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Wim Wenders gets more American Exposure |
November 9, 2006 |
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Wim Wenders gets more American Exposure
Wim Wenders is one of the worlds most well love directors. Now, Anchor Bay Entertainment is releasing The Wim Wenders Collection:
Volume 2, a special edition box set with eight of Wenders' films and documentaries, including five that are available for the first
time ever in America: Room 666, Tokyo-Ga, A Trick of Light, The Scarlet
Letter, and Wrong Move.
Room 666 (1982): A documentary time capsule, Room 666 was shot at the
1982 Cannes Film Festival in the South of France the industry¹s most
prestigious event. The concept? Film directors including Steven Spielberg,
Jonathan Demme, Werner Herzog, Monte Hellman and Michelangelo Antonioni sit
down in the cramped confines of a hotel room with just a video camera and
answer the question: "What is the future of cinema?"
The DVD features audio commentary by Wenders and is in English and other languages with optional
English subtitles.
Tokyo-Ga (1985): Wim Wenders travels to Japan in search of the Tokyo
seen in the films of Yasujiro Ozu who Wenders refers to as his all time
grandmaster. In the film, Wenders examines the sociology of Tokyo in both
the past and present in an effort to understand the evolution of Japan¹s
national identity. Highlighted by an interview with fellow filmmaker, Werner
Herzog, Tokyo-Ga is a fascinating amalgam of personal experience and global
introspection that aims to question the meaning of nostalgia in a city that
thrives on change.
The DVD features audio commentary with Wenders and
optional English subtitles.
A Trick of Light (1995): The birth of cinema in Berlin is explored
in this award-winning documentary that uses archaic camerawork and black and
white imagery to tell the story of the Skladanowsky Brothers, the
German-born duo responsible for inventing the 'bioskop' an early version of
the film projector. The brothers experimented with silent film and
slapstick comedy, simultaneously watching as the Lumiere brothers found fame
and fortune through an invention very similar to their own. A Trick of
Light is a rare gem of cinematic storytelling that weaves docudrama,
fictional reenactment and experimental photography into a powerful,
reflective work on the early days of German cinema.
The DVD features audio commentary with Wenders and is in German with optional English subtitles.
The Scarlet Letter (1973): Based on the classic novel by Nathaniel
Hawthorne, this film tells the story of how the puritanical village of
Salem, Massachusetts is shaken to its very core when a young woman by the
name of Hester Prynne gives birth to a fatherless child. Chastised by the
community, she is branded an adulteress and forced to wear a scarlet letter
'A' as an eternal reminder of her infidelity.
The DVD features audio commentary by Wenders and is in German with English subtitles.
Wrong Move (1975): Following the span of six days, Wenders weaves a
complex and charming tale of social alienation and its profound effect on
the human condition. Wilbelm is a detached and vacant soul, wandering
through life without direction or meaning. Discovering his own desire to
become a writer, he embarks on a journey in search of substance and
adventure. Along the way, he picks up a colorful cast of characters,
including an Olympic athlete, a mute acrobat, an inspired actress and a
large young man with an ear for poetry.
The DVD features audio commentary by Wenders and is in German with English subtitles.
Notebook on Cities & Clothes (1989): Wim Wenders talks with a
Japanese fashion designer, Yohji Yamamoto about the creative process and
ponders the relationship between cities, identity and the cinema in the
digital age.
The DVD features audio commentary with Wenders, Twelve Years
Later, a seven minute featurette, deleted scenes with commentary by Wenders and
Wenders biographical information.
Lightning Over Water (1980): Wim Wenders helps his friend Nicholas
Ray realize his final wish of completing a final film before his imminent
death from cancer. Surrounded by family and friends, the director of such
Hollywood classics as Rebel Without a Cause reflects on a career of triumphs
and compromises as he faces his final days with hope, humor and the fierce
independent spirit that defined his greatest works. Together, Ray and
Wenders create a film that is that tells the extraordinarily moving story
about collaboration that goes beyond friendship, and ultimately, a life in
cinema that transcends death itself.
The DVD features talent bios, audio commentary with Wenders and the featurette: Nicholas Ray: Especially for Pierre.
The American Friend (1977): Based on the classic novel, Ripley¹s Game
by Patricia Highsmith, The American Friend is a
metaphor for the relationship between American and German culture starring
Dennis Hopper and features cameo appearances by several Hollywood directors
including Nicholas Ray and Samuel Fuller.
DVD includes the theatrical trailer, talent bios, deleted scenes with optional commentary, audio
commentary with writer/director Wenders and Dennis Hopper and is in German
with English subtitles.
The 8-disc special set is available on December 5, 2006 for only $89.98 SRP and includes a 16-page collectible booklet.
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