|  Wilhelm
Ernst Wenders was born in Düsseldorf, Aug. 14, 1945. At the
age of twelve, he received a 8mm film camera and filmed the street
below (see: Wings of Desire).
He went to school in Oberhausen, an extremely shy and introspective
teenager, Wenders planned to study for the priesthood, but this
desire soon gave way to an interest in American music and American
film, esp. Westerns and Road Movies.
Wenders, like Herzog, stresses the visual, delegates the story
to a secondary level, contemplates landscapes and cityscapes.
Wenders' films have often been called 'films of the desiring gaze',
where the camera is an instrument of affection (that is, by the
critics who like his films). Another typical element of Wenders'
films is the use of music, esp. American Rock'n'Roll.
His first professional feature, The Goalie's Anxiety at the
Penalty Kick (1971), received critical attention - a collaboration
with Peter Handke, one of the most important German-speaking post-war
authors, who also wrote Wrong Move (1975) and collaborated
with Wenders on Wings of Desire (1988).
Among his road movies (which also the name of his company) are
Alice in the Cities (1974), Wrong Move (1975)
and Kings of the Road (1976) as well as Paris, Texas
and Until the End of the World. He became internationally
known with The American Friend (1977), starring Dennis
Hopper and Bruno Ganz. Long before Ripley's Game with
DiCaprio, this film was based on Patricia Highsmith's novel of
the same name.
His international fame led to an invitation by Francis Ford Coppola.
Wenders went to the States and finished Hammett after
many problems with the script and Coppola. In 1982, he made State
of Things about this experience.
Paris, Texas (1984) became his biggest success. Filmed in
the US and scripted by Sam Shepard, it won the Palme d'Or. Wenders
then returned to Germany to shoot Wings of Desire which
also won in Cannes in 1987 (Best Director). This film about two
angels in divided Berlin was a critical and commercial success
and was followed by Far Away, So Close, set in post-wall
Berlin (1993).
Between the two, he filmed Until the End of the World
(1991), written by the Australian Peter Carey - with one of the
best musical scores ever ;-)
In the late 90s, Wenders completed more films in the States: The
End of Violence (1997) with Gabriel Byrne and Andie MacDowell
and The Million Dollar Hotel (2000) with Mel Gibson and
Milla Jovovich, co-scripted by Bono, music by U2. Wenders went
back to Germany to make a movie about the German rock band BAP:
Viel passiert (Ode to Cologne: A Rock 'N' Roll Film)
(2002).
His Buena Vista Social Club (1999) received an Oscar
nomination.
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