If you have never heard of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, a brief biography is in order to better understand his films.
The German filmmaker extraordinaire and auteurist wunderkind got his start in moving pictures at age 21. He would die 16 years later having made roughly 40 films. Those close to him claimed he never slept. He worked on films by day and drank, snorted cocaine and had sex by night. His films mirror his exciting inner life. They have an undeniable energy and flamboyant inventiveness to them. His camera almost never stops moving, and many of his frames are so carefully constructed, they could be hung in museums.
Earlier this year, “World on a Wire” was discovered for the first time since it mysteriously disappeared after debuting on German television in 1973. “World on a Wire,” based on the novel “Simulacron-3” is a sci-fi epic that takes place somewhere in the future where scientists have developed a Simulacron – a computer that can create whole other worlds in different planes.
After crime and espionage and intrigue start to surface, Fred Stiller becomes more and more paranoid that nothing is what it seems after a leading a professor on the project dies and another mysteriously disappears. The following 3 hours chronicle Stiller’s trippy investigation.
“World on a Wire” is a beautiful and masterfully-crafted film. It features many of Fassbinder’s directorial trademarks: long takes, extensive use of mirrors, depth of field, unnecessary male nudity, even some recycled thespians. The film is way ahead of its time. More than once, one can see the blatant stealing “The Matrix” does from this film. Someone behind me in the screening likened it to “Inception.” Maybe, except “World on a Wire” engages intelligently with philosophy, while never taking itself too seriously or straying away from Fassbinder’s melodramatic, Brechtian and camp aesthetic.
While 212 minutes can be a tough sit for any film. “World on a Wire” never drags. I was never bored. This is how to adapt a novel, and Fassbinder has shown that he can a tell compelling story while letting it take its time and unravel deliberately. Another one of his films, an adaptation of the novel “Berlin Alexanderplatz” clocks in at 16.5 hours.
In February, the Criterion Collection and Janus Films will release “World on a Wire” on DVD and Blu-Ray. It’s sure to be packed with awesome extras. While I would not recommend starting Fassbinder with “World on a Wire,” I cannot recommend the film enough for enthusiasts of the German eccentric. They don’t make ’em like this anymore.
5/5
