GOETHE FILMS: The State of Things

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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GOETHE FILMS @ TIFF Bell Lightbox – September 28 + October 1 + 6

Retrospective: Wenders in the Cities

On the occasion of the auteur’s 70th birthday, GOETHE FILMS takes you to the places that feature large in Wim Wenders’ oeuvre – discover his native Germany, visit Los Angeles and explore Japan with films including “Alice in the Cities”, “Land of Plenty” and “Tokyo-Ga”. – Accompanied by an exclusive free exhibition of Wim Wenders archive material at the Goethe-Institut Toronto Sep 10 – Nov 28.

Wenders in L.A. – “The State of Things“ (“Der Stand der Dinge“, Germany, 1981/82, 121 min), by Wim Wenders, with Patrick Bauchau (“A View to a Kill”), Viva Auder (“Paris, Texas”), Isabelle Weingarten (“The Mother and the Whore”) and Samuel Fuller (“The American Friend”).

“The State of Things” belongs to that rich subgenre of New German Cinema which focuses on filmmaking itself: on the coast of Portugal an international film crew is shooting the remake of a science fiction classic when the lack of financial support brings the production to a grinding halt. Director Friedrich Munro travels to Hollywood where he plans to confront his producer Gordon. But Gordon is busy dealing with his own problems – more and more clearly, the struggle to finish the picture becomes a struggle of life itself. “Death”, as one of the last lines points out, “is the biggest story of them all.”

Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival 1982

German Film Award 1983

“The film is not driven by plot but by moments of emptiness, registered with great sensibility.” – Die Zeit

“One of the most beautiful films about filmmaking ever made.” – Focus

Tickets $10, day-of sales only at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, open at 10am, in person or by phone 1-888-599-8433

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