One of my all-time favourites
- Alice in the Cities review by DW
I absolutely love Alice in the Cities. As a dedicated Wim Wenders fan I was very pleased to take another viewing of Alice, this time in a recently restored version. From making time to watch the Extras available on the disc I was extremely impressed to learn about the establishment of the Wim Wenders Foundation and the efforts to restore some of his earliest films. It is more than obvious that Wenders retains a great affection for Alice, his second film, made for around $250,000, a sum which, given that this was the entire budget even in 1974 would, you'd think, restrict the director's ambitions. Its lasting charm rests largely on the performances from Yella Rottlaender and Ruediger Vogler, the casting another touch of inspiration by Wenders.
It may be that the initial 20 minutes of Alice seem to drag and be going nowhere. Let me assure the first time viewer that it leads to the most delightful two-hander, both funny and touching, so stick with it and I'm sure you won't regret it.....
4 out of 4 members found this review helpful.
an absolute delight
- Alice in the Cities review by CH
Very charming, moody filming gives a great sense of place. The main characters are portrayed with fine sensitivity and the whole film is gently moving. One of my all-time favourites.
3 out of 3 members found this review helpful.
Only for dedicated Wim Wenders followers
- Alice in the Cities review by Swambi
You have to be a dedicated Wim Wenders fan to enjoy this film. The few moments of good interaction between the journalist and the girl do not compensate for fuzzy and shaky black and white shots that are completely out-dated and emulate poor amateur video. If you expect this to be compensated for by the story, you will be disappointed. It has a total lack of focus, and drags on, so that the 107 minutes seem far longer.
Sadly there are none of the beautiful cinematography and scenery you can see in his far better film (on a similar theme) Paris, Texas.
2 out of 3 members found this review helpful.
German Arthouse.
- Alice in the Cities review by Steve
The plot of Wim Wenders critically adored arthouse road movie is now completely bewildering. The idea that a mother would leave her nine year old daughter with a male stranger to travel from New York to Amsterdam… and much more... You can do that in a western, but in a modern setting, it’s as realistic as science fiction.
However, it’s redeemed by the profound red-eye atmosphere: the ultra-grainy b&w photography, particularly in the rain; the plangent, improvised electric guitar; and the mood of rootlessness and futility. The impression of the US and Europe sharing a soulless, homogenous monoculture.
So it feels like photo-journalism, and maybe neorealism. There is some diary level philosophy about the alienation of the travel writer (Rüdiger Vogler) as he tries to find a relative to take care of the abandoned girl (Yella Rottländer)… And there is some rapport between the two actors.
Plus there is the director’s usual preoccupation with the primacy of US culture. The narrative meanders to evoke the journalist’s disengaged, vagabond mentality, which means there are longueurs. But it has a way of lingering in the memory. This is the first (and best) of Wender’s road trilogy with Wrong Move (1975) and Kings of the Road (1976).
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
Worth the Wait for It to Develop
- Alice in the Cities review by griggs
Philip (Rüdiger Vogler) is a journalist with writer’s block and a Polaroid habit, lumbered with nine-year-old Alice (Yella Rottländer) when her mum fails to show. He starts out looking after her because somebody has to. Somewhere along the way, you realise she’s looking after him too. Rottländer bosses him about and sulks with Olympic commitment, while Vogler thaws one reluctant smile at a time.
My family always had a Polaroid knocking about, so every time a picture crept into view in Philip’s hand, I got a little jolt of nostalgia. Wim Wenders even squeezes in a ride on the Wuppertal suspension railway, which makes him a director after my own heart.
I kept thinking of Perfect Days. Nearly fifty years apart, and Wenders still finds magic in an ordinary afternoon.
Slow to develop, like any good Polaroid, and every bit as precious once it does.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.