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In the words of Wim Wenders, Until the End of the World is "the ultimate road movie". On a somewhat epic scale, it builds upon many of the themes that have preoccupied Wenders throughout his remarkable career. |
Filmed in fifteen cities in eight countries and four continents, it centres on a romantic search and a technological mystery. It is 1999 and Claire (Solveig Dommartin) and Sam (William Hurt) play a cat-and-mouse game across the globe. Claire suspects that Sam, an elusive, ambiguous figure who is possibly an industrial spy, has stolen something she had. Their furtive chase ends in the Australian outback. Here, in a desolate, ancient landscape, a scientist (Max von Sydow), is about to realize his life-long dream; to give sight to his blind wife (Jeanne Moreau).
Wenders first envisaged the project during a visit to Australia in 1977, when he was struck by the landscape and the impending dangers of nuclear catastrophe. As the proj'ect evolved, so did its focus. For Wenders, it seems, the danger of nuclear disaster has been displaced by the development of image-making technology. The ability to infiltrate a person's mind, to control their interior images and dreams, became for Wenders an ominous metaphor for the visual culture of our times.
Wenders has always paid great attention to the soundtracks of his films, and this one is certainly no exception. Entirely commissioned by the filmmaker, its vast array of performers and styles is sure to carry the film well into the next century...even if by then we will be watching movies through remote control.