This sprawling cyberpunk noir epic was shot in no less than nine different countries and is set in 1999. Claire, a young Frenchwoman comes into contact with a large sum of money stolen during a bank heist. In her travels she picks up a mysterious American hitchhiker who himself steals some of the money before parting from her company. Upon discovering the theft, Claire sets out on his trail, with both a Hammett-styled German private eye as well as her former lover, a novelist portrayed by Sam Neill, in tow. The hitchhiker is really Sam Farber, the son of an underground scientist, and his mission is to travel the globe in order to acquire the funding necessary to develop the technology that will allow his blind mother to "see" visual recordings of her family members. The second half of the film takes place largely in the Farbers' compound in the Australian Outback, where Sam, Claire and the others take refuge while attempting to bring the sight project to its fruition. Meanwhile, they ponder earth's future in the wake of a nuclear disaster in outer space. For true cinematic satisfaction, don't expect logic; just go with the flow. Visually stunning and unexpectedly humorous with excellent performances from an international cast. Footage created with high definition (HDTV) video technology is a technological first. The soundtrack features Lou Reed, David Byrne, U2, and others.
Wim Wenders' most ambitious film, budgeted at $23 million, Until the End Of the World ran into serious issues given its whopping length. The original cut ran 20 hours. Realizing that this would make theatrical screenings impossible, Wenders heavily edited the picture and wound up with a 5-hour cut with which he is reportedly satisfied (known as the 'Director's Cut'). Warners wouldn't go for this either, however, and whittled it down to 2 1/2. That’s what we have here.
Release Date: 1991
Run Time: 158 minutes
Rating: R
Starring: William Hurt, Solveig Dommartin, Sam Neill, Max von Sydow, Ruediger Vogler, Ernie Dingo, Jeanne Moreau, David Gulpilil
Director: Wim Wenders
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