The American Friend

I finally found a DVD of this 1977 Wim Wenders movie over the weekend. Anyone who has read this blog will know that I am a committed Wenders fan. I love all his movies, even the ones that are generally and routinely panned by the critics. Very few people seem to get that Wim is not about the plot, he is about the look, feel and atmosphere of the story, the characters and the places. There is no other director who can capture the atmosphere of a place as effectively or as quickly. Earlier this year I found myself in Houston where I sought out the site of the drive-through bank where a famous scene in Paris, Texas was filmed (see one of my own photos above). I was struck by how precisely that movie captured the somewhat dehumanising atmosphere of Houston, a fairly bleak urban landscape of vast modern architecture.

In The American Friend Wenders again concentrates on atmosphere and image. He cleverly contrasts the cosy, but somewhat claustrophobic workshop of the picture framer, Zimmermann, with the expansive lifestyle of Ripley, who lives in a huge house overlooking the port and travels often. The odd colours generated by the Canada Dry neon sign over Ripley's pool table accentuate his inner struggle with identity and madness, particularly in the scene where he lies on the pool table, repeatedly taking Polaroid self portraits.

Its fascinating to see how Wenders' approach to this story, which is from the Patricia Highsmith novel, Ripley's Game, differs from the far more conventional treatment in the 2002 thriller of the same name. In fact I can understand that the plot of the Wenders' version would not make sense without knowledge of the book or other film versions. He leaves too much out.

Its a compelling film, the images and atmosphere of which will stay with you long after. Many regard it as Wenders' best, but again I am out of alignment. I enjoyed it, but it does not hold a candle to his later work.