User Reviews

Like many films, I failed to catch the opening credits for "Palermo Shooting", and until the end I knew nothing about the creators. I was pretty surprised, both in a positive and negative way.

The frame was just perfect, in the best possible way. Excellent shots, camera positions, strong and yet gently muted colors, beautiful scenery and filming locations... The visual aspect of the movie is pure art and eye candy. The story, well, in it's basis it's pretty intriguing. As a photographer, I could easily identify my self with the main character. Also, death has ever been a complex, a source of unanswered questions and mysticism and it's one of life's eternal dilemmas.

So, it wasn't all that surprising that Wenders wrote and directed this film. He is a brilliant director. However, the acting ruined "Palermo Shooting", which could easily get close to perfection. The main actor, self-named "Campino" (what sort of a name is that...?) was anything but convincing. The same could be said for Inga Busch, and the final kiss of death was Dennis Hopper's performance. A story that was deep and complex in it's core, turned out to be a watery semi entertaining shot in the air. Why Wim, Why...?

Overall, visually perfect, and as for the rest, forget it as soon as possible.

I watched the film in Cannes with anticipation, and great 'trepidation' at the same time( given the director's previous flop) but came out nicely surprised, as did other people that I had the opportunity to exchange views with afterwards. There was an obvious feeling that Wenders has delivered us a very special film, and one that is predominantly visionary in every way. But of course, this is not the opinion of many, who have been for a while unforgiving of Wenders and are still waiting for the next "Wings of Desire"...well folks, that 'aint gonna happen' simply because Wenders is one of those rare directors that never looks back. Maybe someone would care to notice that "Palermo Shooting" is probably Wenders' most personal and cathartic work since "Kings of The Road", and that the portrayal of a slightly impassive well known photographer( just as in the mentioned classic), who has come to a crossroads in is life falls beyond just being a coincidence, or a gimmick, but it is deliberate and mirrors more often than not Wenders himself. In Palermo, we feel to our bones the confusion and loneliness that Campino( for whom Wenders wrote this script)experiences, through the powerful and beautifully composed shots and music that follow him as he comes to grip with Palermo and his own ghosts. Wenders presents us with incredibly varied and well chosen music and introduces the very 'of the moment' use of the ipod to deliver the tracks to coincide with the central character own moves. This concept on its own is not just a clever device but a subtle social comment, at which Wender's has always been good. It says an awful lot about modern man at the cutting edge enjoying a successful professional life, surrounded by every possible gadget which help him and control him at the same time. All the props that define Campino's character are desirable, from the 360 degree rotating camera to the beautiful classic car. So, even the way he wanders through Palermo's old streets make the film ultra modern, and breathtaking. Here Wenders is in top form in the composition of his scenes and juxtaposition of cultures and ideas.One of my favourite scenes in the film is when the photographer walks into a derelict old theatre following some screaming voices. After walking through the empty corridors he arrives at the source of the screams: a heated play is being rehearsed and a man appears to be shouting to a chair that he holds at face level. The lines being shouted are not subtitled for stronger effect, and Campino takes a sit on a back bench and just soaks in(as does the audience) the entire scene: the derelict theatre, semi open to the elements, the passionate play that he cannot understand and it is so alien to his controlled self and culture....unable to tare himself away he stays until he falls asleep. The entire film is full of subtle and poignant moments and the cohesive and straight story is blended to great effect with the surreal and supernatural. The use of special effect is unprecedented in Wenders' work and here he achieves a very different type of film with the help of these, permeating the psyche of his lead and pushing him into further confusion, to the point were he cannot tell the difference between dream and reality, and were the surreal takes centre stage as the film reaches it's climax. Which points at the sheer metaphor that life is. How often do we find ourselves in situations which seem surreal and that go beyond 'coincidence'? I for one could tell a few. The story of a self centred and successful man who, after having had a near death experience,goes through a live changing crisis is is indeed not new and has been tackled successfully before, BUT Wenders goes a step forward and in a original,and comic too, way makes his character and DEATH( played to perfection by a wise old Dennis Hopper)confront each other once more, keeping his lead, and us, always on the edges of reality, in a way that is reminiscent of "Wings of Desire" indeed. He also blatantly turns death into a 'good guy' who is there to advise as much as to scare...two concepts that are just a thread apart. Death makes the photographer question his intentions, even down to the presumptuous use of his camera. So, when the man says" you shot me!"( referring to a moment when Death shoots at him with a bow and arrow from a balcony in Palermo, where the photographer is taking pictures), Death answers:" you shot me first! no one takes a picture of me!" Death's speech to the mortal is as relevant here as that which Wenders gave us in "Kings of the Road" from a frustrated son to an ageing and regretful father inside the newspaper printing workshop. I won't deny that I would've liked the film to end not too long after this point, and that I felt that we didn't really need to know about the female character's own ghosts. It could've been a leaner picture with a neater ending without this. I 'd also mention that the beginning dragged a little as Campino's trendy life in Düsseldorf is presented to us a bit too long. These are a bit annoying but can be forgiven of Wim Wenders as, nevertheless he has given us a striking, original and beautiful film.and he proves himself a true visionary once more. In time, I'm sure this will become another one of his classics. With Palermo Wenders is, as usual, on the pulse of things, he has always been a very different type of storyteller who can say as much with a few words, than without, and here he achieves both beautifully. The fabulous and original use of music combined with astonishing cinematography and pace takes us on a remarkable 'voyage'. Thank you Mr. Wenders

So let's sum up what this movie is about: a guy that "has a failed life"(it isn't really shown how his life is out of place they could at least made him a crack addict) that is not in touch with the world around him and goes to a small but charming(...not) Italian town and finds love, good food, old painting...and the meaning of life.

So what can I say? Did I enjoy it? No. Will you enjoy it? Only if you have not seen more than 2 films in your life: one being The Princess Bride and the other being Space Jam. If so the film will strike you with it's dark images and "themes" and will leave you magnified by it's depth.

Palermo Shooting was a real disaster for me so it's hard to chose where to start. The acting was pretty bad. Dennis Hopper was too lame in it. Let's not forget that this was the role that predated his performance in An American Carol so this is not exactly rock bottom. Mr. Campino (when I first heard his name I thought he was an Italian designer but now that I know that he is fronting a famous German rock band I know that he is really hip) reminds me of Macaulay Culkin in Home Alone but with cool tattoos and a nice camera. Milla Jovovich wanted to mix with THE art crowd so she decided to come and show her "magnificent belly". The others just are not worth mentioning. The story was cliché. It is a mix of The Seventh Seal, the Disney adaptation of A Christmas Carol and maybe something "wiered" like Eternal Sunshine... in the visuals(mostly the dream sequences). I watched it in a cinema and it was loud. When the film reached the point when the photographer meets the girl and she says she understands him I thought the movie will turn in to a Indiana Jones type of story and she will go on and tell him about the secret Palermo treasure guarded by the death. Such a shame it did not turn that way... The music is out of place and I must admit there are some hip tunes but they are not at all in tone with the movie.

Finn, the successful photographer, is an artist of this medium. As the story begins, he is involved with several important projects. One that is close to his heart, is a shoot with a pregnant Milla Jovovich. As far as the work goes, he is not satisfied, and neither is the actress. He suggests a change of locales. While examining some portfolio, he decides to finish the work in Palermo, Sicily.

Just before leaving, Finn has an unnerving experience. One night driving his convertible, listening to a loud soundtrack, he almost collides with another car driven by a mysterious figure, he does not quite get to see. Finn seems to be a man searching for more than what he now possesses. In spite of his fame he is not a fulfilled man. One day, Finn, who has climbed a tree that overlooks a placid meadow near the Rhine, meets another mysterious man dressed in a plastic raincoat who is tending to a flock of sheep.

After the shoot with Milla Jovovich is over, Finn decides to stay in Palermom for a while. The end result of his work is excellent, although for the finished product showing a nude Milla, he could have done it in his home base in Germany. The city has an intriguing allure to Finn. While admiring the area of the Quattro Canti, he falls asleep by the side of one of the buildings he has been admiring. He is awakened by the mysterious hooded figure who is wielding a bow and arrow aiming at him. He feels wounded, but there is no sign of having been hit at all.

Walking through the old streets of Palermo taking pictures with his camera, Finn discovers a museum. The door is open and he takes a chance going in. The only people in the place are two women that are restoring a giant painting from an obscure Sicilian artist. Flavia, who comes down to talk to Finn, tells him about the picture. In the center there is an animal-like figure that represents death. He is surprised to see a couple of clerics that appear to be dead stabbed by arrows.

Through his walks in the city, Finn comes face to face with death symbols that, in a way, give him an uneasy feeling. Flavia shows a reluctance to getting involved with Finn, but he wants to continue seeing her. She takes him to the port giving him a chance to see the magnificent views of Palermo. Finn takes picture with his prized camera. While photographing an interesting angle, he discovers a figure aiming at him. Trying to avoid the arrow, Finn breaks the camera and falls in the water.

As a surprise, Flavia decides to take Finn to her late grandmother's home in a hill town. The old house has a mystery about it that plays into the surreal antique setting. One night, Finn is awakened by a noise. He steps into the old library where he is chased by a man bathed in a white light that makes him appear as a ghost. Finn comes face to face with the man, who proclaims he is death. The ghost-like figure points out to Finn's brush with death. It all makes sense to him. Figuring he is about to die, he has yet, another surprise coming to him.

Wim Wender's "Palermo Shooting" was shown recently on a cable channel. The film does not seem to have been commercially released in the United States, but seen in festivals. It is a shame because although the director is not aiming for a broad audience, it pays off for serious fans of his work. Mr. Wenders work in this film is almost a continuation of some of his past work, more to the point, "Wings of Desire". The film is dedicated to two influential masters in Mr. Wender's life, Michelangelo Antonioni and Igmar Bergman. One can see how "Blowup" might have impressed him.

Campino, appearing as Finn, does an amazing job for the director. Dennis Hopper gets reunited with Mr. Wenders in a small, but pivotal role. The gorgeous Giovanna Mezzogiorno is perfect as Flavia. There are some familiar faces in the film doing cameos for the director, notably, Lou Reed and Milla Jovovich.

The film owes a lot to the editing of two men, Oli Weiss and Peter Przygodda. The cinematography by Franz Lustig captures images that add the aura of mystery and suspense. The musical score by Irmin Schmidt blends well with the popular songs being played. Although most people thought this film to be flawed and pretentious, it will be enjoyed by fans of Wim Wenders.

Since I am a Berlin-based photographer and film enthusiast, Palermo Shooting was very appealing to me: Wim Wenders, a key figure of contemporary German cinema, shooting a story revolving a photographer learning to see anew? What could go wrong? Well, pretty much everything, I'm afraid.

There are problems with Campino's delivery of the lines (insufficient acting or unbelievable dialog?), with a soundtrack that feels like an ipod on shuffle (and hey, I love Portishead as much as anyone), and with the general rush of scenes. The same filmmaker that twenty years ago made wonders directing with restraint (How to forget the cabin scenes of Paris Texas, for instance?) is nowadays lost in camera movements, cinematography effects, and 'dynamic' editing.

However, the main problem of the movie lies on how its thesis actually contradicts the film itself. Here we have a photographer, Finn, who at the beginning of the movie believes that photography can just depict surfaces because that's the only thing there is to reality. The film, therefore, will follow him as he learns otherwise: that the things we cannot see shape our experiences and understandings. How ironic –and disappointing-, that he gets his final lesson from a guy painted in white who IS Death. And how disappointing, too, that when our hero overcomes his fear to Life by embracing Death, Wenders has to actually show us how they hug. There's no subtlety, no space for the images of the film to mean more than what they are; they feel clichéd and, sadly, superficial.

Maybe Wenders should now look for his own Palermo and, instead of having characters delivering grandiloquent speeches about the unseen, show us what lurks under the visibility of things, because Palermo Shooting is shot with the same disregard for the revealing qualities of the photographic/cinematographic image, as Finn shots his fashion campaigns. Just surface.