The Cinema of Wim Wenders, 1967 to 1977.

Abstract

Wim Wenders is a leading representative of a very disparate group of filmmakers comprising the New German Cinema. The group has been much acclaimed in recent years not only because it has produced daring and provocative films, but also because, phoenix-like, it has risen from the ashes of a German cinema which had produced very little of merit after 1933. This dissertation is a monographic study of Wenders' German films (he has since begun making films in the United States) which date between 1967 and 1977. It investigates the style, technique, and thematic, theoretic, and social implications of these films. It establishes Wenders' importance to film history in the unique view his films give of his generation and his times in Germany. Born in 1945, Wenders opened a window on the hearts and souls of young Germans born after the second World War. He shows a generation seeking its identity, a generation who in their youth had tried to divest themselves of Germany's past by immersing themselves in American culture. Primary sources for this research were the films themselves, Wenders' own writings, interviews with him, the novels on which the films were based, and original scripts when available. The films were viewed many times; each feature film was analyzed over a period of days with the help of a freeze-frame projector or an editing table. From this material a full analysis of the films was possible. Secondary material included periodical literature on Wenders; works by and about Peter H and ke, including H and ke's two films; earlier German film; and material concerning the post-World War II generation of Germans: 1960's magazines for young people, sociological analyses, statistical studies, and interviews. The dissertation is divided into two parts. Part I establishes the elements of Wenders' film theory, which is based on a return to the values of simple realism as found in the work of many of the very early filmmakers; it traces the development of his final style: at first tentative, experimental, and dominated by aesthetic elements, later confident and daring with aesthetic elements tied to theme and story; it notes unique elements like extended sequences photographed from a moving car, a fascination with reflections, and a tendency to repeat certain motifs from film to film and within one film; it analyzes the effect of Wenders' collaboration and friendship with Peter H and ke; it establishes the influence of other directors (e.g., Ozu, Godard) and film traditions (Hollywood), and notes his affinities to his predecessors in German cinema, principally Lang, Murnau, and the workers' films of the late 20's and early 30's. Part II discusses Wenders' themes and the sociological implications of the films. The themes include human isolation and the difficulty of bridging the gap between people, hence the difficulty of communicating; the importance of hearing and seeing and the importance of cinema as the artistic quintessence of these faculties; the search for identity and the importance of travel to this end; the significance of dreams and the lure of death. The social and political implications of the films derive from their view of the past, which of necessity includes Nazism and the Americanization of Germany after World War II. Wenders' views on Americanization proved surprisingly similar to views held by Europeans long before World War II. Finally the dissertation attempts to discover how closely Wenders' concerns and characters reflect his generation in Germany, since he is frequently acknowledged to be its spokesman. This research indicates that they reflect the ideas and experiences of a substantial part of that generation.