Alice in the Cities

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Chris Moraites / M Aug 25 “A tender, existential road movie about childhood, loss, and the sudden goodbyes that stay with us forever.” One of the most significant films of the New German Cinema, Alice in the Cities (1974) established Wim Wenders as one of his generation’s most distinctive filmmakers. The story begins when a German journalist unexpectedly meets a young girl, Alice, and agrees to accompany her to Germany in search of her grandmother. Along their journey, an unforeseen bond develops, shaped by everyday images, quiet silences, and the sense that childhood is inevitably colliding with the adult world. Robby Müller’s black-and-white cinematography captures the era with honesty, like frozen Polaroid snapshots, while Can’s minimal recurring motif becomes essential to the film’s atmosphere. The film speaks of the need for companionship, and of the sudden goodbyes that linger in memory long after the journey has ended. A tender, existential road movie that remains a landmark to this day. And goodbyes always carry a trace of melancholy… just like Alice in the photograph, waiting – perhaps for a train, perhaps for a childhood that is slipping away. See more Julian Rex M @Julian_M Jun 28 A deeply compassionate and gorgeously photographed poem, Alice in the Cities succeeds as a panoptic exploration of an individual's search for a sense of place, the boundless struggle between artistry and consumerism, and the postponement of one's immediate desires for the fulfillment of those around them. See more Logan M 03/12/2023 A masterpiece of German cinema, that makes driving through cities and eating meals just as gripping as an edge-of-your-seat thriller. See more Shioka O 12/04/2022 A beautiful road movie by young Wim Wenders. Start from America and end in his home in Germany. So he ultimately found himself in his origin after the journey with a girl.The pacing is slow not like Hollywood films, but good as it is. Classic of man and a child movie. See more isla s 09/01/2022 This film has quite a nostalgic feel as well as a somewhat surreal sense to it, or, perhaps more accurately, a quietly contemplative nomadic sense/aspect. Its very much a plodding plot but I enjoyed the general aimlessness it has regardless. Of course its not entirely aimless as such but it'd be fair to say that there isn't exactly a strong sense of being in a rush, perhaps not so much due to the plot as such but in terms of the light and floaty music played in the background and the frequent camera shots of the area their passing through, whether (usually) by train or car, both rural and suburban. I enjoyed the music scenes, with Philip (the main character) attending a rock and roll concert featuring Chuck Berry and other rock and roll songs played at other times. I thought it was quite endearing how Philip and Alice slowly became closer, sharing a laugh or two between themselves. I found the very last scene of the film, with the two main characters peering out of train windows, really quite touching and symbolic (poignant even, perhaps). The fact that its shot (or should I say presented?) entirely in black and white, combined with the music played (in the background and foreground once or twice) gave it a really nostalgic and charming feel, that I enjoyed. Its a somewhat engrossing film and there were some instances of quite witty dialogue present in the subtitles (its primarily in German, for the most part, with some English audio at the start of the film). I found it a surprisingly memorable film and so I would happily recommend it to others, with the caveat that not everything is fully explained, plot wise. Indeed it does have a mildly, if anything intriguing, mysterious aspect to it but I'd say if you have a little bit of patience for it, its worth sticking with as its really quite a pleasant and thoughtful film, certainly by the end. See more 07/13/2022 To see this film for the first time in 2022 is to be amazed - and somewhat saddened - at the changes that have happened since 1974. Alice in the Cities could not be made now because search engines and mobile phones would solve its quest problems too quickly and because a film about an adult male and child relationship would reek of suspicion. But it is a beautiful film and the central relationship is so natural and well observed. The intellectual angst of the young man is tempered by the child's innocent and visceral response to life. As their winding journey together unspools, we see the man thaw, and set aside some of his fury at the commercialization of the world, in order to take care of another small being. America's destructive powers are only just becoming clear in 1974 and the film is a horrible prefiguring of what capitalism has done to us since, but primarily it is a film about a relationship, and a mutually beneficial one. Wim Wenders was young when he made it but it is a very well crafted, subtle and life-affirming work. The last shot is masterful. See more Read all reviews

Alice in the Cities

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