Der amerikanische Freund (1977)

Director:

Wim Wenders

Writers:

Patricia Highsmith (novel) and
Wim Wenders (writer)

Release Date:

24 June 1977 (West Germany)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller | Drama

Plot:

Tom Ripley, who deals in forged art, suggests a picture framer he knows would make a good hit man.

Plot Keywords:

Leukemia | Forgery | Cult Favorite | Auction | Terminal Illness

Awards:

4 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Dennis Hopper	...	Tom Ripley
Bruno Ganz	...	Jonathan Zimmermann
Lisa Kreuzer	...	Marianne Zimmermann
Gérard Blain	...	Raoul Minot
Nicholas Ray	...	Derwatt
Samuel Fuller	...	The American Mobster
Peter Lilienthal	...	Marcangelo
Daniel Schmid	...	Ingraham
Jean Eustache	...	Friendly Man
Rudolf Schündler	...	Gantner
Sandy Whitelaw	...	Doctor in Paris
Lou Castel	...	Rodolphe
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ismael Alonso	...	Ignatius
David Blue	...	Allan Winter
Andreas Dedecke	...	Daniel
Satya De La Manitou	...	Angie
Adolf Hansen	...	Schaffner
Rosemarie Heinikel	...	Mona
Heinz Joachim Klein	...	Dr. Gabriel
Stefan Lennert	...	Auctioneer
Heinrich Marmann	...	Man on Train
Gerty Molzen	...	Old Lady
Enzo Robutti	...	Falling man
Klaus Schichan
Axel Schiessler	...	Lippo
Wim Wenders	...	Figure Wrapped in Plaster Bandages in Ambulance

Also Known As:

L'ami américain (France)
The American Friend (USA)

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

West Germany | France

Language:

German | English | French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | France:-12 | Brazil:14 | Argentina:18 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Alter Elbtunnel, St. Pauli, Hamburg, Germany

Company:

Filmverlag der Autoren

Trivia:

Patricia Highsmith initially disliked Wim Wenders' film because Ripley's character didn't match her intentions. Only after she saw the film at a regular screening did she admit that Wenders had captured the essence of Ripley.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Derwatt: Who is it?
Tom Ripley: It's Ripley.
Derwatt: The door is open.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Pas de repos pour Billy Brakko (1984)

Soundtrack:

Nothin' in the World Can Stop Me Worryin' 'Bout That Girl

A probing and fully realized character study

Jonathan Zimmerman (Bruno Ganz) is an easy going Swiss picture framer living in Germany who believes he is dying from a rare blood disease. When he makes the acquaintance of Tom Ripley (Dennis Hopper), an art dealer of dubious reputation, he is faced with a profound moral question. Should he commit a murder for Ripley's underworld associate, Raoul Minot (Gérard Blain) in order to guarantee the lifelong security of his wife Marianne (Liza Kruezer) and son Daniel (Andreas Dedecke)? Based on the novel Ripley's Game by Patricia Highsmith, Wim Wenders The American Friend is a probing character study of two very different men, one a solitary high stakes adventurer, the other a staid family man grown desperate by his circumstances. Perhaps as a result of an unacknowledged admiration for the other's lifestyle, the business relationship between the two men slowly develops into a reluctant friendship, powerfully illustrating the complexity of the human condition.

Shot in Paris, New York, and Hamburg, Germany, Cinematographer Robby Muller's moody waterfront shots and interior yellow-green color images enhance the mood of paranoia and keep the tension flowing. Cameo appearances by directors Nicholas Ray as a painter who faked his own death and Sam Fuller as an American mobster pay homage to these icons of American cinema. The plot centers around Ripley's revenge for an offhand remark Zimmerman made at an art auction, first spreading the rumor that is health is failing rapidly, then driving him to undertake an act that he would normally consider morally reprehensible. In trying to convince Zimmerman to commit the crime, Raoul offers to provide the services of a Paris hematologist but the lab results are faked and Zimmerman more than ever is convinced that he is going to die. Reluctantly, he commits the murder in a brilliant set piece aboard the Paris Metro, then slowly sinks into a maelstrom of deceit and deception that adds additional twists and turns to an already intricate plot.

Though questions remain unanswered, the strength of the film is not in the plot but in its multi-leveled characterizations and powerful performances. Ganz is fully believable as the decent man tortured by a moral dilemma and Hopper, rebounding from a period of substance abuse, turns in a performance of diabolical intensity as the underworld-connected profiteer. The American Friend avoids the temptation to be simply another film noir thriller or a good versus evil escapade, showing fully realized human beings who have thoughts and feelings we can understand even when we strongly disapprove of their actions. I just have one question. Didn't any one ever tell Zimmerman about life insurance?