ray (the
director of Rebel Without a Cause). Ray is fragile and dying, and the
film is a wistful look at a little known legend before he passes.
* Room 666 (46 minutes)
Filmed in 1982, this documentary finds
Wenders and film industry friends at the Cannes Film Festival discussing
"the end of cinema." Each director sits in front of the camera alone
and in solitude answers a simple question "What is the future of
cinema?." Amazingly, nobody answers "CGI effects and bad
remakes."
* Tokyo-Ga (92 minutes)
A 1985 production, this is a
documentary about a journey into Tokyo's cinematic history as Wim Wenders tracks
down Yasujiro Ozu. The film seeks to look at the identity of Tokyo, and relate
the present to the past. Nostalgia is hard to find in a city that thrives on
change.
* Notebook on Cities and Clothes (81 minutes)
Wim Wenders
explores the world of fashion in Japan as he returns to Tokyo in 1989. This time
he focuses on the work of fashion designer Yohji Yamamoto as he prepares a new
collection. The film documents Yamamoto's sojourn to Paris for Fashion Week, and
in turn looks at identity and an artisan.
* A Trick of Light (76 minutes)
A 1995 documentary searching
for an account of the first projected film. Wenders gets help from film students
as he seeks to recreate the experience of the Skladanowsky brothers, a German
duo who invented one of the world's first film projectors. They were of course
beaten out by the French Lumiere brothers who ultimately got all the fame and
glory. Yet here we have an exploration of the dawn of German cinema.
This is a real treat for fans of German cinema, but it would be torturous
for anyone not familiar with Wim Wenders and his style. The collected films work
in concert with his more popular titles reinforcing common themes, but serve as
a poor introduction to the man's work. Kudos to Anchor Bay for releasing an
ambitious set that should only appeal to the most hardcore of art film fans.
This is a bargain when you compare the price of buying each one of these titles
separately, and for many of them it marks their only appearance in the North
American region. In addition to having these films, each one has a full
director's commentary. There are also some deleted scenes on two of the
features, and a handful of featurettes scattered throughout the set where
appropriate. After The Wim Wenders Collection, Volume 2 you'll be
eligible for a Ph.D. in the work of Wim Wenders (mail your certificate of
completion to your nearest German university).
Review content copyright © 2007 Brett Cullum; Site layout and review format copyright © 1998 - 2010 HipClick Designs LLC
Scales of Justice, The Scarlet Letter
Judgment: 90
Perp Profile, The Scarlet Letter
Video Formats:
* 1.78:1 Anamorphic
Audio Formats:
* Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (German)
Subtitles:
* English
Running Time: 86 Minutes
Release Year: 1972
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distinguishing Marks, The Scarlet Letter
* Commentary by Wim Wenders
Scales of Justice, Wrong Move
Judgment: 90
Perp Profile, Wrong Move
Video Formats:
* 1.78:1 Anamorphic
Audio Formats:
* Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (German)
Subtitles:
* English
Running Time: 99 Minutes
Release Year: 1975
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distinguishing Marks, Wrong Move
* Commentary by Wim Wenders
Scales of Justice, The American Friend
Judgment: 90
Perp Profile, The American Friend
Video Formats:
* 1.78:1 Anamorphic
Audio Formats:
* Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (Various, German and English)
Subtitles:
* English
Running Time: 125 Minutes
Release Year: 1978
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distinguishing Marks, The American Friend
* Commentary by Wim Wenders and Star Dennis Hopper
* Deleted Scenes with Optional Commentary
* Talent Bios
* Trailers
Scales of Justice, Lightning Over Water
Judgment: 90
Perp Profile, Lightning Over Water
Video Formats:
* 1.78:1 Anamorphic
Audio Formats:
* Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (German, German and English)
Subtitles:
* English
Running Time: 90 Minutes
Release Year: 1980
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distinguishing Marks, Lightning Over Water
* German and English
* Lecture by Nicholas Ray
* Talent Bios
Scales of Justice, Room 666
Judgment: 90
Perp Profile, Room 666
Video Formats:
* Full Frame
Audio Formats:
* Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (Various)
Subtitles:
* English
Running Time: 46 Minutes
Release Year: 1982
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distinguishing Marks, Room 666
* Commentary by Wim Wenders
Scales of Justice, Tokyo-Ga
Judgment: 90
Perp Profile, Tokyo-Ga
Video Formats:
* Full Frame
Audio Formats:
* Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (Various, German and Japanese)
Subtitles:
* English
Running Time: 92 Minutes
Release Year: 1985
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distinguishing Marks, Tokyo-Ga
* Commentary by Wim Wenders
Scales of Justice, Notebook On Cities And Clothes
Judgment: 90
Perp Profile, Notebook On Cities And Clothes
Video Formats:
* 1.78:1 Anamorphic
Audio Formats:
* Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (Various)
Subtitles:
* English
Running Time: 81 Minutes
Release Year: 1989
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distinguishing Marks, Notebook On Cities And Clothes
* Commentary by Wim Wenders
* Reunion Featurette with Director and Designer
* Deleted Scenes with Director Commentary
* Wim Wenders Bio
Scales of Justice, A Trick Of Light
Judgment: 90
Perp Profile, A Trick Of Light
Video Formats:
* Full Frame
Audio Formats:
* Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo (German)
Subtitles:
* English
Running Time: 76 Minutes
Release Year: 1996
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Distinguishing Marks, A Trick Of Light
* Commentary by Wim Wenders
Accomplices
* IMDb: The Scarlet Letter
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0069228/combined
* IMDb: Wrong Move
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0071483/combined
* IMDb: Lightning Over Water
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0081055/combined
* IMDb: Room 666
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0083727/combined
* IMDb: Toyko-Ga
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0090182/combined
* IMDb: A Trick of Light
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0113151/combined
* IMDb: The American Friend
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0075675/combined
* IMDb: Notebook on Cities and Clothes
http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0096852/combined