The Road Movie Trilogy (also known as The Road Trilogy) is a series of three

road movie A road movie is a film genre in which the main characters leave home on a road trip, typically altering the perspective from their everyday lives. Road movies often depict travel in the hinterlands, with the films exploring the theme of alienatio ...

s directed by German film director

Wim Wenders Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (; born 14 August 1945) is a German filmmaker, playwright, author, and photographer. He is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among many honors, he has received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Docu ...

in the mid-1970s: ''

Alice in the Cities ''Alice in the Cities'' (german: Alice in den Städten) is a 1974 German road movie directed by Wim Wenders. It is the first part of Wenders' " Road Movie trilogy", which also includes '' The Wrong Move'' (1975) and '' Kings of the Road'' (1976). ...

'' (1974), ''

The Wrong Move ''The Wrong Move'' (german: Falsche Bewegung – "False Movement") is a 1975 German road movie directed by Wim Wenders. This was the second part of Wenders' " Road Movie trilogy" which included '' Alice in the Cities'' (1974) and '' Kings of the R ...

'' (1975), and ''

Kings of the Road ''Kings of the Road'' (german: Im Lauf der Zeit, "in the course of time") is a 1976 German road movie directed by Wim Wenders. It was the third part of Wenders' " Road Movie trilogy" which included '' Alice in the Cities'' (1974) and '' The Wrong M ...

'' (1976). All three films were shot by cinematographer

Robby Müller Robby Müller, NSC, BVK, (4 April 1940 – 3 July 2018) was a Dutch cinematographer. Known for his use of natural light and minimalist imagery, Müller first gained recognition for his contributions to West German cinema through his acclaimed c ...

and mostly take place in

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 ...

. The centerpiece of the trilogy, ''The Wrong Move'', was shot in colour whereas ''Alice in the Cities'' was in black and white

16 mm 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, edu ...

, and ''Kings of the Road'' was in black and white 35 mm film.

Conception

Director Wim Wenders didn't conceive of the three films as a trilogy, and they were first labelled as one by U.S. critic Richard Roud. However, U.S. filmmaker

Michael Almereyda Michael Almereyda (born April 7, 1960) is an American film director, screenwriter, and film producer. Early work Almereyda studied art history at Harvard but dropped out after three years to pursue filmmaking. He acquired a Hollywood agent on ...

writes that "they are unified by shared themes, an exacting formal rigor, and the presence of

Rüdiger Vogler Rüdiger Vogler (born 14 May 1942 in Warthausen, near Biberach an der Riß) is a German film and stage actor. Biography Rüdiger Vogler attended acting school in Heidelberg from 1963 to 1965. Later he played for six years at "''Theater am Turm' ...

." Almereyda remarks that Wenders' earliest feature films, '' Summer in the City'' and ''

The Goalkeeper's Fear of the Penalty ''The Goalkeeper's Fear of the Penalty'' (german: Die Angst des Tormanns beim Elfmeter) is a 1972 German-language drama film directed by Wim Wenders. It is also known as ''The Goalie's Anxiety at the Penalty Kick''. It was adapted from the novel ...

'', also involved "aimless journeys," but the Road Movie trilogy was distinct as "travel not only propels the story but also absorbs and reshapes it." The films were also made on small budgets but with great mobility.

Legacy

The three low-budget films established Wenders' and Müller's road movie style, a style that they later resurrected in bigger budget color films including '' Paris Texas'' and ''

Until the End of the World ''Until the End of the World'' (german: Bis ans Ende der Welt; french: Jusqu'au bout du monde) is a 1991 science fiction adventure drama film directed by German filmmaker Wim Wenders. Set at the turn of the millennium in the shadow of a world- ...

''. The trilogy also introduced (in ''Alice in the Cities'') the fictitious wandering character

Philip Winter Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

who returns in three later Wenders films, '' Lisbon Story'', ''Until the End of the World'', and ''

Faraway, So Close! ''Faraway, So Close!'' (german: In weiter Ferne, so nah!) is a 1993 German fantasy film directed by Wim Wenders. The screenplay is by Wenders, Richard Reitinger and Ulrich Zieger. It is a sequel to Wenders' 1987 film ''Wings of Desire''. Actors ...

''. The style of aimless wandering in the ''Road Movie'' trilogy influenced other directors including American director

Jim Jarmusch James Robert Jarmusch (; born January 22, 1953) is an American film director and screenwriter. He has been a major proponent of independent cinema since the 1980s, directing films including ''Stranger Than Paradise'' (1984), '' Down by Law'' (19 ...

(''

Stranger Than Paradise ''Stranger Than Paradise'' is a 1984 American black-and-white absurdist deadpan comedy film, co-written, directed and co-edited by Jim Jarmusch, and starring jazz musician John Lurie, former Sonic Youth drummer-turned-actor Richard Edson, an ...

'') who worked with Wenders on '' The State of Things''. The ''Road Movie'' trilogy established Wenders' prominence in international cinema and has attained minor

cult film A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage i ...

status among Wenders and Müller fans. A number of issues, such as rights issues concerning the soundtracks of the films, have made the three ''Road Movie'' films hard to find on video in the United States. However, in 2016

The Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home video, home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scho ...

released the films on DVD and

Blu-ray The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of st ...

as ''Wim Wenders: The Road Trilogy''.

References

{{Wim Wenders German film series West German films 1970s German-language films 1970s drama road movies German drama road movies German black-and-white films Films directed by Wim Wenders Trilogies 1970s German films