wim wenders the road trilogyAs part of the New German Cinema Movement director Wim Wenders was the one who got the most recognition outside of Europe. During the Seventies it was he who made films that connected with the most people. As someone whose films dealt with universal issues in an artistic and slightly abstract way, Wim Wenders carved a niche and made a name for himself.

 

These three films are examples of his work from that era; they are from the 1974-76 period. They are all examples of his interest in landscapes and road films. All interconnected by the fact that Rüdiger Vogler starts in them as the onscreen representation of the director and his search for purpose and himself.

 

Each of the three films, Alice in the Cities, Wrong Moves and King of the Road, is deep and soulful plus a treat for your eyes. The first, Alice in the Cities, begins in Germany with a journalist (Rüdiger Vogler) who travels to the United States for a story. He travels across the entire country and yet is completely at a loss in regards to the story he is trying to write. When the time comes to leave the U.S. he finds himself having to bring a girl named Alice (played by Yella Röttlander) back with him to Germany. Her mother (played by Liza Kreuser) has left Alice in his care. In the beginning the two seem incompatible but as time goes on they form a friendship. It is a film about loss and estrangement that hits home.

 

Next up is Wrong Move, a film based on work by Goethe from the late 1700s. The film is set in West Germany in the late Seventies. A writer (played by Rüdiger Vogler) leaves his home to find his purpose in life. In the process he makes friends with other travelers. He is seeking inspiration. Another film of a man searching his own soul by hitting the road.

 

The conclusion of the trilogy comes in the form of Kings of the Road. A film projector repairman (played by Rüdiger Vogler) who seems to be always on the road saves the life of a man. He (played by Hanns Zischler) is a psychologist and he is depressed. The two unlikely companions end up traveling throughout Germany from one movie house to the next. After growing close the men come to the realization that they will eventually have to go their own ways.

 

Special Features:

  • Audio commentaries on all three films

 

Alice:

  • German-language audio commentary featuring Wenders
  • New interviews with actors Rüdiger Vogler, Yella Rottländer and Lisa Kreuzer (27:22)
  • Outtakes and Super 8 footage (16:20)
  • Same Player Shoots Again (1967 – 12:34) and Silver City Revisited (1968 – 33:12), two newly restored early short films by Wenders
  • Restoring Time, a 2015 short about the restoration work done by the Wim Wenders Foundation (15:16)

 

Wrong Move:

  • Audio commentary featuring Wenders
  • New interview with Wenders, directed and conducted by filmmaker Michael Almereyda – Three For the Road (1:04:03)
  • New interviews with actors Rüdiger Vogler and Lisa Kreuzer (21:50)
  • Super 8 footage from the film’s production (4:06)

 

Kings of the Road

  • German-language audio commentary featuring Wenders
  • Outtakes from the film (21:10)
  • New interviews with actors Rüdiger Vogler, Hanns Zischler, and Lisa Kreuzer (Travelling Roadshow – 31:22)

 

  • PLUS: A book featuring essays on the films by Almereyda, filmmaker Allison Anders, author James Robison, and critic Nick Roddick