Until the End of the World (1991)

In 1999, Claire's life is forever changed after she survives a car crash. She rescues Sam and starts traveling around the world with him. Writer Eugene follows them and writes their story, as a way of recording dreams is being invented.

Director:

Wim Wenders

Writers:

Peter Carey (screenplay), Wim Wenders (screenplay)

Stars:

William Hurt, Solveig Dommartin, Pietro Falcone

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Solveig Dommartin	...	Claire Tourneur
Pietro Falcone	...	Mario
Enzo Turrin	...	Arzt
Chick Ortega	...	Chico Rémy
Eddy Mitchell	...	Raymond Monnet
William Hurt	...	Sam Farber, alias Trevor McPhee
Adelle Lutz	...	Makiko
Ernie Dingo	...	Burt
Jean-Charles Dumay	...	Automechaniker
Sam Neill	...	Eugene Fitzpatrick
Ernest Berk	...	Anton Farber
Christine Oesterlein	...	Irina Farber
Rüdiger Vogler	...	Phillip Winter
Diogo Dória	...	Hotelportier
Amália Rodrigues	...	Frau in Strassenbahn (as Amalia Rodrigues)

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 | national security | microchip | 

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Taglines:

. . . the ultimate road movie

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Genres:

Action | Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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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:

Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$23,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$38,553, 29 December 1991

Gross USA:

$829,625

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$829,625

Company Credits

Production Co:

Argos Films, Road Movies Filmproduktion, Village Roadshow Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

280 min (director's cut) 179 min (1991 European cut) 287 min (2014 Director's Cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo LC-Concept Digital Sound (France)

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The 4 hours and 47 minutes Director's Cut was given a 4K restoration in 2014 by Arri Film & TV Services Berlin, with support from the French National Centre for Cinema (CNC).

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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

Phillip Winter: We need to find him first and fast. "First" and "fast" are my names.

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Alternate Versions

A fourth version, running 287 minutes, premiered on March 7, 2015 at the Museum of Modern Art as part of a Wim Wenders retrospective, with Wenders in attendance. It is a 4K restoration (by Arri Film & TV Services Berlin, supported by the French National Centre for Cinema (CNC)), but is different from the 'trilogy' version mentioned above, in that it is presented in one part (albeit with an intermission 131 minutes in), and with a single opening credit sequence. This is the version released by The Criterion Collection on Blu-Ray and DVD in December 2019, which was also the film's first physical release in the US since 1992.

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Connections

Featured in Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine (2015)

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Soundtracks

It Takes Time
Written by Fred 'Sonic' Smith and Patti Smith
Performed by Fred 'Sonic' Smith and Patti Smith
Courtesy of Arista Records, Inc.

User Reviews

A rare pleasure

In its full length version this film is a really absorbing and enjoyable piece of work. I saw it at the National Film Theatre in London years ago, expecting to find the length a serious problem but knowing that I might not get another chance.

As it turned out there were two intervals and the fact that it took a whole afternoon added to the enjoyment... the absorption drew me in.

I never saw the short version but its relative lack of success suggests that the edit wasn't wholly successful. I don't know if the long version circulates in any form these days but if the chance arises to see it take an afternoon off, make sure the cinema has a nice cafe and settle down for a unique film.