“Why is life worth living? It’s a very good question. Um…well, there are certain things I guess that make it worthwhile. Uh…like what? Okay…um…For me, uh…ooh…I would say…what? Groucho Marx, to name one thing…uh…um…and Willie Mays…and um…the 2nd movement of the Jupiter Symphony…and um…Louis Armstrong, recording of Potato Head Blues…um…Swedish movies, naturally…Sentimental Education by Flaubert…uh…Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra…um…those incredible Apples and Pears by Cezanne…uh…the crabs at Sam Wo’s…uh…Tracy’s face…”
– Woody Allen in MANHATTAN (1979)
Tag: Wim Wenders
Filmmakers have been drawn to writer, Patricia Highsmith’s stories ever since the publication of Strangers on a Train in 1950. Wielding a poison pen, Highsmith brought murder, violence and murderous minds out into icy daylight elevating the pulpy potboiler genre to levels of literary excellence. Her books, with their crisp, taut dialogue and cinematic descriptions lend themselves handily to film treatment.
STRANGER THAN PARADISE (1984), a film widely credited with launching the American independent film movement of the 1980s, was described by director Jim Jarmusch as “a story about America as seen through the eyes of ‘strangers.’ It’s a story about exile (both from one’s country and oneself), and about connections that are just barely missed.” This is also an apt description of Wim Wenders’ ALICE IN THE CITIES (1974), a road movie that brought Wenders to the attention of American arthouse audiences, highlighted his significance in the New German Cinema, and strongly influenced later independent directors, including those working in the road movie genre. Watching ALICE IN THE CITIES raises questions about the history of the New German Cinema’s American reception, foreign films and arthouse theaters in the 1970s, and Wenders’ influence on American independent filmmakers, especially Jim Jarmusch.