Der amerikanische Freund (1977)

Director:

Wim Wenders

Writers:

Patricia Highsmith (novel) and
Wim Wenders (writer)

Release Date:

24 June 1977 (West Germany)

Genre:

Crime | Mystery | Thriller | Drama

Plot:

Tom Ripley, who deals in forged art, suggests a picture framer he knows would make a good hit man.

Plot Keywords:

Leukemia | Forgery | Cult Favorite | Auction | Terminal Illness

Awards:

4 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Dennis Hopper	...	Tom Ripley
Bruno Ganz	...	Jonathan Zimmermann
Lisa Kreuzer	...	Marianne Zimmermann
Gérard Blain	...	Raoul Minot
Nicholas Ray	...	Derwatt
Samuel Fuller	...	The American Mobster
Peter Lilienthal	...	Marcangelo
Daniel Schmid	...	Ingraham
Jean Eustache	...	Friendly Man
Rudolf Schündler	...	Gantner
Sandy Whitelaw	...	Doctor in Paris
Lou Castel	...	Rodolphe
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ismael Alonso	...	Ignatius
David Blue	...	Allan Winter
Andreas Dedecke	...	Daniel
Satya De La Manitou	...	Angie
Adolf Hansen	...	Schaffner
Rosemarie Heinikel	...	Mona
Heinz Joachim Klein	...	Dr. Gabriel
Stefan Lennert	...	Auctioneer
Heinrich Marmann	...	Man on Train
Gerty Molzen	...	Old Lady
Enzo Robutti	...	Falling man
Klaus Schichan
Axel Schiessler	...	Lippo
Wim Wenders	...	Figure Wrapped in Plaster Bandages in Ambulance

Also Known As:

L'ami américain (France)
The American Friend (USA)

Runtime:

125 min

Country:

West Germany | France

Language:

German | English | French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:M | France:-12 | Brazil:14 | Argentina:18 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Alter Elbtunnel, St. Pauli, Hamburg, Germany

Company:

Filmverlag der Autoren

Trivia:

Wim Wenders originally considered John Cassavetes for the role of Ripley.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Derwatt: Who is it?
Tom Ripley: It's Ripley.
Derwatt: The door is open.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Pas de repos pour Billy Brakko (1984)

Soundtrack:

Nothin' in the World Can Stop Me Worryin' 'Bout That Girl

Subtle and breathtaking.

Simply hypnotic. The only other film to have this kind of impact on me is Naked. It entrances you from start to finish and you can't even think about looking away. Much like Naked, this effect comes primarily from the score which is flawlessly haunting and ominous making you well aware that there is sincere danger ahead. The magnificent symbolisms can be found everywhere from something as simple as a man falling in front of Ganz to something as complex as the way picture frames are used throughout the whole picture. The cinematography is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable I've ever witnessed. I struggle to think of more unique and beautiful shots throughout an entire film. The story itself is simple and unique, portraying someone honest and normal placed into a series of dangerous and very dark events.

Bruno Ganz is a tour de force, in a performance that exceeds his in Downfall, as the leading everyman who gets caught up in a life of peril before he even begins to realize it. Things happen to him so fast that you can't help but feel sympathetic towards him and pray that he can get himself out of a jam. The ending is one of the most painful I've ever had to endure. Dennis Hopper proves that he can subtly display deep emotional pain just as well as charismatic, explosive insanity. Wenders and the cast are so incredibly tuned into one another that he can just place the camera on their face for five minutes and you can see every single emotion running through the character and these emotions through the screen and into you, making you feel exactly what the character is feeling. It's one of the most unique and authentic experiences I've had watching a film. The incredible amount of tension should also be noted. I've never had such a feeling of tense pain as I did during the subway scene. It creates an unheard of sensation that runs through you and your body begs for closure before you collapse to the intensity. The fact that Wenders does all of this without a single word of dialogue is truly admirable.