The State of Things (1982)

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Wim Wenders' The State of Things (Der Stand der Dinge) was financed by one of the director's chief mentors, Francis Ford Coppola. This highly autobiographical work concerns a shoestring movie producer and his ragtag crew. Stranded in the outer reaches of Portugal, the director doesn't even have any… More Wim Wenders' The State of Things (Der Stand der Dinge) was financed by one of the director's chief mentors, Francis Ford Coppola. This highly autobiographical work concerns a shoestring movie producer and his ragtag crew. Stranded in the outer reaches of Portugal, the director doesn't even have any film in his camera. There's nothing left to do but scare up a potential backer--preferably one of those rich, movie-mad Americans. In illustrating the plight of the fictional filmmakers, Wenders strikes a blow on behalf of the homeless and disenfranchised everywhere; it is also an a clef recreation of the difficulties faced by the director during production of his first American film Hammett (also made under the auspices of Coppola). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 2 hr. 4 min.
Directed By: Wim Wenders
Genres: Mystery & Suspense, Drama

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1982 Wide
Studio: Pacific Arts

Critic Reviews

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
An engrossing examination of movie-making.

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Dimitris S

This project was an enraged answer to Coppola's intervention on Hammett.Wenders was of course furious by the blockbuster thoughts of his American "partner" and upon his return to Germany,he decided to do things by himself.A fabulous director's movie was made in a… More
This project was an enraged answer to Coppola's intervention on Hammett.Wenders was of course furious by the blockbuster thoughts of his American "partner" and upon his return to Germany,he decided to do things by himself.A fabulous director's movie was made in a cheap budget,providing numerous cine-wonders and references to noir,experimental film and sci-fi (the primary sequence is an ideal homage to Wise).