Customer Reviews

Until the End of the World [VHS]

5 star:		(85)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This film, Until the End of the World (UTTEOTW), has long been called the ultimate road movie or even the greatest road movie ever made. Sometimes when I read stuff like that I cringe and think that this film is far greater than that and calling it a road movie does it a sort of disservice. I've watched this film probably hundreds of times (hate to admit) and in every different format available and have weighed this film, measured this film and only found myself wanting to see it again.

Sure, the film spans 15 cities and 7 different countries and has more story arcs than Los Angeles has McDonalds but the more I watch the film the more I feel that this is less of a road movie and more of a biopic of the fictitious would-be scientist, Sam Faber and his over-bearing family.

I feel that UTTEOTW is a much greater contribution to modern film then most are willing to admit and could quite possibly be one of the greatest films ever made. This film has the same kind of public ground swell audience that Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz and Blade Runner have. All these movies preformed badly in the box office but are seen as some of best cinema that man or woman has been able to bring forward.

UTTEOTW has been seen by many to be a failure of sorts because of the immense runtime and the resolution set in Australia that is almost an entire third of the film, in all versions. It seems, historically now, that the studio execs thought that it would be inappropriate to subject any audience to five hours of film and that the American audience was too daft and wouldn't buy the whole concept, thus kicking off the mess that the film has gone through for almost twenty years now. Yes, it has been almost that long now.

The film in different edits, according to lore, has gone from a 20 hour version, that Wim Wenders had vehemently held position on for almost six months before acquiescing to releasing a `meager' 8 hour version and then later produced a 5 hour version. He was horrified when the studio forced a 151 minute version that he looks back at in complete disdain and refers to as the `Readers Digest version' and has stated that it is `unwatchable'. I don't know about the 8 and 20 hour version and which is better, because I and many others have not seen it, but I have seen the 5 hour version many times and now look at it as vastly superior (in presentation) to the theatrical release, but the theatrical release is far from unwatchable and is actually the version that the majority of the audience is familiar with and enjoy.

Wenders suffers from the same ills as Ridley Scott does, as he sees his films his way and not the way the world sees them, and that's perfectly fine. Ridley Scott doesn't like the Harrison Ford `Philip Marlowe' narration while an immense group of the fans loved it, myself included. Wenders doesn't like the theatrical release while most of the world is awed by it.

So, when the audience did see this film, it was the beginning of a new decade and Wenders, like Werner Herzog or David Lynch, had built up a core audience of supporters worldwide that appreciated his films for storytelling, the movement and the sheer reverence that seemed to manifest on screen. UTTEOTW came out at probably the very beginning of the emergence of the modern independent film movement that has now firmly taken over the industry. Even though they had budgeted $23 Million dollars for production, a lot of the funds came because of the acclaim given to Wings of Desire again with Solveig Dommartin, but the money didn't necessarily make this film the typical large-budget studio film that others were producing around the same time for the same funds when this came out. A quick search of movies released in 1991 shows an abysmal year aside from Jonathan Demme's masterpiece `Silence of the Lambs'.

This movie is undoubtedly Wenders greatest work, and I have watched every film he's put out - before and since. Sometimes I see glimpses of this film in his other works and can tell that this film's reception in the world still weighs heavily on his mind. Like Al Gore, he's traveled the globe giving lectures with his film and has his own ideas about its impact and what more can be done. It seems that some of the legal battles may never go away, specifically the ones that are associated with Warner Brothers.

Recently, a Region 2 PAL version was released into the market, and when I watched it I could tell it probably didn't have the stamp of approval from WB. The quality shows it to be almost a straight VHS transfer from a low-end computer system which puts a lot of visual noise on the screen and in the audio. Some people who have purchased this version have complained, but really I don't see anything wrong with it as it's just a full-frame DVD that will suffice for now for those looking for the 158 min on DVD.

My recommendation when it comes to versions is to purchase the 3 Disc Director's Cut set from Amazon.co.uk and just live with the fact that the first fifteen minutes of dialogue that's had with Solveig and Chico are in French with no subtitles. If you watch the film you can pretty much get the gist of what's being said anyways, Chico needs more beer, he likes the Beatles, sex and Solveig tells you how much you can buy a goat for in Ethiopia.

I had read in January of 2007 that Solveig had died of heart failure and was deeply saddened as I found her to be an incredibly unique talent and hypnotizing to see on the big screen. I would have loved to have seen her star in a few more films and even break back into the American marketplace. What a shame she's now gone, she'll be missed for sure.

I've put a list of all the different versions below, that are available and that I own, so you could get an idea of what's going on with this movie and its debacle of a distribution:

1991 VHS Tape Theatrical Release 158 mins
1991 R2 Samsung Japanese Laserdisc 179 mins
2004 PAL R2 Italian 3 Disc Set 280 mins
2004 PAL R2 UK 3 Disc Set Director's Cut 280 mins
2007 PAL R2 UK 1 Disc VHS Transfer 158 mins

Regarding the last release, I recently discovered that the difference in the run-time is due to PAL speed-up adjusting it 4%, from 158 mins to 151 mins.

For those in America interested in seeing these films but are worried about the DVD Regions / PAL difference. Don't fret because there are some very easy ways to set your DVD player to Region 0 which will make your player Region free and you can watch all movies from around the world. Videohelp dot com has most players remote codes which will help you easily make the adjustment. I've changed all my players this way and have been happy ever since.

It now appears that there's a DVD version of Until the End of the World! Here's the scoop from a fellow named Brent Alverti, dated March 6, 2004:

"The cut features two sets of Italian subtitles (not sure currently what the difference is). There are no English subs (burned-in or not) for the few non-English scenes in the movie. The extras consist of:

* 10 minute monologue (in English) by Wim Wenders as he is driven around in Australia
* 40-minute interview (in English) on the making of the Director's Cut
* 30-minute montage of cut scenes and out-takes
* photo gallery

This is a PAL format DVD, so you will need a multi-format player to view it in non-Europe locales. It likely runs slightly shorter than the film version due to typical PAL transfer speed-up (motion picture film, shot at 24fps, is played back at 25fps to match PAL video standard). Also, no commentary track in included, although initial details suggested there would be one.

I have no definitive word on when the US version might be released. There is a rumor that Anchor Bay is transitioning ownership, and that may impact the US release date which was rumored for mid-2004."

There are some rare movies that seem to expand the limits of film and reveal possibilities only heretofore imagined. This film is one of them, which shouldn't be a surprise, considering that it IS a Wim Wenders film. I wish I could explain WHY this movie is so haunting, so powerful and why it tugged so strongly at my heart - but that would be like trying to explain the magic of a beautiful symphony. If you like movies that have a straight plot, from beginning to end, be forewarned - this movie may not be for you. The movie can be loosely explained (very loosely) as a man trying to escape a killer while traveling through 15 cities and 8 continents. But it is far, far more than the plot outline can reveal. If you like movies that make you think about the human condition, in all its variations, this is a great pick. Take a chance and prepare to have your mind blown by this one! William Hurt is at the top of his form here, although I imagine this must have been a very hard role for an actor, like working on a tightrope without a net.

This is a great movie. But don't get it on VHS! Reason: 1) this movie deserves widescreen treatment and CD sound, 2) this VHS version is SEVERELY cut. The directors cut will have something on the order of 100 extra minutes. I just read on Wim Wenders personal web site that he is currently re-master the movie for DVD release. I don't know when it will be done, but trust me--this is one movie you want on DVD.

This film, Until the End of the World (UTTEOTW), has long been called the ultimate road movie or even the greatest road movie ever made. Sometimes when I read stuff like that I cringe and think that this film is far greater than that and calling it a road movie does it a sort of disservice. I've watched this film probably hundreds of times (hate to admit) and in every different format available and have weighed this film, measured this film and only found myself wanting to see it again.

Sure, the film spans 15 cities and 7 different countries and has more story arcs than Los Angeles has McDonalds but the more I watch the film the more I feel that this is less of a road movie and more of a biopic of the fictitious would-be scientist, Sam Faber and his over-bearing family.

I feel that UTTEOTW is a much greater contribution to modern film then most are willing to admit and could quite possibly be one of the greatest films ever made. This film has the same kind of public ground swell audience that Casablanca, The Wizard of Oz and Blade Runner have. All these movies preformed badly in the box office but are seen as some of best cinema that man or woman has been able to bring forward.

UTTEOTW has been seen by many to be a failure of sorts because of the immense runtime and the resolution set in Australia that is almost an entire third of the film, in all versions. It seems, historically now, that the studio execs thought that it would be inappropriate to subject any audience to five hours of film and that the American audience was too daft and wouldn't buy the whole concept, thus kicking off the mess that the film has gone through for almost twenty years now. Yes, it has been almost that long now.

The film in different edits, according to lore, has gone from a 20 hour version, that Wim Wenders had vehemently held position on for almost six months before acquiescing to releasing a `meager' 8 hour version and then later produced a 5 hour version. He was horrified when the studio forced a 151 minute version that he looks back at in complete disdain and refers to as the `Readers Digest version' and has stated that it is `unwatchable'. I don't know about the 8 and 20 hour version and which is better, because I and many others have not seen it, but I have seen the 5 hour version many times and now look at it as vastly superior (in presentation) to the theatrical release, but the theatrical release is far from unwatchable and is actually the version that the majority of the audience is familiar with and enjoy.

Wenders suffers from the same ills as Ridley Scott does, as he sees his films his way and not the way the world sees them, and that's perfectly fine. Ridley Scott doesn't like the Harrison Ford `Philip Marlowe' narration while an immense group of the fans loved it, myself included. Wenders doesn't like the theatrical release while most of the world is awed by it.

So, when the audience did see this film, it was the beginning of a new decade and Wenders, like Werner Herzog or David Lynch, had built up a core audience of supporters worldwide that appreciated his films for storytelling, the movement and the sheer reverence that seemed to manifest on screen. UTTEOTW came out at probably the very beginning of the emergence of the modern independent film movement that has now firmly taken over the industry. Even though they had budgeted $23 Million dollars for production, a lot of the funds came because of the acclaim given to Wings of Desire again with Solveig Dommartin, but the money didn't necessarily make this film the typical large-budget studio film that others were producing around the same time for the same funds when this came out. A quick search of movies released in 1991 shows an abysmal year aside from Jonathan Demme's masterpiece `Silence of the Lambs'.

This movie is undoubtedly Wenders greatest work, and I have watched every film he's put out - before and since. Sometimes I see glimpses of this film in his other works and can tell that this film's reception in the world still weighs heavily on his mind. Like Al Gore, he's traveled the globe giving lectures with his film and has his own ideas about its impact and what more can be done. It seems that some of the legal battles may never go away, specifically the ones that are associated with Warner Brothers.

This review is for the above product as well, the Region 2 PAL version which was recently released into the market. When I watched it I could tell it probably didn't have the stamp of approval from WB. The quality shows it to be almost a straight VHS transfer from a low-end computer system which puts a lot of visual noise on the screen and in the audio. Some people who have purchased this version have complained, but really I don't see anything wrong with it as it's just a full-frame DVD that will suffice for now for those looking for the 151 min VHS version on DVD. I recently discovered that the difference in the run-time is due to PAL speed-up adjusting it 4%, from 158 mins to 151 mins. The supposed essay that accompanies this DVD is on-screen text about the film which is basic information about the film.

My recommendation when it comes to versions is to purchase the 3 Disc Director's Cut set from Amazon.co.uk and just live with the fact that the first fifteen minutes of dialogue that's had with Solveig and Chico are in French with no subtitles. If you watch the film you can pretty much get the gist of what's being said anyways, Chico needs more beer, he likes the Beatles, sex and Solveig tells you how much you can buy a goat for in Ethiopia.

I had read in January of 2007 that Solveig had died of heart failure and was deeply saddened as I found her to be an incredibly unique talent and hypnotizing to see on the big screen. I would have loved to have seen her star in a few more films and even break back into the American marketplace. What a shame she's now gone, she'll be missed for sure. If there ever was a audio commentary made with Solveig, I would sure like to hear it, so there's always reason for another release.

I've put a list of all the different versions below, that are available and that I own, so you could get an idea of what's going on with this movie and its debacle of a distribution:

1991 VHS Tape Theatrical Release 158 mins
1991 R2 Samsung Japanese Laserdisc 179 mins
2004 PAL R2 Italian 3 Disc Set 280 mins
2004 PAL R2 UK 3 Disc Set Director's Cut 280 mins
2007 PAL R2 UK 1 Disc VHS Transfer 151 mins


For those in America interested in seeing these films but are worried about the DVD Regions / PAL difference. Don't fret because there are some very easy ways to set your DVD player to Region 0 which will make your player Region free and you can watch all movies from around the world. Videohelp dot com has most players remote codes which will help you easily make the adjustment. I've changed all my players this way and have been happy ever since.

I have found this movie more difficult to describe than any other I have seen. This isn't because of plot complexity or character development. It's because with Until the End of the World, you are getting what essentially becomes three films. This movie's massive story arc (and mind you, I have only seen the VHS version which is something like two hours shorter than the laser disc) can be broken down into three seperate stories. They are not even acts when you dislocate them from the larger "end of the world" plot. I've never seen such a sprawling narrative work so well in a film. The characters are unpolished and even the good guys are shady. This film violates every modern Hollywood sceenplay rule and does it perfectly. One of the reasons I bought a DVD player was in the hopes that this movie would be released in that format at some point. I've only ever seen the VHS version of this film and have seen that more times than I can count. DVD! DVD! Where's my DVD?

Yes, the cinematography is great. Yes, the soundtrack is great. Yes, the movie is jumbled. Those who have problems with this rather wistful narrative or who find its characters to be a rather jumbled mess miss the point of the film. People, real people, are jumbled. Messed up even. Whatever the locale (there are plenty of them), motivations remain murkily understandable, from earning the respect of one's parents (the reason William Hurt circles the globe), to the postmodern desire to search for a fragmented self-identity (shown both literally and metaphorically through an addiction to dream-watching), to the importance of the heart and ultimately, language (the importance of Sam Neil's novel and the ending's strange use of a love that seems to transcend the platonic). I had seen this movie before I knew who Wim Wenders was, and I was blown away because it spoke to me in a way that relatively few films are able to do. The film promoted thought and discussion, as well as introducing me to Wim Wenders' work. I recommend it to anyone who has experienced the paradoxical attaction and fear of hearing someone/something say, "You are on your own, Claire."

I am writing this review on January 27, 2008, on a day on which the newspaper headlines scream about a hazardous US spy satellite which will crash to Earth some time in the next 30 days. Of course, my first thought is: "Man, I've got to watch Until the End of the World. Wim, you're a prophet!"

But now I am struck with the dilemma: do I watch the 5-hour version I have on DVD, or do I watch the 2 hour version I have on a scrappy old VHS tape? I didn't need to consider it very long; I much prefer the 2-hour (short) version, and here's why.

There is one scene which I consider critical to the mood and poetry of the film. It is possibly the greatest, most emotion-evoking scene I have ever witnessed. And inexplicably, it is missing from the 5-hour (long) version. If you've seen the theatrical (short) version, you know what I'm talking about; it's the climactic "end of the world scene" with Peter Gabriel's 'Blood of Eden' playing. I get chills just thinking about it. And this scene exists only on the short version.

Wim Wenders has harshly criticized the short version, calling it "unwatchable" and "the Reader's Digest version". But I believe he is swayed by artists' arrogance. Apparently there was a bitter feud surrounding the cutting of his 5-hour epic, and Wim resents it to this day. But to us, the objective audience, we can see that the short version came out much more lucid, focused and poetic in its simplicity. And, whether by serendipity or unconscious design, certain scenes like the "end of the world" scene were ironically augmented by their edits.

I could ramble on longer about how brevity is often superior to verbosity, but that would clash with the verbosity of my post which I admit is already too bloated and overinflated with redundant phrases like "bloated and overinflated." Heh.

I wish someone would edit this post down to a manageable 2 paragraphs, condense it, distill it, focus it and make it more powerful in its simplicity. And it would be nice to add some Peter Gabriel, too ;)

The 158 minute US Video version features some fine moments, but you cannot help but feel that this is a "reader's digest" version, as the director Wim Wenders calls it in the extras of this expanded, nearly 5 hour cut of his epic. Homer is explicitly alluded to in both versions of the film and certainly the length of the director's cut broadens and deepens the epic feel. However, much of the new narration by Sam Neill is rather poorly written and overly descriptive. In the 158 minute version it was rather more understated and effective. The 3 part version of the director's cut is perhaps best expanded in the first and third discs, while the second disc features the least amount of change and possibly the most disappointing of changes: the use of Peter Gabriel's "Blood of Eden" (strangely missing from the soundtrack CD and only available on long out of print CD single import) during William Hurt and Solveig Dommartin's flight in Australia. Most of the new footage involves Dommartin, whose less than effective performance shows even more warts in the expanded version. There's not much new for William Hurt, whose equally ineffective performance hurts no more than it does in the 158 minute version. There's a rather silly addition of an impromptu musical band in disc three, as well, that was best left on the cutting room floor. Watching all discs at once is best avoided as the films drags a bit in the third act, despite an excellent performance by the always outstanding Max Von Sydow. There's more of the supportive cast here, as well, which is a benefit: notably Sam Neill and Rudiger Vogler as the ubiquitous Philip Winter. Despite Wenders' sloppy extended version, the film remains one of the more interesting foreign films from the early 90s, certainly has one of the best soundtracks in movie history. All in all, I give it 4 out of 5 stars given its comfortable mix of genres: road movie, detective movie, sci-fi movie, romantic comedy, good performances from Jeanne Moreau, Sydow, Neill and Vogler, and some memorable footage of the underfilmed Australian outback. For the novice, I would still suggest the 158 minute version which, despite its "reader's digest" feel, which in a number of spots seems somewhat superior to this "director's cut" . They could have included the 158 minute version on this disc as well, as it is, as stated above, still only available on an out of print VHS from 1992.

At its core, this is a film about the sometimes-destructive nature of obsession - the central character's obsession with the object of her desire, her former lover's obsession with quantifying their relationship, the obsession of bounty hunters with their quarry, the obsession of a son's desperate hope for his father's approval and that father's obsession with cutting-edge science taking precedence over any interpersonal considerations - with the exception of his obsessive love for his wife. This film is an epic, dream-like study of the human cost of all-consuming passion.

It's also a lot of fun. Wim Wenders was smart enough to place the timeline of events in this film no more than ten years on from shooting, thus taking advantage of newly-emergent technology showcased in ingenious ways as well as avoiding the dated look that plagues many science fiction films a decade or two after their release.

The soundtrack is amazing. I have personally worn-out or loaned-out seven separate cds and cassettes. It has been the soundtrack of my life for the better part of 15 years.

As a final word I would like to add that this film resembles a lucid dream state, one of those dreams you awaken from and attempt to describe ("...Well, then I was in Australia, and there were these guys chasing me so I got in a plane and then I was in a laboratory, except it was in a cave...")

This film begins with a dream and it ends with several recovering dream addicts adrift on a planet which appears to be recovering from a nightmare, a nightmare they seemed to have missed entirely in the all-encompassing pursuit of their heart's desires.