Lightning Over Water (1980)

Directors:

Nicholas Ray
Wim Wenders

Writers:

Wim Wenders
Nicholas Ray

Release Date:

13 February 1981 (West Germany)

Genre:

Documentary | Drama

Plot:

Director 'Nicholas Ray' is eager to complete a final film before his imminent death from cancer. Wim Wenders...

Plot Keywords:

Terminal Illness | Film Making | Video Footage | Avant Garde | Friendship

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Gerry Bamman	...	Himself
Ronee Blakley	...	Herself
Pierre Cottrell	...	Himself
Stefan Czapsky	...	Himself
Mitch Dubin	...	Himself
Tom Farrell	...	Himself
Becky Johnston	...	Herself
Tom Kaufman	...	Himself
Pat Kirck	...	Himself
Edward Lachman	...	Himself
Martin Müller	...	Himself
Craig Nelson	...	Himself
Nicholas Ray	...	Himself
Susan Ray	...	Herself
Timothy Ray	...	Himself
Martin Schäfer	...	Himself
Chris Sievernich	...	Himself
Wim Wenders	...	Himself

Directed by
Nicholas Ray		(as Nick Ray)
Wim Wenders

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Nicholas Ray
Wim Wenders

Produced by
Jonathan Becker	....	associate producer
Pierre Cottrell	....	producer
Laurie Frank	....	associate producer
Renée Gundelach	....	executive producer
Chris Sievernich	....	producer
Wim Wenders	....	producer

Original Music by
Ronee Blakley

Cinematography by
Edward Lachman
Martin Schäfer

Film Editing by
Peter Przygodda		(first version)
Wim Wenders		(definitive version)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Pat Kirck	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Jack Higgins	....	sound re-recording mixer (definitive version)
Maryte Kavaliauskas	....	sound
Martin Müller	....	sound
Gary Steele	....	sound
Hiroaki 'Zom' Yamamoto	....	sound re-recording mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Stefan Czapsky	....	gaffer
Mitch Dubin	....	assistant camera
Timothy Ray	....	assistant camera
Martin Schäfer	....	camera operator
James Wilberger	....	alternate best boy electric

Editorial Department
Chris Sievernich	....	assistant editor (definitive version)
Barbara von Weitershausen	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Tom Farrell	....	video
Jim Jarmusch	....	observer

Production Companies

• Road Movies Filmproduktion
• Viking Film
• Wim Wenders Productions

Distributors

• Skylight Filmverleih (1980) (Vietnam) (theatrical)
• Anchor Bay Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Basis-Film-Verleih GmbH
• Europa Filmes (2007) (Brazil) (DVD) (Portuguese subtitles)
• Gray City (1981) (USA) (dubbed)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Pacific Arts (video)
• Ripley's Home Video (2005) (Italy) (DVD)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2009) (Finland) (DVD)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2003) (Finland) (TV)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

91 min | USA:116 min (original version)

Country:

Sweden | West Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

West Germany:12 | Brazil:12 | Australia:M | Finland:K-3 | Sweden:11

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Road Movies Filmproduktion

Movie Connections:

Featured in Die Nacht der Regisseure (1995)

Soundtrack:

Lightning Over Water

Bigger than life (and death too)

In 1977,Nicholas Ray was part of the cast of "der Amerikanische Freund" as Derwatt,a painter who made forgeries .In this movie,Ray tells the story of a painter who steals the masterpieces in the museums and replaces them with forgeries.

I have always been a Ray fan from "they live by night" to "run for cover" to "party girl" to his final epics which were looked upon by pretty much as failures.I must admit that I do not go much for Wenders' stuff ,which is much too intellectual for me .

Its not a documentary movie,it's cinema verite depicting a man who is dying.The courage the director displays in front of death commands admiration but I wonder whether this movie should have been released:it's an intimate one,which should have been reserved for the circle of family and close friends.And I'm sure that many of these prefer to keep a picture of a healthy man .

If you have seen four or five movies by Ray ("rebel without a cause" "Johnny Guitar" "The savage" ) a piece of advice:try and see the lesser known Ray works:"wind across the everglades "born to be bad" "on dangerous ground" or "knock on any door" .The best homage to an exceptionally gifted director.

There are two good moments in "Lightning over water":

The "lusty men" extract happens to be my favorite in this classic:Mitchum come s back home,an old house where he finds back a comic and a money box:In "Lightning " ,Ray hints at "coming back home,seeing my mother's face" Childhood was an obsession in his work :just remember Dean playing in the gutter ("Rebel) or Cagney trying to make Derek his "son" in "run for cover" .

THe diary which Wenders reads is in German which makes sense since it's his first language;the shots of the wings of the plane are fascinating.