Until the end of the world

Yes, now I've seen it again! Until the end of the world - the epic movie from 1990. 279 minutes in the futuristic world of Wim Wenders, set in his imagined world of 1999. When I saw it back in 1991 I was amazed and really captured by the music, the beautiful scenery and the story. Seeing a movie like that 15 years later doesn't always leave you with the same impression. Back in 1991 I saw the 2 1/2 hour version; the version I bought in Milan is more than 4 1/2 hours and is the director's cut. I saw the three parts of the movie in three nights. The first and last part of the movie is excellent and better than the 1990-version. There are parts of the movie (especially in the middle part) that could have been cut down, but even in the middle part of the movie there is a beautiful sequence after a plane accident where the two main characters walks around in the Australian desert accompanied by Peter Gabriel's "The blood of Eden".

The movie is set in a futuristic world, in Europe, Asia, America and Australia. Its fun, but some of the futuristic clothes seem a little outdated today. The last part of the movie is still very powerful and raises a lot of questions. Are there any limits for technological development and are there lines that shouldn't be crossed? What happens when we cross those lines, and are able to use technology to look into our own psyche and make movies of our dreams? It makes them insane. The aborigines in the movie understand that those lines shouldn't be crossed, it's holy and not for us to see. The only solution to be free from this obsession is through words (reading to make sense of the world) or through spirit (letting spiritual people "take" your dreams and obsession).

Wim Wenders´conclusions makes sense. I believe in the power of words, and I believe in the power of the spirit. Once more I was both encouraged and challenged by this movie. Where are we now? Wenders´dark prophecy challenges us to think where we are headed, to be aware and not let technology rule us, but let it be an instrument for building relationships and connections. I'm not sure though. I want this to be true, but at times I feel that we're already at a place where we've crossed certain lines that shouldn't have been crossed. Are we living in a society where BIG BROTHER rules, where we're not free anymore? I don't know, but I do know that words and spirit still are there to make us free...

Tomorrow I'm going to London to celebrate New Year's in this great city!