Bis ans Ende der Welt (1991)

Director:

Wim Wenders

Writers:

Michael Almereyda (writer)
Peter Carey (writer)

Release Date:

25 December 1991 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

It's 1999. The government will kill for his invention. One woman will do anything for his love. Together they share an adventure that circles the globe - And invades the mind.

Plot:

Set in 1999, a woman (Dommartin) has a car accident with some bank robbers, who befriend and enlist her help to take the money to a drop in Paris...

Plot Keywords:

1999 | Bank Robber | Australia | Road | Dream

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Solveig Dommartin	...	Claire Tourneur
Pietro Falcone	...	Mario
Enzo Turrin	...	Doctor
Chick Ortega	...	Chico Remy
Eddy Mitchell	...	Raymond Monnet
William Hurt	...	Sam Farber, alias Trevor McPhee
Adelle Lutz	...	Makiko
Ernie Dingo	...	Burt
Jean-Charles Dumay	...	Mechanic
Sam Neill	...	Eugene Fitzpatrick
Ernest Berk	...	Anton Farber
Christine Osterlein	...	Irina Farber
Rüdiger Vogler	...	Phillip Winter
Diogo Dória	...	Receptionist
Amália Rodrigues	...	Woman in Street Car

Also Known As:

Until the End of the World (UK) (USA)
Jusqu'au bout du monde (France)

Runtime:

280 min (director's cut) | Germany:179 min | Spain:179 min | Sweden:158 min | USA:158 min | Argentina:179 min

Country:

Germany | France | Australia

Language:

English | French | Italian | Japanese | German

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby | LC-Concept Digital Sound (France)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:12 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Bavaria Filmstudios, Geiselgasteig, Grünwald, Bavaria, Germany

Company:

Argos Films

Trivia:

It took 14 years and $23 million for Wim Wenders to bring his vision to the screen, shooting in 15 different cities in seven different countries on four different continents.

Goofs:

Continuity: When many of the European characters leave the Mbantua settlement and take a group photo, believing the adventure to be over, the voice-over mentions that it is February, 2000. Yet shortly after we see Henry Farber trying a new series of experiments on recording dream imagery, and a computer display for the current experiment says January 21.

Quotes:

Eugene Fitzpatrick: 1999 was the year that the Indian nuclear satellite went out of control.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Cinemania (2002)

Soundtrack:

Calling All Angels

Brilliant!

Few movies leave me reeling, and this was one of those few. I could not believe what I had just seen when I first viewed it. It was like nothing I have ever experienced before. That's just what this movie does, too... provide the viewer with an experience. The plot was like nothing I've ever seen. It was fresh, intelligent, and a bit philosophical. The characters were complex human beings with realistic thoughts and emotions. Not everything that occurs does so for good reason... just as life really is. Thoughts and fears that human beings share are presented in this movie in a truly unique manner. It often plays out in a metaphorical way (i.e. "You're on your own, Claire" = aloneness), allowing us to feel like intelligent viewers, instead of viewers that need our hands held. Every character has his or her flaws, and motivations. The movie does bog down a bit in the middle, and jumps around in an alarmingly chaotic way, but it's too realistic to fault. I found it both enjoyable, and thought-provoking. The idea of addiction to our thoughts and dreams, chasing an infatuation without knowing why, and waiting for the final curtain to fall, are aspects of the movie that fascinated me. I am not saying this as a fan of Wim Wenders, since I had never heard of him before this. I most certainly know who he is now! I had to find out after viewing this movie, which unfortunately cannot be seen in its entirety. It's brilliant, interesting, and intelligent. Great acting, haunting soundtrack, and fresh plot make this movie a real winner.