Until the End of the World
James Mulholland (jsm5q@faraday.clas.Virginia.EDU)
Wed, 19 Feb 1997 18:52:17 -0500
It's very strange, or maybe not so strange, how my sentiments about the form
of the film fit with other peoples: it would have been great if the film
ended with them in the plane, but I'm sure Wenders thought it was too tidy
and artsie (ah, "until the end of the world" ... the world is ending). In
reagrd to what Unsworth said about the aboriginal dimension of the film, it
seems pretty true how the all too visible narrative is a continuation of the
ambitous project in solitude (or near solitude) against the warnings of the
aborigines, who clearly are meant to be seen as those in continuity with
their "traditions" or "ancestors" and so don't find the end of the
electronic world (or its momentary cessation) either so terrifying nor find
the project of Henry so interesting. This seems like an overused, easy
juxtaposition to me. And whose to say dreams are only narcotic in the
technological form that Henry creates? This seems to be a major failing
point to me as well. Dreams are narcotic now, and have been (Breton,
Doisneau) and I know people who recount their dreams to me in detail nearly
every single day. It has always been an obsession. I think Wenders was
trying to sell the terrifying,apocalyptic "what if we can get into you're
head, extract your dreams" future condition of the world thread, and not in
such a convincing manner. The dream images were lovely though.