Alice in the Cities Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.5

Alice in the Cities Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov May 16, 2016

Wim Wenders' "Alice in the Cities" a.k.a. "Alice in den Städten" (1974) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include the short films "Same Player Shoots Again" (1967) and "Silver City Revisited" (1968); archival audio commentary with dierctor Wim Wenders and actors Rudiger Vogler and Yella Rottlander; outtakes; and more. The release also arrives with a 48-page illustrated book featuring Michael Almereyda's essay "Between Me and the World", Allison Anders' essay "A Girl's Story", James Robinson's essay "Utter Detachment, Utter Truth", Nick Roddick's essay "Keep on Truckin'", and technical credits. In German, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Somewhere in America

Rudiger Vogler plays German reporter Phil Winter who can’t quite figure out if he loves or hates America. After spending some time driving an old junker up and down the East Coast instead of writing, he eventually arrives in New York City and gets fired on the spot. He decides to use his last money to buy a plane ticket and go home, but at the airport he is told that there is a strike and he must wait a day before taking the next flight to Amsterdam. It is there that he befriends Lisa (Elisabeth Kreuzer) and her daughter Alice (Yella Rottlander) who are also on their way to Germany.

They spent the night together in a cheap hotel. Then Lisa suddenly changes her mind and goes back to the man she has been trying to forget, while Phil and Alice are left to improvise. On the flight back to Amsterdam they warm up to each other and decide to wait for Lisa in a lonely hotel, but a few days later begin looking for Alice’s grandmother. It isn’t easy -- Alice does not know her last name and can’t even remember where she lives.

Alice in the Cities is arguably the best of the three films in The Road Trilogy. Everything just comes together really well -- the desired by Wim Wenders atmosphere, the fluid imagery, and the wonderful chemistry between the two leads. The story is essentially a constantly evolving variation of all three, with movement serving as its foundation.

It is easy to tell that Wenders had a very small budget to work with, but this is actually something that has helped the film acquire an identity that feels right for it. Despite the frequent cuts, for instance, the camera always has enough time to capture the pulse of the places Phil visits and one gets a real sense of how the people there live their lives. Later on, after Phil befriends Alice and they head back home, one can also compare how modernity and industrialization are changing the ways people interact and understand each other in America and Europe. All of this helps the film avoid the melodrama that could have clogged the story and likely even sunk it. (While Phil and Alice’s relationship is quite attractive and Wenders makes it look natural, in the real world it almost certainly would have never been given a chance to survive as long as it does in the film).

Some of the exchanges between Phil and Alice might have been pre-framed in a certain way before different segments were shot, but they always feel spontaneous and sincere. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, this particular quality -- the ability to create the impression that the camera is simply observing real people who are completely unaware of its existence -- would also define the early work of the great American director Jim Jarmusch. (Jarmusch has repeatedly stated that he has a very distinct style, but in many ways he has actually further expanded the style and techniques that Wenders popularized in his low-budget films).

Wenders and cinematographer Robby Muller shot the film on 16mm black and white negative in the 1.37:1 ratio commissioned by WDR, but actually had it composed in 1.66:1. After the film was completed and edited, Wenders requested that it was also screened theatrically in 1.66:1.

Alice in the Cities Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Wim Wenders' Alice in the Cities arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the book provided with this Blu-ray release:

"This new digital transfer was created from the original 16mm negative and scanned in 4K resolution on an ARRISCAN film scanner, using the wet-gate method, and color corrected in 2K resolution. Individual sequences that were too heavily damaged in the original 16mm negative were replaced with sections from a 35mm duplicate negative.

Scan and restoration lab: ARRI Media, Berlin.
Transfer supervisors: Wim and Donata Wenders.
Colorist: Philipp Orgassa.
Commissioned by: The Wim Wenders Foundation, with support from the German Federal Film Board (FFA).
Financing and coordination: Laura Schmidt, Francesca Hecht, Bernd Eichorn, Johanna Muth, Dominik Bollen."

Excluding a few minor density fluctuations that can very easily be traced back to the elements that were used to replace the damaged sequences -- and the transitions are actually incredibly well done -- the film looks simply wonderful in high-definition. Depth and detail are excellent, though one does need to keep in mind that because the film was shot in 16mm some minor limitations exist. These are typically noticeable where light and shadows are captured in a specific way by the camera; clarity can be affected and shadow definition may not be optimal (see screencaptures #10 and 21). Color balance is excellent. There is an excellent range of nuanced grays and whites while blacks appear lush but natural. As it is always the case with 16mm projects, grain is a bit more pronounced but wonderfully resolved and with a stable organic appearance. There are absolutely no traces of sharpening adjustments. Image stability is excellent. Large debris, damage marks, cuts, scratches, and stains have been carefully removed. My score is 4.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Alice in the Cities Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: German LPCM 1.0 (with small portions of English). Optional English subtitles are provided for the German dialog.

The film has a very fluid organic design. Random sounds and noises are essential for the intended atmosphere and at times balance does fluctuate a bit. Nevertheless, clarity and depth remain pleasing throughout the entire film. There are no audio dropouts, pops, or digital distortions to report in our review.

Alice in the Cities Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Restoring Time - this documentary feature takes a closer look at the goals of the Wim Wenders Foundation and the type of projects that have been initiated and completed with its involvement. Included in the documentary are interviews with Wim Wenders, archivist Bernd Eichhorn, and restorer Wolf Bosse, amongst others. The documentary was produced in 2015. In English, not subtitled. (16 min, 1080p).

• Outtakes - presented here are sixteen minutes of outtakes and on-set footage from the shooting of Alice in the Cities. The original footage is without sound, but it is presented with music from CAN's score. (17 min, 1080p).

• Interviews - in this new program, actor Rudiger Vogler (Phil Winter), Yella Rottlander (Alice), and Lisa Kreuzer (Alice's Mother) recall their contributions to Alice in the Cities, and discuss the shooting process, their interactions with Wim Wenders, the film's unique atmosphere and the specific locations that were chosen for different sequences, the evolving dynamics of the relationship between the reporter and Alice, etc. The program was produced in 2016. In German, with optional English subtitles. (28 min, 1080p).

• Short Films - presented here are two early films directed by Wim Wenders. Both have been recently restored.
  
  1. Same Player Shoots Again (1967) - the film was digitally restored in 2K at ARRI Film & TV services Berlin in 2015. With music. (13 min, 1080p).
  
  2. Silver City Revisited (1968) - for the restoration, a 16mm color dupe negative was scanned in 4K and additional work was done in 2K. The restoration was completed at ARRI Film & TV services Berlin in 2015. Without sound. (34 min, 1080p).

• Commentary - in this archival audio commentary, dierctor Wim Wenders and actors Rudiger Vogler and Yella Rottlander discuss in great detail where and how different segments from Alice in the Cities were shot, the use of the non-professional actors, the visual style of the film, CAN's soundtrack, Robby Muller's lensing and the film's fluid appearance, etc. The audio commentary was recorded in 2005. In German, with optional English subtitles.

• Book - 48-page illustrated book featuring Michael Almereyda's essay "Between Me and the World", Allison Anders' essay "A Girl's Story", James Robinson's essay "Utter Detachment, Utter Truth", Nick Roddick's essay "Keep on Truckin'", and technical credits.

Alice in the Cities Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I think that Alice in the Cities is the best of the three films in The Road Trilogy. It is another beautiful time capsule that brings together bits of all the different things that make Wim Wenders' films so unique. The film has been beautifully restored in 4K and looks gorgeous in high-definition. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.