West Germany I 19781/1982 I English, French [CR1] I 4K DCP (restored version) I Black & White and Colour I 121 minutes I 1:1.66
Director: Wim Wenders
Screenplay: Wim Wenders, Robert Kramer
Script: Pedro Ruivo (Portugal), Janet Rasak (USA)
Producer: Chris Sievernich, Wim Wenders
Director of Photography: Henri Alekan, Fred Murphy
Editor: Barbara von Weitershausen, Peter Przygodda
Music: Jürgen Knieper
Sound: Maryte Kavaliauskas
Cast: Patrick Bauchau (Director Friedrich ‘Fritz’ Munroe), Viva Auder (Scriptgirl Kate), Samuel Fuller (Cameraman Joe Corby), Paul Getty III (Scriptwriter Dennis), Artur Semedo (Production manager) Francisco Baiao (Soundman), Robert Kramer (Camera operator), Isabelle Weingarten (Anna), Rebecca Pauly (Joan), Jeffrey Kime (Mark), Camilla Mora (Julia), Geoffrey Carey (Robert), Alexandra Auder (Jane), Allen Goorwitz (Producer Gordon), Roger Corman (Lawyer), Martine Getty (Secretary), Monty Bane (Herbert), Janet Rasak (Karen), Judy Mooradian (Waitress)
THE STATE OF THINGS is a highly personal film about filmmaking in Europe and America. It is about a film crew stranded at the most western tip of Europe. Director Friedrich Munroe (Patrick Bauchau), cameraman (Sam Fuller), scriptwriter and actors have been abandoned by their producer. After shooting their last feet of film (they are working on the remake of a low-budget sci-fi thriller), there is nothing left to do but wait.
Friedrich finally sets out for Los Angeles to search for the missing producer (Allen Goorwitz). He finally finds him on Sunset Boulevard, in his RV, where he is hiding out from the mafiosi or loan sharks who are after him. The two have to pay with their lives for their black-and-white film adventure the following morning. Friedrich continues to “put up a fight” by “shooting back” with his Super 8 camera until the moment of his death.
Wenders’ parable on filmmaking has also been interpreted as his way of addressing the difficulties that he faced during the production of HAMMETT, his first film in the US.
