The Films of Wim Wenders

Cinema as Vision and Desire

The authors trace the development of one of the most well-known directors of the New German Cinema that flourished in the 1970s and early 1980s. Examining Wim Wenders' career from his early film school productions through his mature works of the 1970s, this book also analyses the most recent works, as well as the themes and preoccupations that unite his oeuvre. As the authors note, Wenders' works have been profoundly influenced by American films, especially the 'road movie' genre. His own work often features characters who are always on the move, in an attempt to capture a glimpse of their identity and place in the world. They also represent a generation of postwar Germans seeking to redeem themselves and the history of their country by turning to American popular culture, particularly its music and movies.

About the author

Robert Phillip Kolker is the author of a number of books on film, including A Cinema of Loneliness; The Altering Eye; Film, Form, and Culture; The Cultures of American Film; The Extraordinary Image: Orson Welles, Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick and the Reimagining of Cinema; Eyes Wide Shut: Stanley Kubrick and the Making of His Final Film, coauthored with Nathan Abrams, Triumph Over Containment: American Film in the 1950s. Kubrick: An Odyssey, coauthored with Nathan Abrams, will be published by Faber & Faber in January 2024 and by Pegasus/Simon and Schuster in Feb, 2024..

Review

."..an in-depth study of the works and life of one of the best-known filmakers of the New German Cinema. Complete with very useful bibliography, index, and filmography, the book provides both a good introduction to and also an excellent resource for further research into Wender's oeuvre." Rahel Hahn, German Studies Review