The State of Things (1982)
"Der Stand der Dinge" (original title)

On location in Portugal, a film crew runs out of film while making their own version of Roger Corman's _Day the World Ended, The (1956)_ . The producer is nowhere to be found and director ... See full summary »

Director:

Wim Wenders

Writers:

Robert Kramer, Josh Wallace,

Stars:

Isabelle Weingarten, Rebecca Pauly, Samuel Fuller

3 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Isabelle Weingarten	...	Anna
Rebecca Pauly	...	Joan
Jeffrey Kime	...	Mark
Geoffrey Carey	...	Robert
Camila Mora-Scheihing	...	Julia (as Camila Mora)
Alexandra Auder	...	Jane
Patrick Bauchau	...	Friedrich Munro
Paul Getty Jr.	...	Dennis (as J. Paul Getty III)
Viva	...	Kate
Samuel Fuller	...	Joe
Artur Semedo	...	Production Manager
Francisco Baião	...	Soundman
Robert Kramer	...	Camera Operator
Allen Garfield	...	Gordon
Roger Corman	...	The Lawyer

Storyline

On location in Portugal, a film crew runs out of film while making their own version of Roger Corman's _Day the World Ended, The (1956)_ . The producer is nowhere to be found and director Munro attempts to find him in hopes of being able to finish the film.

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Plot Keywords:

film crew | film in film | film making | pastiche | making a film | 

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Taglines:

They didn't want to kill him. They just wanted a story.

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

West Germany Portugal USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

18 February 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

The State of Things

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Gross:

$6,000,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Artificial Eye, Gray City, Musidora Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Samuel Fuller's character is a cameraman named Joe. Fuller named him in honor of his friend and longtime cinematographer, Joseph F. Biroc.

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Quotes

Mark: You know, I take pictures, photographs, but I never really thought in black and white before I saw our rushes. Do you know what I mean? You can see the shape of things.
Joe: Life is in colour, but black and white is more realistic.

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Crazy Credits

When the opening credits finally appear(about 10 minutes into the film), they appear letter by letter as if typed by a typewriter. When the credits completely fill the screen, the camera pans to the left, wiping the credits off the screen.

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Connections

Referenced in This Film Is Not Yet Rated (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Fools Fall in Love"
By Joe Ely
Courtesy of MCA Records

User Reviews

waiting for the end of the virtual world

Between commercial successes like Paris Texas and Angels over Berlin, Wenders still manages to make the kind of seemingly irrelevant road movies such as Santiago and State of Things, that have made him the cult hero he is. Here a cheesy scifi B-movie is interrupted at a climatic scene to follow people just hanging around talking. Which is more cinematic is a question that comes back over and over again. Actively pursuing a life, no matter how mundane or screwed up, seems to be more rewarding than passively waiting to have someone else fulfill your fantasies, or so this film seems to hint. Good film for those still in love with non virtual reality.