Profile of Wim Wenders the German Film Director

Paris Texas, Wings of Desire, Buena Vista Social Club and More...

Jul 10, 2008 Michelle Strozykowski

Wim Wenders is something of a wunderkind. The German director enjoys an enviable reputation as the maker of popular art-house films.

Born in Dusseldorf in 1945, Wim Wenders has carved a unique cinematic career, accentuated by films of an intensely poetic, evocative nature. His films are united by cinematography, painting pictures with light and color. They are almost instantly recognizable as the work of Wenders, so closely do they fit his oeuvre, and yet the subject matter and stories cover a huge palette of interests. Wenders maintains a fastidious control over his films, usually acting as writer, producer and director in order to ensure his prerogatives are met.

The Important and Iconic Films of Wim Wenders

Wenders has been making films for five decades, and has a long and varied back catalog. His name is synonymous with the following outstanding examples, which form the backbone of his exemplary career.

  • The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick (1972)
  • Alice in the Cities (1974)
  • Kings of the Road (1976)
  • The American Friend (1977)
  • The State of Things (1982)
  • Paris, Texas (1984)
  • Tokyo-Ga (1985)
  • Wings of Desire (1987)
  • Until the End of the World (1991)
  • Faraway, So Close! (1993)
  • Beyond the Clouds (1995)
  • The End of Violence (1997)
  • Buena Vista Social Club (1999)
  • The Million Dollar Hotel (2000)
  • Don't Come Knocking (2005)

Wenders also has associations with stars of the music world such as U2 for whom he made the videos Stay (Faraway, So Close!) and The Ground Beneath Her Feet. Following on from the success of his Cuban music extravaganza Buena Vista Social Club, he also made the documentary The Soul of a Man, about Blues music. This film featured artists as diverse as Beck, T-Bone Burnett, Eagle Eye Cherry and Nick Cave.

Wenders' Photography

Wenders is also interested in photography, and has produced a number of books featuring his work. 'Written in the West' is a collection of photographs Wenders took whilst scouting the West coast of America in 1983, in search of locations for Paris,Texas. 'Electronic Paintings' is a book that features electronically manipulated images created for Until the End of the World.

Wenders' New and Future Films

Wenders' most recent film Palermo Shooting debuted at the Cannes film festival, and has received mixed reviews. The film follows a photographer from Berlin who moves to Palermo to shoot his subjects in a 'real' setting. It features cameos from more music stars such as Lou Reed and Patti Smith.

Wenders is also attached as a director on 8 – a film uniting 8 different directors and their cinematic musings on the state of the planet. Wenders joins directors such as Jane Campion, Gaspar Noe, Gus Van Sant and Gael Garcia Bernal on this current project.

Further reading: For further information on the history of German cinema, please see Info on German Expressionist Films.

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