PORTRAIT
Wim Wenders Iconography
In the review article certain
persistent motives and elements of Wim Wenders’ films are
presented: Loneliness, man-man or man-child relationships,
the absence and idealization of family and women, cultural
references to rock’n roll and literature, references to
American culture, especially genre films, a European stylistic
touch.
Most articles on Wenders in the Croatian press have been written
in the eighties. His cult status has obviously changed and
there have been only a few artricles concerning him during
the nineties. But Wenders continues to make films and now ith
is possible to get a clearer picture of his highly personal
cinematic world and his persistent motifs. Wenders is primarily
concerned with the individuality of his protagonists and their
state of mind which is extremely sensitive to society in general.
Wenders’ protagonists are like those from American film noires.
They are loners on the margin of society without attachments
to any specific community. This position is expressed through
their on-the-road life situations. They travel a great deal,
restraining themselves from any real action. They hesitate
in their decisions and are afraid of facing their fears. In
spite of not being attached to anyone, his protagonists do
reluctantly develop an attachment with other males or a particular
child. This serves as a kind of catalyst for altering the protagonist’s
self knowledge.
There is also a change in the position of women
in Wenders’ films. In his first films women are narratively
unimportant, but later on they become reasons for his protagonist’s
wanderings. Similarly, family is something inaccessible
to Wenders’ protagonists (they usually flee from family)
but at the same time, family is something they yearn for.
Being a sort of »cultural director«, Wenders shows keen
interest in the cultural aspects of contemporary art, rock’n
roll, literature, painting, American movies and movies
in general, particularly in traditional genres like thrillers,
detective films, and road movies. But though he is highly
immersed in references to American popular culture, akin
to his US contemporaries like Walter Hill, Wenders is basicaly
a director with a European sensibility. He is assuredly
a part of Europe’s modernist tradition.
Tomislav Èegir |
