Alice in the Cities. [4], While Wenders was preparing Alice in the Cities, a friend took him to see Peter Bogdanovich's new film, Paper Moon. Start Shopping. He felt that his first two features were too heavily indebted to John Cassavetes and Alfred Hitchcock, while his third was an ill-advised adaptation of The Scarlet Letter. The first of the road films that would come to define the career of Wim Wenders, the magnificent Alice in the Cities is an emotionally generous and luminously shot odyssey. As Alice has lived there with her parents and speaks Dutch, she suggests showing him the city while they wait for Lisa's flight. Philip Winter is a disillusioned journalist with no money, writers block and an unexpected nine year old traveling companion called Alice. A German journalist (Rüdiger Vogler) is driving across the United States to research an article; it’s a disappointing trip, in which he is unable to truly connect with what he sees. Rudiger Vogler Yella Rottlander Lisa Kreuzer (1977) A German journalist and a girl left in his care embark on a search for the child's grandparents. 4 out of 5 stars. "[1] The A.V. A struggling writer wandering around new York city gets stuck with a girl named Alice whom he met on the airport.The writer trying to find his proof of existence roams with Alice in different cities as he creates a bonding with the little girl . DIRECTOR-APPROVED SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES. Tension runs high between them as he cuts short the sightseeing trip and his money is running out. Alice in the Cities was a conscious attempt to make something only he could do. Wim Wenders, West Germany, 1974. (35) IMDb 8.0 1h 52min 1974. Get info about new releases, essays and interviews on the Current, Top 10 lists, and sales. The film is shot in black and white by Robby Müller with several long scenes without dialogue. German journalist Philip Winter has a case of writer’s block when trying to write an article about the United States. Rent. more. The Alice City design was publicised in 1989. The film's theme foreshadows Wenders' later film Paris, Texas.[1]. The search ends when they find the house, but the people living there now don't know Alice's grandmother. Discover more music, concerts, videos, and pictures with the largest catalogue online at Last.fm. Things change, however, when he has no choice but to take a young girl named Alice (Yella Rottländer) with him on his return trip to Germany, after her mother (Lisa Kreuzer)—whom he has just met—leaves the child in his care. Starring Rüdiger Vogler, Yella Rottländer, Elisabeth Kreuzer. Directed by Wim Wenders • 1974 • West Germany. Aug 6, 2018 - Alice in den Stadten (Alice in the Cities), Wim Wenders, 1974 113 mins. 4 out of 5 stars. Phillip is a roving German reporter who, after a chance encounter with an elusive American woman, reluctantly accepts temporary custody of little Alice. Watch for FREE. When he returns to the hotel at night, Alice is waiting for him and he's actually glad to see her again. The film … Although Alice in den Städten was Wenders’ fourth feature, he describes it as the first in which he discovered his “individual [cinematic] voice” (3). Combined with their budgetary limitations, they were left with no other option than to switch to 16 mm. It was all done in one day. [3] The influence of Handke's 1972 novel Short Letter, Long Farewell, also featuring an alienated German-speaker travelling across the United States, can be inferred from the film's use of clips from John Ford's Young Mr. Lincoln, itself heavily referenced in the novel. This became a viable workaround, for licensing Pennebaker's footage (which they had to decolorize for the film) was substantially cheaper than clearing their own with Berry's camp. Enraged, Philip brings Alice to a police station for them to take care of her, then tries to unwind at a Chuck Berry concert. [6], In 1974, Nora Sayre and Lawrence Van Gelder of The New York Times wrote that Alice in the Cities is "a film with a great deal to say about Europe and America, about the exhaustion of dreams and the homogenization of nations, about roots and the awareness of time, about sterility and creativity, about vicarious and real adventure and, eventually, about the possibilities of the future. Philip and Alice take their flights to Amsterdam on the expectation that Lisa will catch up with them there. Though they initially find themselves at odds, the pair begin to form an unlikely friendship. The film is shot in black and white by Robby Müller with several long scenes without dialogue. Alice in the Cities (Script error: No such module "lang".) The film is shot in black and white by Robby Müller with several long scenes without dialogue. Sun 6 Jan 2008 04.34 EST. He decides to return to Germany, and while trying to book a flight, encounters a German woman and her nine year old daughter Alice doing the same. The next day, back at the airport, they find out that Lisa was not on the flight. This is the partially geographical – and wholly psychological – milieu in which Wim Wenders’ Alice in den Städten (Alice in the Cities, 1974)is set. According to Wenders, Alice in the Cities, his fourth feature-length film, came at a major turning point when he was deciding whether to remain a filmmaker. While on the ferry, a policeman spots them and informs Philip that the grandmother and Lisa have been found. It is the first part of Wenders' "Road Movie trilogy", which also includes The Wrong Move (1975) and Kings of the Road (1976). Time Out says. [2], Wenders and Robby Müller had hoped to shoot in 35 mm with the Arri BL, which had just come out at the time, but it was too difficult to find one, a common problem with newly issued cameras. They filmed with a 1.66:1 wide-screen format, a common European format at the time, and drew it on the viewfinder. Philip French. Pennebaker, who had footage of Berry singing the song from the concert that yielded Sweet Toronto. According to Wenders, it was also an additional inspiration for the film, but Berry's camp demanded a clearance fee that they could not afford to pay. According to Wenders and Müller, that was the format they preferred, but due to television broadcast demands, they had to provide a 4:3 full frame format of the film, even though they never composed for it. This would create some problems in later years before everything was rectified with a definitive restoration in 2014. Alice in the Cities is a great film not least because it captures the malaise of modern relationships without at the same time denying the importance of “a moment of true feeling”. Travelling together in the train to Munich, she asks him what he will do there. Words by: Georgina Guthrie I don’t know why I chose to go to university on the Welsh coast. Listen free to Alice in the Cities – Alice In The Cities (Portland, Genève and more). The film's theme foreshadows Wenders' later film Paris, Texas. Shot over the summer of 1973, Alice in the Cities was the first of Wenders’s Road Trilogy, and with it he discovered what would become the recipe for his many more road movies to come: shoot as much in sequence as possible, and most certainly shoot your locations that way. Alice in the Cities. With a minimal instrumentation, the post rock of Alice in the Cities catches the listener with a simple rhythm or melody. Sign In. is a 1974 German road movie directed by Wim Wenders. [2], The scenario of a young girl and a writer thrown together was inspired by his long-time collaborator Peter Handke's experience as a single parent. After Lisa leaves Alice temporarily in Philip's care, she disappears to deal with the relationship she has recently terminated. Watch for FREE. A German journalist (Rüdiger Vogler) is driving across the United States to research an article; it’s a disappointing trip, in which he is unable to truly connect with what he sees. Perhaps I was seduced by the idea of studying by a beach. It is the first part of Wenders' "Road Movie trilogy", which also includes The Wrong Move (1975) and Kings of the Road (1976). 538 likes. Genre: Philip has no money for a ticket, so Alice gives him the 100-dollar bill from her secret pocket. He has been road-tripping around the United States trying to write an article about "the American landscape", but hasn't been able to come up with any copy, only taking Polaroid pictures. Alice in the Cities The first of the road films that would come to define the career of Wim Wenders, the magnificent Alice in the Cities is an emotionally generous and luminously shot odyssey. "[9] In 2008, Philip French of The Observer called Rottländer's performance as Alice "unforgettable". The latter phrase is a title from a story by Peter Handke, Wim Wenders’ occasional … Fully blocked from writing, he has turned instead to photography. Alice In The Cities. He says: "I'll finish this story." The film is shot in black and white by Robby Müller with several long scenes without dialogue. Sign In. Having lost the job and attempting to book a flight from New York City to Munich, he meets a German woman, Lisa van Dam, and her young daughter, Alice, who are also trying to return home amidst a strike by German air traffic controllers. Instead, Wenders approached D.A. Alice in the Cities. The policeman puts Alice on a train to Munich, where Lisa has told them she'll meet her daughter. "[10], In 2016, US director Allison Anders described Alice in the Cities as "one of my very favorite films, and a guiding light," and praised Alice as "one of the screen’s most multifaceted child characters, and one of the most empowered female characters in cinema to this day. Movie Info. German journalist Philip has writer's block while in the US so he decides to go home. With Alice in the Cites, Wim Wenders created one of the most nuanced and complex portraits of an empowered young girl ever seen on-screen. Alice in the Cities Alice in den Städten. He went on to say that the film would not be able to be made today "partly because of the invention of the mobile phone, partly because of our obsessive fear of anything that might be interpreted as paedophilia. The footage was important as it included a performance of Berry's classic song, "Memphis, Tennessee", where the singer is trying to re-connect with his daughter. Alice in the Cities. They lean out of the window, which we then see from outside the train. The Alice in the Cities Community Note includes chapter-by-chapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. "[7] The film also won the Best Film award at the German Film Critics Association Awards. … Get all the lyrics to songs by Alice in the cities and join the Genius community of music scholars to learn the meaning behind the lyrics. Since beginning his career in the late sixties, he has lensed a wealth of indelible moments—from Harry Dean Stanton wandering alone throu…, “One of the discoveries of the road movies was not only that you could travel and work and make a film at the same time, and improvise it, but that rock and roll could also be, in the true sense, a driving force.” — Wim WendersLooking back on t…, It's been a great seventieth-birthday year for Wim Wenders. Rent/Buy. His money is finishing, so he decides to go to his parents who live across the Rhine. Alice in the Cities (German: Alice in den Städten) is a 1974 German road movie directed by Wim Wenders. After a day of searching, first in the famous Wuppertal Schwebebahn and then with a rented car, Alice realizes that her granny actually doesn't live in Wuppertal. Alice in the cities Created in 2012, Alice in the Cities is a Berlin-based project playing instrumental compositions for imaginary film scores. Before meeting Alice, Philip […] Alice in the Cities (German: Alice in den Städten) is a 1974 German road movie directed by Wim Wenders. Alice in the Cities. Some parts, like certain hotel scenes and almost anything filmed in a car, closely followed the script due to logistical reasons, but by the end of the film, Wenders said they virtually ignored the script altogether. West German writer Philip Winter has missed his publisher's deadline for writing an article about the United States. Alice in the Cities is a 1974 film from West Germany directed by Wim Wenders.. Philip Winter is a 31-year-old newspaper writer. When interviewed about the experience, Can's Irmin Schmidt stated that it was recorded by Schmidt, Michael Karoli and Jaki Liebezeit, and that they were not able to see the movie before recording the music. Concept. Alice only knows how the house looks; she can't remember her granny's name or address. In fact, he hasn't written anything substantial, seemingly hating the country and in the middle of a life crisis – he has only been taking lots of Polaroid pictures of the emptiness (in his mind). [2], Licensing became an issue when Wenders tried to include footage he had shot of Chuck Berry in Frankfurt (presumably in late July 1973). Alice in the Cities subtitles. The two begin to bond as they continue their search, the only clue being a photograph of the grandmother's house, with no house number and no one in the shot. The first of the road films that would come to define the career of Wim Wenders, the magnificent Alice in the Cities is an emotionally generous and luminously shot journey. A German journalist (Rüdiger Vogler) is driving across the United States to research an article; it's a disappointing trip, in which he is unable to truly connect with what he sees. The first of the road films that would come to define the career of Wim Wenders, the magnificent ALICE IN THE CITIES is an emotionally generous and luminously shot odyssey. Alice in the Cities In Wim Wenders’s 1974 drama, Rüdiger Vogler plays the director’s alter ego, Philip Winter, a thirtysomething German journalist on the road in the United States. It is the first part of Wenders' "Road Movie trilogy", which also includes The Wrong Move (1975) and Kings of the Road (1976). The first of the road films that would come to define the career of Wim Wenders, the magnificent ALICE IN THE CITIES is an emotionally generous and luminously shot odyssey. Then…, New, restored 4K digital transfer, commissioned by the Wim Wenders Foundation and supervised by director Wim Wenders, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray, German-language audio commentary featuring Wenders and actors Rüdiger Vogler and Yella Rottländer, New interviews with Vogler, Rottländer, and actor Lisa Kreuzer, New English subtitle translation by Wenders. Wenders mentioned to Fuller that he had just cancelled a project, and upon finding out that Wenders had already secured the financing for the film, he convinced Wenders that it was a mistake. It would have been split into three primary sectors- 'Town Space', 'Office Space', and 'Infrastructure Space', accessed by underground railway from a hub, called the 'Alice Terminal', and was promoted as being … Alice in den Städten (Alice in the Cities), directed by Wim Wenders (1974) A German black and white road movie that travels through America to Amsterdam, Wuppertal and the Ruhrgebiet. 8.6 / 10 (4175) 16. [2], The film was scored by the German band Can. Alice in the Cities’ languid, episodic structure creates ample room for Vogler and Rottländer to develop their chemistry in sweet, sentimental bonding sessions, while their circuitous trajectory through graying European cities offers Wenders the ideal template to explore the influence of chance encounters on life’s ultimate path. Recommended. A German journalist and a girl left in his care embark on a search for the child's grandparents. Club also described Alice as resembling "a genuine little kid" and praised the photography as "gorgeous". Instead, they went through a collaborative approach with Wenders, who was very short of time. [5], The film was shot close to chronological order beginning in North Carolina, proceeding to New York, then continuing in Amsterdam and finishing in Germany, all throughout the summer of 1973. She has run away from the police station and has new leads: during her interview, she remembered that her granny's name is Krüger and the police had told her that she lives in the Ruhr area. After earning an Academy Award nomination for his 2014 documentary The Salt of the Earth, Wenders received an honorary Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival in February. Alice in den Städten is the story of Philip Phil Winter (Rüdiger Vogler) a German author contracted to write a book about America. The film's theme foreshadows Wenders' later film Paris, Texas. The Alice in the Cities Community Note includes chapter-by-chapter summary and analysis, character list, theme list, historical context, author biography and quizzes written by community members like you. Since Alice can't remember the city, Philip reads off a list of cities and "Wuppertal" seems to ring a bell. The camera zooms out to take in more and more of the landscape, until the train disappears from view. Original Title: Alice in den Städten. Dutch cinematographer Robby Müller has given us some of the most transcendent images ever captured on-screen. Berlin-based trio playing instrumental music for imaginary film score - www.aliceinthecities.net As the film progressed, the production grew more confident about improvising each scene. [11], Wim Wenders on Walker Evans, polaroids and road movies, King of the Road by Chris Petit in the Guardian Saturday January 5, 2008, Wenders' restoration notes from Wim Wenders Stiftung, Criterion offers a loose trilogy from Wim Wenders, king of the road movie, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alice_in_the_Cities&oldid=1009470106, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 28 February 2021, at 19:30. While booking his flight he meets a German woman and her daughter Alice. Film: Alice in den Städten (Alice in the Cities), 1974 Directed by Wim Wenders Written by Wim Wenders and Veith von Fürstenberg Starring Yella Rottländer, Rüdiger Vogler, Lisa Kreuzer . Alice in the Cities (German: Alice in den Städten) is a 1974 German road movie directed by Wim Wenders. To his horror, the film appeared to be very similar to the one he was making, prompting him to call his production office and break the news that he was canceling the project, believing the film that they were going to shoot "had already been made". We catch up with Phil in California after driving cross-country with a Polaroid camera for inspiration. Film, Drama. Drama Synopsis. Soon after, Wenders went to Samuel Fuller, who had invited him to come visit after a prior encounter in Germany. [8], Later, in 1988, Jonathan Rosenbaum hailed Alice in the Cities as one of Wenders' strongest works, calling it a pungent hybrid of European and American elements "with its effective broodings over American and German landscapes and their ambiguous photographic representations. 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