Customer Reviews

The American Friend

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Patricia Highsmith (who died in 1995) ranks as one of the most accomplished yet recondite writers of fiction to emerge from the United States in this century. Graham Greene, in a forward to a collection of her short stories, referred to her as "the poet of apprehension." Unfortunately, although a number of her novels have been adpated for the screen, beginning with Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train" and most recently in Anthony Minghella's bastardized "The Talented Mr. Ripley", these attempts have almost exclusively been of a mediocre and inchoate standard. Wim Wender's 1977 film "Der Amerikanische Freund" is an overwhelming exception. Though the locations and plot lines of the original novel (third in the Ripley series) was substantially altered, Wenders was able to capture the essential character of the books two unlikely protaganists. Hopper's Ripley is brimming over with unstated homoerotic menace, while Ganz plays the naive and desperate Jonathan to perfection. The central attribute of a Highmsith novel is not a feeling of suspense so mauch as one of delocalized discomfort, unease that has no rational causal locus. Combine this with the film's aesthetic sensibility, the use of strong and unnatural filters to carnivalize the vision of seagulls soaring lazily over a Hamburg dawn, the effervescent green light of a paris metro station, and you have something no less than a low-key masterpiece.

Despite the casting of a well-known (some would say, "infamous") American actor in the form of Dennis Hopper, Wim Wenders' take on the very American "film noir" style in "The American Friend" was every bit a fit with the work that came before and after. The same thoughtful approach to character and story that animates Wenders' "road movies" is also on display in this adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's novel "Ripley's Game."

"The American Friend" draws the viewer into its web with subtle twists, a captivating atmosphere and excellent performances by Dennis Hopper as the mysterious Ripley and Bruno Ganz (later to star in Wenders' "Wings of Desire") as the ordinary man who gets caught up in Ripley's web. With its exceptionally careful pacing, the film is certainly not for everyone. For those willing to embrace Wenders' unique approach, however, the end result is a truly gripping film that will stay with you long after some more viscerally thrilling movies have faded from memory.

One of the best adaptations of a Patricia Highsmith novel (*Ripley's Game*) ever filmed, and one of Wim Wenders' best movies, too. But, according to the commentary on this DVD, Ms. Highsmith was originally aghast at Wenders' treatment of the story -- it's a very loose adaptation -- and of the character Tom Ripley (Dennis Hopper in a cowboy hat, a figure radically different from the suave manipulator in the book). As the years passed, she apparently grew reconciled to the movie on its own terms, and why not? -- the themes of the seductiveness of evil and of the abyss yawning below any "normal" person's life are rigorously limned in *The American Friend*. And Wenders brings some ideas of his own to this material, most notably the distasteful spectacle of a dominant world power and culture (e.g., the United States) crassly pirating the leavings of an older civilization (e.g., European): a way of life and thought, even a fraudulent version of it, is available to the highest bidder only. Above and beyond the intellectual stuff, the movie also happens to have several suspenseful stretches. Best example: the scene where the modest picture-framer from Hamburg (a never-better Bruno Ganz), having been roped into being a hitman due to the machinations of an insulted Tom Ripley, ineptly tails an American gangster through the subterranean Paris metro. Ganz needs the money for his family, but he's in bad health (a heart condition), and can barely stay alert while fighting anxiety attacks and physical exhaustion. Great stuff! Also of note is a prolonged and quite humorous assassination attempt aboard a speeding bullet train. (Hopper and Ganz share swigs from a flask and giggle at each other while guarding the murder scene -- the lavatory -- from discovery.) Wenders and his brilliant DP, Robby Muller, add to the atmosphere of malaise with the judicious use of pulpy color, blinding carnival-esque neon, and garish camera filters (blood-red skies at sunset and such). As for the performances: Hopper's Ripley really doesn't come alive until the last stretch, when he's given more time to work through his performance. Part of the problem is that the character -- in this movie -- is more of an idea rather than a fleshed-out human being. This is Bruno Ganz' movie all the way, and he makes the most of it. It's an unforgettable performance. It's a pretty unforgettable movie, on the whole. [The DVD's commentary, by Wenders and Hopper, is almost worth the price of admission on its own. It's enjoyable to listen to two old pros whose careers are full of accomplishments . . . one of which, of course, is *The American Friend*.]

The first chilling moment in this film is when relatively poor and struggling art framer and cultured European (Swiss) Bruno Ganz is introduced to art dealer American (Dennis Hopper)) Tom Ripley at an art auction, and refuses to shake his hand. From that moment, Mr Ganz is more or less doomed. One theme of this film is the clash between two cultures, or at least two attitudes to art, money versus art, the contempt each has for the other. Another theme is how thrilling it would be to kill anyone who makes a fool of us in public. From the moment of the slight, the doomed Mr Ganz is slowly brought to his end - the mis en scene becomes a horror show of ordinary things made threatening, seagulls, art frames he works on he starts bumping into, a television set which is off zaps him with static electricity when he touches it, he stumbles in to objects whilst waiting for a train, the doodling on a piano by a "medical student" gangster becomes an atonal nightmare. The moment when Mr Ganz breathes onto the finest piece of gold leaf we can see him realising the breath of life is so precious, but he's losing it and he knows it.
A stunning cinematic experience. A masterpiece and perhaps the finest transformation of Ms Highsmith's many Ripley adaptations, notwithstanding Mr Hitchcock.

The American Friend is a particularly trenchant example of Wim Wenders' favorite theme--the outsider in a different culture (cf. The Buena Vista Social Club--Ry Cooder in Havana; Until the End of the World--William Hurt's American character in Europe). Only in this case, the outsider, Dennis Hopper--the American friend--ruins the life of the insider, played by Bruno Ganz.

But that's what noir is all about. Based on one of the Ripley novels by American ex-patriate author Patricia Highsmith (no doubt her ex-pat status appealed to Wenders), the film follows Jonathan Zimmermann (Ganz) in his descent into Noirville via Tom Ripley (Hopper) and Ripley's "partner" Minot, a sinister French man. This time out, unlike in the 1960 film Purple Noon (THE best cinematic version of Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley--far better than the recent version with Matt Damon), Ripley is an edgy guy (what else could Hopper be?--especially in 1977 when he was coked to the gills) who deals in art forgeries.

Along the way we meet an artist who does the forgeries, and that's famed director Nicholas Ray in a great role. Ray is one of Wenders' heroes--maybe his biggest hero--and he's here in his glory--sad single eye partnered with his trademark eyepatch, gaunt face and all. Three years later, Ray died of cancer. We also meet a gangster played by another of Wenders' favorite directors, Samuel Fuller. But Fuller's part is smaller than Ray's, which says something...

This is a perfect exemplar of the road to Hell being paved with good intentions. Zimmermann's one desire to take care of his family results in his being coerced into dark deeds that ultimately leave Zimmermann emotionally destitute.

Wenders' focus is on the characters who make things happen, who bring about the downfall of both themselves and of others. While American neo-noirs can occasionally do a great job of focusing on action-driven plots--given a great writer/director team--in this film, Wenders chooses instead to have the story unfold based on personalities.

An unusual and strong neo-noir, The American Friend is a unique film that is a key work in the Wenders oeuvre. Great job (an American expression).

After reading the novel, I was disappointed in the Wenders treatment, which portrayed Ripley as a rather sleazy barstool cowboy transplanted in Germany, rather than the outwardly affluent, comfortably-married amoral intellectual of the book. I felt that Dennis Hopper was playing a continuation of his Easy Rider role. The European locale was interesting, if bleak, and, again did not provide the ironic contrast of the French provincial setting. Bruno Ganz was excellent, however, as the troubled craftsman. The denouement was rather tenuous.

I saw this movie when it was first released on VHS years ago. The reason I rented it was because I was in a big Dennis Hopper phase and trying to watch just about everything he had done. This was during the time of him cleaning up and his resurgence with Blue Velvet and directing Colors. I must say that the movies I watched usually broke down into two categories. The first was the early Hopper portraying the weakling son of the bad man. The other was the very messed up and drug addicted Hopper which had its highlights as he rambled to a great performance in Apocalypse Now but most were really bad movies that were hard to watch. All that said, I must say that Wim Wenders adaptation of Ripleys Game 'American Friend' was a huge suprise and ended up being one of my all time favorites. It also introduced me to the great actor Bruno Ganz. But in this movie Hopper is his equal and they both turn in fascinating performances. Of course this movie was out before The Talented Mr. Ripley with Jude Law and Matt Damon. Since I had never read the books I had nothing to go on. Wim Wenders direction is great and the story is interesting and just keeps you focused. Ganz is great as the German frame maker who owns a little shop and who meets the strange, complex and brilliant shady Tom Ripley (Hopper). Hopper is involved in the criminal underworld. One of his enterprises is the selling of fake art. He tricks Ganz into doing some 'wet work' for his criminal friends by getting him involved in a murder for hire plot because they spin a scheme that has him believe that his physical condition (a blood disease that is controlled)is much worse and that he only has a limited time to live. In time manipulation morphs into a kind of friendship between the two.

I won't go any further because I don't want to spoil the story for anybody who wants to watch. This is a good foreign film but refreshingly is easy to follow and has quite a bit of English dialogue. I believe a good bit of the movie takes place in both Germany and in France (haven't seen it in a long time).

One last funny story about this movie. A girl I was dating rented The Talented Mr. Ripley when it first came out. I watched it and liked it very much. I told the story of a young Tom Ripley and it was excellent. A few years later I picked up another copy of American Friend and viewed it. As I was watching I caught Hoppers characters name, Tom Ripley. I immediately realized that the big hit movie of the day 'The Talented Mr. Ripley's' or at least its main character had been done years before in a brilliant Wim Wenders adaptation 'American Friend'. So I did a google search and found this is an adaptation of the novel 'Ripleys Game'. I guess this movie has been remade recently with John Malkovich as Ripley in the feature film Ripleys Game. Also I understand that the Ripley character has also been done by Alain Delon in one of the earliest adaptions of Ripley.

The Bottom Line:

The weakest of the films involving Tom Ripley (though I haven't seen Ripley Under Ground), Wim Wender's slow moving adaptation of Ripley's Game features an impressive performance by Bruno Ganz but Dennis Hopper is mediocre as Ripley himself and during several passages the film slows to a crawl; unless you're determined to see every Ripley film or love the director's work, you'd be better suited to watch the 2002 Ripley's Game instead.

2.5/4

A German frame maker (Ganz) with a fatal blood disease and therefore perhaps little to loose reluctantly takes on the roll of hit man after a chance encounter with an unethical American art dealer (Hopper). The brilliant acting by Dennis Hopper, Bruno Ganz and Gerard Blain on its own makes this a really memorable movie. Certainly, this is Dennis Hopper at his most edgy, something he does well and in my opinion this is his most outstanding performance ever. Ganz is convincing as an honest and reasonable man trying to make the most of a bad situation. Likewise, Blain is a joy to watch in his role as the smooth professional fixer calling the shots.
I'm not sure if the movie could be said to have a "Hitchcock" influence, but I would say that those who like Hitchcock may well enjoy this. It combines mystery, great camera work and a dark film noir plot with a sound track reminiscent of a Hitchcock movie. The movie also has a black humour to it as Ganz and Hopper bungle their way through the murderous business of doing away with various criminals. The second train sequence for example is an absolute hoot and you could easily be watching a Tarintino movie. Overall, this is one of my favourite films and while it is certainly quirky it stands out as being rather unique.

It just needs to be said that the movie is what you could expect of having a master, Hopper, playing a character by another, Highsmith, while directed by yet another, Wenders. If you already read Ripley's game, see the movie to find an amazing picture of that odd world depicted by Patricia Highsmith.