Wim Wenders was one of the major figures in the New German Cinema of the 1970s, along with Werner Herzog and Rainer Werner Fassbender. In 1974, Wenders released "Alice in the Cities", which became the first installation in his unofficial Road Movie trilogy. He followed it up with "Falsche Bewegung" ("Wrong Move" in English), loosely based on Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's "Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship".
Rüdiger Volger plays an aspiring writer who travels throughout Germany - at the time West Germany - and meets an assortment of people. He and actress Therese (Hanna Schygulla) represent the era's contemporary Germany, contrasted with the old Germany in the form of Laertes (Hans Christian Blech) and the future Germany in the form of Mignon (Nastassja Kinski in her debut). Laertes reveals his past, while Mignon never speaks (possibly to mean that the future remains unknown).
I understand that the movie is only a rough adaptation of Goethe's novel and that it makes sense in its historical context, reflecting the German zeitgeist of the 1970s. Even if you don't pick up on that, the movie is still a treat. The whole walk along the road has to be one of the most cerebral scenes that I've ever witnessed in a movie.
All in all, it's a fine piece of work. I'm now eager to see the conclusion of the Road Movie trilogy. In the meantime, I recommend Wenders's movies "The American Friend", "Paris, Texas", "Until the End of the World" and "Buena Vista Social Club".
Rüdiger Volger plays an aspiring writer who travels throughout Germany - at the time West Germany - and meets an assortment of people. He and actress Therese (Hanna Schygulla) represent the era's contemporary Germany, contrasted with the old Germany in the form of Laertes (Hans Christian Blech) and the future Germany in the form of Mignon (Nastassja Kinski in her debut). Laertes reveals his past, while Mignon never speaks (possibly to mean that the future remains unknown).
I understand that the movie is only a rough adaptation of Goethe's novel and that it makes sense in its historical context, reflecting the German zeitgeist of the 1970s. Even if you don't pick up on that, the movie is still a treat. The whole walk along the road has to be one of the most cerebral scenes that I've ever witnessed in a movie.
All in all, it's a fine piece of work. I'm now eager to see the conclusion of the Road Movie trilogy. In the meantime, I recommend Wenders's movies "The American Friend", "Paris, Texas", "Until the End of the World" and "Buena Vista Social Club".