Until the End of the World (1991)
"Bis ans Ende der Welt" (original title)

Set in 1999, a woman (Dommartin) has a car accident with some bank robbers, who enlist her help to take the bank money to a drop in Paris. On the way she runs into another fugitive from the... See full summary »

Director:

Wim Wenders

Writers:

Michael Almereyda, Peter Carey,

Stars:

Solveig Dommartin, Pietro Falcone, Enzo Turrin

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Solveig Dommartin	...	Claire Tourneur
Pietro Falcone	...	Mario
Enzo Turrin	...	Doctor
Chick Ortega	...	Chico Remy
Eddy Mitchell	...	Raymond Monnet
William Hurt	...	Sam Farber, alias Trevor McPhee
Adelle Lutz	...	Makiko
Ernie Dingo	...	Burt
Jean-Charles Dumay	...	Mechanic
Sam Neill	...	Eugene Fitzpatrick
Ernest Berk	...	Anton Farber
Christine Oesterlein	...	Irina Farber
Rüdiger Vogler	...	Phillip Winter
Diogo Dória	...	Receptionist
Amália Rodrigues	...	Woman in Street Car

Storyline

Set in 1999, a woman (Dommartin) has a car accident with some bank robbers, who enlist her help to take the bank money to a drop in Paris. On the way she runs into another fugitive from the law (Hurt), an American who is being chased by the CIA. The charges are false, he claims. They want to confiscate a device his father invented which allows anyone to record their dreams and vision. On the run from both the bank robbers and the CIA, the couple span the globe, ending up in Australia at his father's (von Sydow) research facility, where they hope to play back the recordings Hurt captured for his blind mother. Set in the futuristic year of 1999, a subplot about a damaged Indian nuclear satellite crashing and causing the end of civilization is a puzzling addition to the film.

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Plot Keywords:

bank robber | dream | australia | surrealism | blindness | 

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Taglines:

. . . the ultimate road movie

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and sensuality

Details

Country:

Germany France Australia

Language:

English French Italian Japanese German

Release Date:

25 December 1991 (USA)

Also Known As:

Until the End of the World

Filming Locations:

Bavaria Filmstudios, Geiselgasteig, Grünwald, Bavaria, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$23,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$752,856 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Argos Films, Road Movies Filmproduktion, Village Roadshow Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

280 min 280 min (director's cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby LC-Concept Digital Sound (France)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Wenders' original cut for the film came in at eight hours long.

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Goofs

When many of the European characters leave the Mbantua settlement and take a group photo, believing the adventure to be over, the voice-over mentions that it is February, 2000. Yet shortly after we see Henry Farber trying a new series of experiments on recording dream imagery, and a computer display for the current experiment says January 21.

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Quotes

Car navigation system: Friendly reminder that you are over the speed-limit... Claire.

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Connections

Referenced in Cinemania (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Fretless"
Written by W. Berry, P. Buck, M. Mills, M. Stipe
Performed by R.E.M.
Courtesy of Night Garden Music BMI

User Reviews

complex, intelligent, "realistic-fictious" plot

Wim Wenders sets a touching love story within the plot of a sci-fi cat&mouse pursuit around the world. Once again his movie is spiked with irony and esprit. The story is more complex than in his previous movies. Who got bored by Wenders before will be pleasantly surprised, although one should be able to cherish a long, slow movie. Wenders shows us a completely technological world, which he then confronts with the "good old way" of life. "Bis ans Ende der Welt" can be understood in 2 ways: space or time. During the movie the viewer travels in both dimensions and will leave the cinema dazzled and deeply moved. Also due to the outstanding soundtrack, including Peter Gabriel's "Blood of Eden" in a unique version (without the high notes) which unfortunately is not available on the original motion picture soundtrack. Great cinematography, to be viewed on big screen only!