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12 out of 12 people found the following comment useful :-
Road movie of the silent type, 11 November 2006
9/10
Author: Camera Obscura from Leiden, The Dutch Mountains

KINGS OF THE ROAD (Wim Wenders - West Germany 1976).

Stunning film, in which imagery and suggestion are far more important than the narrative elements. It's a long film (three hours) that you have to experience and be overwhelmed by the atmosphere, rather than watch. Combined with the beautiful black and white photography, it's probably best enjoyed on the big screen, for those with a little patience that is...

"Kings of the Road" is a road movie without a real plot, it's all about the two protagonists and their experiences during their trip. Bruno (Rüdiger Vogler) is a projection engineer visiting run-down cinemas along the border of West- and East Germany with his large truck, in which he practically lives. One morning, while he is shaving in his truck, he sees a Volkswagen speed by and drive straight into the Elbe river (which at the time formed the border between East and West Germany). The driver of the Volkswagen is Robert Lander (Hanns Zischler), whom we just met in an earlier scene. Appparently, he drove his car into the water in a suicidal rage, because of the break-up with his wife, but Volkswagens float, so he climbs out the moon roof window. Bruno watched the whole occurrence and offers the man some dry clothes and a ride. As Robert has no other plans, he rides along with Bruno while he attends his job.

Wenders addresses several themes, but these are never stressed explicitly. At first it's a film about male relationships, or perhaps even more about communication (or lack of) between men in general. Another distinct element, theme would be a too heavy term, is the deterioration of the German film industry and especially cinemas in small-town Germany since the early sixties, which very much coincides with the enormous influence of American popular culture in German culture, in film and in various other spheres of German society. One character in the film claims, 'The Yanks have colonized our subconscious.' Wenders tackles this issue lightly by adding a delightful soundtrack with American rock music, perfectly matching the mood of the film. As far as music in films is concerned, a match made in heaven.

This is a film where nothing seems to happen, where the experience of space and time was allowed to prevail over the pressure of narrative development. There is this constant self-conscious tension between story and picture, typical for all of Wim Wender's work. As most of the film consists of silent images, the reoccurring theme music becomes even more infectious. The one scene when the two men drive in their motorcycle and sidecar through the North Bavarian landscape is unforgettable, and Bruno rolls a cigarette at 80 km/h. The photography, the landscape, the music. A beautiful moment. Pure magic.

For me, Wenders' use of the German landscape and towns along the German border is a time capsule of a different age. It's all in the details. A fair-ground, the children at the cinema, the largely deserted border areas. As a kid, I spent a holiday in the Hassberge in North Bavaria, not far from the border between East and West Germany. At one occasion me and my parents drove up to the border and we were all staring across the two-mile no man's land, with the threatening DDR-signposts looming in the distance, while watching the East German watchtowers through my father's binoculars. I never had the notion there was anything unusual about the situation. On the eastern side of the border, there was a different world, which would last forever, so it seemed.

It seems to improve with each viewing. One of my favorites.

Camera Obscura --- 9/10

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13 out of 15 people found the following comment useful :-
A beautiful film, 7 July 2002
9/10
Author: ellkew from London

Watching this film is like having a satisfying meal. You feel completely nourished by the end of it, both mentally and physically. For me this film has many moments in it that drift back to me sometimes during my life. It is a tender story about the friendship developed between two men who are both wandering, both avoiding life yet experiencing things that others miss out on. They are both very free spirits yet bound by something, one by the truck , the other by his past, where he is from. They meet by chance and enjoy their company until they must part. Nothing is forced in the film and the relationship does seem to run a very natural course. A great thing about this film is that there is little dialogue in it and yet it does not impede the story flow. I like so much about this film. I read a book on Wenders a while back and I remember something he said. It was that the sensation of travelling is much more preferable to that of arriving or departing. For me this film is that. It is a feeling. One of my favourite moments is when Robert is in the back of the truck and he stares up at the moon through the skylight in the roof, his face staring at it as though it is the first time he has ever really looked at it. His eyes are open finally. It is extremely moving. A life affirming film that everyone should see. I adore it.

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15 out of 19 people found the following comment useful :-
1:666; everything must change, 15 November 2003
9/10
Author: Daniel Karlsson from Sweden

A German road movie...if you can call it that, since it plays on a high artistic and intellectual level. Very natural and humane, and above all, beautiful. It's a reflection of life, with substance, a good script and a great sense humor. It might primary be a story about friendship and lost childhood, but it's also about time. Everything must change, nothing can be as it is forever.

The cinematographer and/or camera man have obviously done a more or less perfect work with every scene in the film. Every frame is built on the golden section. I loved it. The black and white photo are also astonishing beautiful in some scenes.

An enjoyable trip through Germany, delightful for the mind as well as for the eyes. Not for the mainstream movie-goer though.

4/5

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10 out of 13 people found the following comment useful :-
Wim Wenders' best, 17 May 2006
10/10
Author: Kent Lee from United States

Every American who came of age before reunification of East/West Germany should see this film. It encapsulates a time; a frame of mind. Perhaps its most important feature however, is the way it uses sparse cinematography, and spaces, both literal and figurative, to illustrate the moral and spiritual conditions of the protagonists. There are few films which demonstrate such a mastery of the art of the visual in storytelling. For those interested in the place of film in the broader social context, I'm Lauf Der Zeit provides countless wry observations. At least as important as The Last Picture Show. I am waiting for the definitive authorized DVD with subtitles. By far my favorite Wim Wenders film.

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10 out of 14 people found the following comment useful :-
A quiet beautiful film. Find a very comfortable seat., 5 May 1999
10/10
Author: golem from Kansas City, MO USA

This is one of my all time favorite films. I love to sit back and just watch it go by. Every scene is worthy of a still photograph and there is little dialog to interfere with this quiet journey. Wenders seems to know what it's like to travel simply to escape ones current reality. The two main characters establish a friendship with few words, and seem to know inherently that too much talk would ruin the moment. It is a long film that moves slowly, so be prepared and get comfortable. It reminded me of the feeling I get on a long roadtrip when its just good to be anywhere but home.

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5 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
I can still see you Kamikaze., 26 September 2008
9/10
Author: JohnRouseMerriottChard from United Kingdom

Projection engineer Bruno Winter is pulled up alongside the River Elbe, as he sets about giving himself a shave a Volkswagen drives straight into the river in what seems to be a half hearted suicide attempt. The driver of the Volkswagen is woman troubled Robert, after getting to the river bank he finds Bruno to be a most interesting person, and the pair then set off on a road trip that will shape their respective lives and outlooks considerably.

Shot in 11 weeks between July 1st and October 31st 1975, Im Lauf der Zeit is now considered to be one of the seminal pictures of New German cinema. Director Wim Wenders and his crew set off along the Zonenrandgebiet with only an itinerary set in concrete, working completely without a script, his lead actors, Rudolf Vogler & Hanns Zischler manage to produce one of the most thought provokingly intelligent road movies to have ever been made.

There are many musings on this picture across internet forums, and although the film has very deep meanings, i really feel that it's down to the individual viewer to align themselves personally with our protagonists to get the most from the piece. Wenders clearly had deep feelings for German cinema, and here as the guys move from town to town, on Bruno's projection repair route, the feeling that film in this country is dying is quite palpable. This all ties in with the theme of change that is the core essence in Wenders film, it's not just our characters who need to wake up to the need for change, it's essentially his home country as well.

As the guys move on they meet people, they drink, talk, even fight, and it's all filmed in real time, we are forced to be part of this unlikely friendship, be it washing or shaving, or the act of defecating, it's all humane and sits perfectly as a normal way of life. Come the ending, after nearly three hours of engrossing cinema, we know what has been identified, not just for our two wonderful characters, but for all of us who may be wary of change. The black and white photography from Robby Muller is excellent, and manages to make the various landscapes the guys travel thru an extra character, but ultimately it's just one of a number of things that make Im Lauf der Zeit a truly smart film. My hope is that any newcomers to the film will get as much from it as i did, maybe something different perhaps?, but at the very least a recognition that this is a truly wonderful picture. 9/10

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7 out of 10 people found the following comment useful :-
A journey well worth taking, 12 September 2002
Author: John Simpson (post@jandesimpson.wanadoo.co.uk) from Hastings, England

Wim Wenders's "Kings of the Road" differs from most road movies insofar as it does not quite conform to the conventions of the genre - a setting out, a journey and an arrival. Its two protagonists, Bruno, a cinema equipment maintenance mechanic and Robert, a pediatrician, have already commenced their journeys before the film begins and there is no clearly defined destination at the end. True, their initial encounter marks the beginning of a developing friendship but Wenders does not seem to be particularly interested in where it will take them, rather is it the minutiae of the journey itself that is all important. With a running time of three hours in which very little happens, it would be easy to dismiss the film as self-indulgent. But this would be to miss the point, which is a recreation of the rhythm of everyday life. In the case of Bruno we are aware of every little thing he does. He climbs naked out of his van. Later we watch him shave, and at one point we see him defecating in an open landscape in a middle distance shot held for as long as the act takes. Appropriately there are no such candid camera shots of Robert. He is an altogether more complex and private person. Estranged from his wife, he is clearly on the cusp of suicide when we first meet him. Playing "chicken" by closing his eyes while driving, he ends up in the river. He climbs out of his immobilized vehicle unaided, to be helped on his way by Bruno who is the only witness to the misadventure. The couple barely talk for some time, but a bond of friendship gradually develops between them so that Robert becomes Bruno's companion during his tour of cinemas in small towns on the East/West German border. And that is about all there is to it really. Except that the very feel of the flat landscapes, the river, the open road, level crossings and seedy cinemas takes one over, so that one hardly notices the minutes ticking away. This journey may be of little consequence but Wender's acute eyes and ears for detail make it one well worth taking.

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Wenders better at titles than Shakespeare?, 19 March 2007
8/10
Author: cloistermouse from United Kingdom

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

I haven't seen this film for ages, but it is one of the ones that have stuck in my mind. Saw it twice in the 1980's when it seemed to be a cult art-house favourite. I thought Kings of the Road was a good title but perhaps the German "Im Lauf der Zeit" is more poignant, illustrating a theme that Wenders explores in his auteurly way to devastating effect in "Paris Texas".

"In the Course of Time". Does this mean that in the course of time all relationships tend to disintegrate, due to bad faith. The guy's just broken up with his partner. He starts a friendship after a chance encounter with the travelling projector repairer. It ends in a punch-up. What a tragic view of life.

There were a few memorable and amusing scenes, such as when a self-abusing cinema projectionist is confronted.

"Wings of Desire" was "Der Himmel ueber Berlin" in German. Apparently Wenders gave some thought to how his titles appeared in different translations.

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2 out of 5 people found the following comment useful :-
Trivia, 7 May 2005
10/10
Author: eskatee from Amersfoort, Netherlands

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Just a guess: Wim Wenders must be a railway-enthusiast. In this film he depicts the decay of Cinema's along the Iron Curtain on the Westgerman side. The film starts with a scene at the Doemitzer Elbebruecken, the bridges at the River Elbe, which where removed after World War II on the Eastgerman side. When we had a Wim Wenders special in our art-house-cinema (ran by volunteers) I had the opportunity to identify with the main character, being the projectionist. In the beginning of the film there is a continuity mistake: The Volkswagen Beetle is submerged more in the close shot as in the total. The film ends with a shot of the Cinema called Weisse Wand (White Wall). Only the W's are lit: W(I'm) W(enders), this film is a true signature!

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