Nice effects though.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

I watched this in one sitting, despite the duration of 3h20min. In fact, I found the film so gripping that I didn't even notice the length.The idea of "virtual reality" has been explored in print science fiction since Stanislaw Lem wrote a short story on the concept in the 1950s (which was later included in the collection "Cyberiada".). Since then, the concept was common currency in writing.For some reason, film lagged behind. That is, until 1973, when R.W. Fassbinder made this as a 2-part miniseries for television.And did he make it well! I saw this film after watching every other cinematic exploration of the concept, and nobody else even came close to considering the philosophical concepts associated with virtual reality(realities?).The state of cybernetics in the 1970s is accurately depicted, with a computer occupying an entire room and being serviced by an army of operators, and programmers occupying a mystical, godlike position above them.The general look and mindset of the 1970s is captured accurately, which may make the film seem anachronistic to younger viewers.There is action, but not the blockbuster-style non stop stuff which has become de rigeur in the present-day cinema. This is more a film of ideas.The building of tension to a peak is performed masterfully, and the ending will astonish you. You will spend quite a time thinking hard after watching this.One problem: the English subtitles are crudely done and inaccurate. I found that I could render the translation more accurately while watching. This sort of thing is distracting and irritating, and makes the film(especially the finer points) difficult to understand for those who don't understand German.This film deserves wider distribution, both as cinema and on television. Keeping such a masterpiece locked away, as ARD did, is a disgrace.

Recently rediscovered TV film made by Fassbinder in the mid-70s, it's an early film dealing with the sci-fi concept of virtual reality. The subject became really popular in the late 90s with the mega-hit The Matrix and several other more cultish flicks like Dark City, eXistenZ and The Thirteenth Floor (which was actually based on the same novel as World on a Wire). This is notably less cheesy than a lot of 70s sci-fi, though 70s styles are ever-present in the decor. I don't know if I'd say it's as fun as some of those cheesy 70s sci-fis, though. The film is split into two parts, and, as a whole, runs about three and a half hours. They probably could have cut it down a lot, because it really drags at times. The one thing I really love about it is the visuals. It might be Fassbinder's most visually resplendent work. I doubt someone watching it on a television screen in 1973 (probably the great majority watched it in black and white) could have appreciated the gorgeousness of it. The Criterion Blu Ray is gorgeous and very unique looking. As long as it was, the visuals always kept me enthralled. Like a lot of early Fassbinder films, it's a bit dry and could use some more interesting characters - he became a much better director starting around this same time when he started embracing melodrama.

Rainer Werner Fassbinder made World On A Wire for German TV back in 1973. It has been little seen since, but restored it has been giving an airing at MIFF. It is an epic, time wise, running at a good 3½ hours its quite an undertaking, but well worth it.The story set some time in the future, though it's never stated when is about a super computer that can create alternate realities where 'units' exist as people living as normal going on with their lives utterly unaware that they are simply computer programs. Of course things start to go wrong and one man Fred Stiller (played by the utterly handsome Klaus Lowitsch) begans to investigate. Things become more complex as the plot unravels and revelations are told and truths uncovered.It's a fascinating concept and one that is explored in an real environment. There are no special effects here, the world we are presented with is just as we would expect it, though it was made in the 70's, there is a slight futuristic nature to the design, but it doesn't look dated. The design itself is wonderful and looks great 30 years on. There are some amusing moments, odd moments of acting, characters turning around really quickly or spinning around on chairs. Whether there was a reason is unclear or perhaps it was just bad acting. However the cast do a good job and it is never played anything but straight.Despite it's non CGI approach, the film works as an intriguing and engaging story, as it draws to it's conclusion the concept leaves the audience questioning the idea of reality. It is a story that has been presented more recently with films such as Dark City and especially so in The Matrix Trilogy. Both are superb sci-fi films that present the idea of alternate worlds or realities, but with World On A Wire which was decades ahead of these recent films, the story is presented in a superb 'real' format without the lashings of effects we are used to.More reviews at my site iheartfilms.weebly.com

One of the best movies I ever saw - a classic "Matrix" movie. For many years, I have been trying to get it on VHS or DVD - to no avail. The German movie/TV industry still prefers to let valuable cultural contributions (and this is Fassbinder, after all!) rot away and collect dust in some archive rather than distribute it commercially (and make a lot of money with it if that is what stimulates them instead of the promotion of creative thinking). Though, the WDR once told me if I paid DM 200.00 to check the copyright (non-reimbursable), and then DM 8 per minute of copying, plus the cost for the materials, then they will consider preparing a (single!) copy for me. Some way to sell something! The same problem we have with many other TV movies or series like "So weit die Füße tragen", "Sonntagseltern", "Kellerkinder", and others. Excellent TV series - never to be heard of again. Germany, wake up!UPDATE from March 2007: Last year, I finally could get a DVD copy from the "Mittschnittservice" of the WDR for about 50+ Euro. Great!