On location in Portugal, a film crew runs out of film while making their own version of Roger Corman's Day the World Ended (1955). The producer is nowhere to be found and director Friedrich...
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Title: The State of Things (1982)
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4 wins & 1 nomination.
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
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Isabelle Weingarten | ... | Anna |
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Rebecca Pauly | ... | Joan |
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Jeffrey Kime | ... | Mark |
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Geoffrey Carey | ... | Robert |
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Camila Mora-Scheihing | ... | Julia (as Camila Mora) |
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Alexandra Auder | ... | Jane |
| Patrick Bauchau | ... | Friedrich Munro | |
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John Paul Getty III | ... | Dennis (as J. Paul Getty III) |
| Viva | ... | Kate | |
| Samuel Fuller | ... | Joe | |
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Artur Semedo | ... | Production Manager |
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Francisco Baião | ... | Soundman |
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Robert Kramer | ... | Camera Operator |
| Allen Garfield | ... | Gordon | |
| Roger Corman | ... | The Lawyer | |
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Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
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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 (1955). The producer is nowhere to be found and director Friedrich Munro attempts to find him in hopes of being able to finish the film. Written by Karl Engel <cassiel@ix.netcom.com>
Plot Keywords:
artistic creation | film crew | new german cinema | pastiche | making a film |Taglines:
They didn't want to kill him. They just wanted a story.Genres:
DramaCertificate:
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Joe: Life is in colour, but black and white is more realistic.
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Director Wenders wanted to use Roger Corman's B schlock sci-fi, horror film "The Day the Word Ended" as the film within the film, but after Wenders explained the circumstances, Corman suggested that Allan Dwan's "The Most Dangerous Man Alive" who be a better choice. Corman ended up plying a minor role in "The State of Things." See more »Goofs
[All goofs for this title are spoilers.] See more »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. See more »Alternate Versions
The sci-fi introduction of the German edit is tainted in brown. This edit is also 12 seconds shorter. At 37'03", the Cornelita song has only one verse. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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Details
Release Date:
18 February 1983 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The State of Things See more »Edit
Box Office
Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$3,700Company Credits
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Technical Specs
Sound Mix:
MonoColor:
Black and WhiteAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1Contribute to This Page
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The thing about a film like "The State of Things", much like Wenders' earlier film "The Wrong Movement", is how too much introspection can really start to drag one down over time. Both pictures have the unfortunate distinction of talking themselves to death. This is not a film that gives you insight into life so much as insight into its specific characters. The value of this tends to decrease in the face of the fact that we never really get to know the characters in the first place. So this story seems to play like an ever-extending observation into enigmas, where each answer is really a question, like the cinematic equivalent of the "Jeopardy!" game show.
There are moments of true beauty, there's no denying that. But the beauty comes in the cinematography, the silences - not in the dialogue. The multiple cinematographers create a nice feel together, a fantastic series of images. "The State of Things" is almost always worth looking at, just not always engaging to fully experience. The ending is somewhat of a curiosity. Neither particularly disastrous nor completely convincing. It feels more like an artistic statement. And not one of great depth or meaning, either.