Comments on: Mind Blowing Movies: World on a Wire (1973), by Erik Davis

By: Amelia_G

Amelia_G — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 03:59:00 +0000

The 30th anniversary of Fassbinder’s death just occurred. Germ media note such things. Also: WDR is still very good! Nested also: these are public broadcasting channels/stations that have triumphed over the private essais.

By: Amelia_G

Amelia_G — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 03:53:00 +0000

Awesome, thank you! Your description is also good. Coincidentally, a friend whose opinion I still really respect after ~20 years who is a media editor in Berlin said recently the best German director after WWII was Fassbinder. FWIW

By: gero

gero — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 23:32:00 +0000

Thanks for the review, I definitly have to see this.
The actor is called Klaus Löwit*s*ch.

By: Peter Green

Peter Green — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 21:36:00 +0000

The name Daniel Galouye rang a bell, but not Simulacron-3. Wikipedia tells me the title here in the UK was Counterfeit World, which I remember really enjoying when I read it back in the 70s. From what I recall of the plot it certainly seems a plausible inspiration for The Matrix. Definitely going to check out the film!

By: Bauart

Bauart — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 17:42:00 +0000

Here is a 48.5 minute documentary about the making of “World On A Wire”.

http://youtu.be/OujZZ9HsRtQ

By: Preston Sturges

Preston Sturges — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 14:24:00 +0000

Someone needs to recut a better trailer. This reminds me of MST3K

Tom: So Joel, this movie has lots of walking?
Joel: Get used to it.

By: cub

cub — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 09:33:00 +0000

also, adding german to spell check would be nice– the bonus “p” in “totalartwork” fugged up my googling.

By: noah django

noah django — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 08:18:00 +0000

that mis-en-scene is poppin,’ son!

great write up, I look forward to this film.

By: Martin Liebermann

Martin Liebermann — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 06:46:00 +0000

I also saw it a few days ago – Frech/German ARTE TV is showing a series of Fassbinder Movies. It was pretty obious that Matrix refers to this scene from Welt am Draht.

By: Eleftheria Pantou

Eleftheria Pantou — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 04:51:00 +0000

Thank you, Erik, for reminding me about “World on a Wire.” I loved it when I watched it on TV in ’73, and I’m thrilled to learn that Criterion has released a restored digital transfer of the film. From the trailer, it looks terrific!

P.S. It’s “Zeno’s paradox,” not “Xeno’s.” Although we use a ‘z’ sound in English to pronounce both words, “Zeno” was the name of the philosopher from Elea, and “xeno” is a combining from in English that means foreign or strange.

By: chris jimson

chris jimson — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 04:02:00 +0000

“a gnostic glitch track stripped of all transcendence”

By: hypnosifl

hypnosifl — Sat, 16 Jun 2012 01:20:00 +0000

Just saw this one a couple days ago, loved it (and I’m not surprised Erik Davis would enjoy it, it was very ahead of its time in its “techgnostic” feel). I had never heard of it until the Criterion release, but there were some little details that made me wonder if the Wachowskis had seen it when they made the Matrix (some minor spoilers): aside from the prominent use of mirrors, there was also the detail of the the main character leaving the simulation from inside a phone booth (and apparently he needed to use that particular phone booth to get out, since he had to expel the guy already in there even though there was another empty one next to it), one of the programs escaping the simulation by taking over someone’s body, and the weird kinky futuristic dance club.