Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		5.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Until the End of the World Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov February 9, 2020

Wim Wenders' "Until the End of the World" (1991) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplementyal features on the disc include an exclusive new filmed introduction by the director; deleted and alternate scenes; exclusive new and archival interviews; documentaries; and more. The release also arrives with a 34-page illustrated booklet featuring essays by critics Bilge Ebiri and Ignatiy Vishnevetsky, as well as technical credits. In English, with optional English and English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

Have car, will travel.

Until the End of the World is a very big and very ambitious project that should have been Wim Wenders’ crowning achievement. It was shot on four continents and with a massive budget that made it possible for Wenders to do absolutely everything he had envisioned for it. At the time of its production, Wenders even managed to get access to advanced technical equipment that could do things no one else before him had done in a film.

In a new introduction that was recorded exclusively for this release, Wenders confirms that after production ended the film was edited and put together exactly as he wished. But in 1991 a cut version of his film was released theatrically and after it underperformed at the box office was quickly abandoned by its producers. Wenders was apparently prepared for this exact outcome because he regarded the cut version as a poor “Reader’s Digest” experiment that essentially destroyed his vision. His expectation for the cut version’s reception is why the complete, nearly five-hour version of his film exists now -- Wenders and his closest associates preserved the original negatives and instead sent interpositives to be ‘edited’ in the cutting room.

The nearly five-hour version of Until the End of the World, however, is anything but easy to accept as the grandiose and coherent film that Wenders describes in the introduction. Indeed, it looks, and feels, as a humongous omnibus that borrows content from multiple feature films that are trying to tell the exact same story at the same time. This story isn’t difficult to follow, but the more time Wenders’ camera follows its protagonists, the more it begins to look like they are simply wasting time while moving in circles.

Their journey begins when somewhere in outer space an Indian nuclear satellite becomes unmanageable and then abruptly heads toward the Earth. While everyone is fixated on the drama, Claire Tourneur (Solveig Dommartin) crashes her car and becomes involved with a couple of bank robbers that task her to deliver their loot to a secret location in Paris. Along the way, Claire then bumps into Sam Farber (William Hurt), another thief who is wanted by the CIA, carrying a groundbreaking piece of technology, and trying to reach his family in Australia. As they begin to fall in love and evade CIA agents around the world, Eugene Fitzpatrick (Sam Neil), who has been in a complex romantic relationship with Claire, also begins following the fugitives to document their incredible adventure.

Wenders and his favorite cinematographer, Roby Muller, are a formidable team, so the globetrotting element of the narrative obviously offers plenty of opportunities for them to deliver more of the cinematic magic that made Paris, Texas a timeless classic. And there are certainly plenty of special moments in this film -- some apparently shot at locations that had never been seen through a camera -- but the sum of its parts is very seriously underwhelming. Why? Because spending time with it is a lot like being forced to repeatedly open the same incredibly beautiful but empty package -- there is nothing on the inside that thrills. The final third of the film, where the focus of attention shifts to professor Henry Farber’s (Max von Sydow) experiments in an underground laboratory somewhere in Australia, is especially problematic. Wenders unites a big group of excellent actors and then unceremoniously eaves them struggling with a mountain of unbearably boring pseudo-intellectual concepts of human life, advanced technology, and Earth’s future.

When all is said and done one could still extract something meaningful from this film, but no matter how striking many of its exotic locations might be one should not be forced to spend nearly five hours to locate it. This is the main reason why the film disappoints so much -- for a long, long time it actually promises a lot, but then gradually loses its way and fails to deliver.

Until the End of the World Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Until the End of the World arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.

The following text appears inside the booklet that is provided with this Blu-ray release:

"Supervised by director Wim Wenders and produced by the Wim Wenders Foundation, this digital transfer was created in 4K resolution on an ARRISCAN film scanner from the Super 35mm original camera negative at ARRI Film & Television in Berlin, where the film was also restored. The surround 5.1 track was remastered from the original 35mm magnetic tracks by the Wim Wenders Foundation and approved by the director.

Commissioned by: The Wim Wenders Foundation.
Transfer supervisors: Wim and Donata Wenders.
Financing and coordination: Laura Holtorf, Francesca Hecht, Bernd Eichhorn, Dominik Bollen.
Colorist: Philipp Orgassa/ARRI Film &TV Services, Berlin."

The new 4K master that was created for this film is an absolute stunner, and this isn't an exaggeration. All of the visual material basically boasts 'reference levels' of delineation, clarity, depth, and fluidity. It is pretty easy to tell that the entire film was also very carefully color-graded, which is why the native beauty of the exotic locations at times becomes somewhat overwhelming. There are no traces of problematic digital tinkering, or any similar digital anomalies. Image stability is outstanding. Lastly, there are absolutely no age-related imperfections, not even a tiny scratch or fleck. Incredible master. (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).

Until the End of the World Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (with small portions of various other languages). Optional English and English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

This film has a notorious soundtrack that does plenty to enhance its ambience. The new 5.1 track handles it exceptionally well. Clarity, sharpness, and balance in areas where the music isn't prominent are outstanding as well. There are no traces of age-related anomalies.

Until the End of the World Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

BLU-RAY DISC ONE

• Introduction - an exclusive new introduction to the film by Wim Wenders. In English, not subtitled. (14 min, 1080p).

• Till The End of the World - in this new video interview, Wim Wenders discusses the original soundtrack that was created for Until the End of the World. The interview was conducted exclusively for Criterion in New York City in August 2019. In English, not subtitled. (16 min, 1080p).

• Wim Wenders and David Byrne - in this new video interview, the two gentlemen discuss what it was like to 'invent' the music of the future, which was then used in Until the End of the World. In English, not subtitled. (9 min, 1080p).

• Deleted Scenes - a large collection of deleted and alternate scenes that were assembled by Wim Wenders. With optional English subtitles where necessary. (32 min, 1080p).

• The Song - this vintage documentary follows the recording process over three days and nights of "(I'll Lobe You) Till the End of the World" by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. The documentary was produced by Uli M. Schueppel in 1991. In English, not subtitled. (19 min, 1080i).

BLU-RAY DISC TWO

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Until the End of the World. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Wim Wenders - in this archival interview, Wim Wenders discusses the genesis of Until the End of the World and some of the key themes that are channeled through it. The interview was conducted by journalist Roger Willemsen in 2001. In German, with optional English subtitles. (31 min, 1080i).

• Wim Wenders in Tokyo - this vintage Japanese documentary follows Wim Wenders and Sean Naughton, the high-definition-video designer of Until the End of the World, in Tokyo, and details the creation of the film's at the time groundbreaking high-definition sequences. The documentary was produced in 1990. In Japanese, with optional English subtitles. (63 min, 1080p).

• Up-Down Under Roma - in this archival interview, Wim Wenders recalls his first visit to Australia and the city of Darwin during the 1970s, and consequently his work there The interview was conducted in 1993. In English, not subtitled. (7 min, 1080p).

• Booklet - a 34-page illustrated booklet featuring Bilge Ebiri's essay "The End of the Road", Ignatiy Vishnevetsky's essay "The Sound of Yesterday's Future: Notes on the Soundtrack", and technical credits.

Until the End of the World Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The biggest compliment one can give Until the End of the World is to say that at times it looks breathtakingly beautiful. Unfortunately, this does not make it a great film, or even a good one. It is one humongous arty show-off piece that promises a lot but fails to deliver and then crumbles under the weight of its overly ambitious narrative. I don't dislike the film because there is some stunning footage in it, but I am firmly in the camp of those who have argued that it is a tremendous misfire for Wim Wenders. Criterion's release is sourced from an incredible new 4K master that should make fans of the film ecstatic. RENT IT.