Welt am Draht
It seems that people in Germany, or at least the intelligentsia in Germany, is very smitten with Fassbinder. SpiegelOnline had a lengthy article about it, including an extensive photo gallery, and the forum comments go up to page 11. Furthermore, Loris’s father knew him personally and probably dislikes him. To me, these are all enough indications of Fassbinder’s high popularity in Germany. Even though I loved “Die Ehe der Maria Braun” to pieces, I am not sure as to where this popularity is coming from.
I mean, his movies are horribly artsy. The storyline progresses very slowly, the camera work looks a little strange and while I see some nice creative glimpses (the mirrors, the cabaret scenes), most of the direction and scriptwriting actually feel sloppy. I really enjoyed the 70’s look of the film, but looks alone do not make a film fun to watch.
One other thing which dampened my enjoyment throughout the film was the way people speak. Hulu viewers probably have no idea about this since they can read the subtitles, but for me, the way of speaking creates a strange, cold distance between the film’s characters and myself. I noticed it in other German films of the time as well, but never as strongly as it was here. Certainly it was on purpose, because I do not doubt that these actors must be talented. In scenes like the one where Eva Vollmer declares “I love you” to Stiller and he’s just like “Yeah yeah, fine” I see a certain comedic element in that. Yet at the same time the language feels painful. Why is it that we watch painful movies again? Oh yeah, to learn something.
By the way, French movies have a similar effect. Godard’s or Truffaut’s characters never talk like real people do. I am strongly aware of this difference because the strange tone actually makes it very easy for me to understand them, so I am thankful. In comparison it is much harder to understand ‘real’ French, hahahaha.
But I am digressing. Despite my nitpicking, I think the film is perhaps one of the most interesting ones I have seen in awhile. Its premise is quite fascinating, and even though not much is happening, the movie actually manages to touch a few interesting questions. With “Matrix” and the like, we are now quite used to the idea of an unreal or simulated world, but seeing a historic treatment of the topic is always interesting. It appears naive, but the youth of science fiction as a genre makes the products of people’s minds so full of imagination.
Despite 12 years age difference, the movie most reminiscent of “World on a Wire” is not actually “Matrix” but “Alphaville”. I doubt that there is any kind of connection between Godard and Fassbinder, but the similarities are too close. A very artificial feeling world, a struggling main character, and mostly the incapability of men to love women. In both films, women are being treated like crap, even more so in Fassbinder’s film which lacks an Anna Karina who happens to be loved by the director. Certainly that is a product of its name, but I think science-fiction can never be taken seriously if it keeps incorporating such narrow-minded male fantasies.
4 hours… that was almost as long as “La Belle Noiseuse”. Luckily watching parts 1 and 2 on different days helped a lot, and absolutely makes sense for the film. I think this is a must-see for anyone who likes the genre, and I advise everybody else to stay away from it.