Daring to dream

Wenders retrospective Sept. 17 - The American Friend, a noirish art scam story starring Dennis Hopper. Sept. 18 - Lightning Over Water, about the last days of the great American film director and iconoclast Nicholas Ray. Sept. 19 - Paris, Texas, the story of a man searching for his lost wife in the vast dry gulch of America’s 1980’s Reaganite Renaissance. Sept. 20 - Tokyo-Ga, a celebratory portrait of the ‘most Japanese’ of Japanese directors, Yasujiro Ozu. Sept. 21 - Wings of Desire, in which Bruno Ganz stars as an angel desiring human values. Sept. 22 - Faraway, So Close! Wenders revisits the setting and storyline of Wings of Desire for this sequel-of-sorts that again deals with spiritual beings craving the solidity of corporeal form. Sept. 23 - Beyond the Clouds, Wim Wenders codirects with Michelangelo Antonioni after the great Italian director was left unable to speak due to a stroke. Sept. 24 - The Buena Vista Social Club, capturing Californian guitarist Ry Cooder’s visit to the forgotten musical corners of Cuba. Sept. 25 - Don’t Come Knocking, another look at the elemental myths of the American West and its legacy of shattered domesticity. With Tim Roth, Jessica Lange and Sarah Polley. Wim Wenders

The Dalhousie Art Gallery and the Atlantic Film Festival have combined to put on a retrospective of feature films by multi-Cannes Film Festival award winner Wim Wenders.

Originally a film critic who grew up in the cinema, Wenders (pronounced “Venders”) was chosen to be showcased at Dalhousie due to his “abundant humanism,” says Ron Foley Macdonald, Dalhousie film curator and senior programmer of the Atlantic Film Festival.

“His collaborations with some of his mentors, Nicholas Ray (director of Rebel Without A Cause), Ozu, and Antonioni show a level of respect for the cinema unmatched in the art form,” says Mr. Macdonald.

Dalhousie Film Professor David Nicol also encourages students to go see the Wenders showcase: “His films are like dreams,” says Dr. Nicol. “They’re intimate, quiet, and restrained.”

Dr. Nicol explains Wenders’ films allow the viewer to draw upon their own emotions. “There’s a slow and beautiful poetic feeling; his work is thought provoking.”

The retrospective will feature two of Wenders’ most influential films:  Paris, Texas and Wings of Desire.

Paris, Texas starring Harry Dean Stanton as Travis and Natassja Kinski as his wife Jane tells the tale of Travis and his estranged son Hunter’s journey to find Jane. It's a journey which Dr. Nicol describes as “hypnotic.”

Wings of Desire stars Bruno Ganz , as Damiel, Solveig Dommartin as Marrion, and Peter Falk (any Columbo fans out there?) as himself. This film is a tortured love tale about angels who want to be human. Peter Falk helps expose Damiel, an angel, to the joys of humanity.

Together, these films have won eight awards, including the Cannes Palm D’Or for Best Film (Paris, Texas) in 1984. Wenders has also been awarded Best Director for both these films at the Cannes Film Festival.

Wenders’ work has not been in the spotlight recently and, according to Mr. Macdonald, this year’s retrospective will aim to give the German director well deserved recognition in Canada.

Wenders is the director of 22 feature films, five of which will be screening at the Dalhousie Art Gallery this week.

All screenings will be at 5 p.m., the shows are free but space is limited! For more information visit: http://www.atlanticfilm.com/aff/