The State of Things

"They didn't want to kill him. They just wanted a story."

1982 2h 1m DE

😐

6.4

MID

★6.4TMDB · 85

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

On location in Portugal, a film crew runs out of film while making their own version of Roger Corman's The Day the World Ended (1956). The producer is nowhere to be found and director Munro attempts to find him in hopes of being able to finish the film.

“They didn't want to kill him. They just wanted a story.”

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Cast

Isabelle Weingarten
Anna
Rebecca Pauly
Joan
Jeffrey Kime
Mark
Geoffrey Carey
Robert
Camila Mora-Scheihing
Julia
Alexandra Auder
Jane
Patrick Bauchau
Friedrich Munro
Paul Getty Jr.
Dennis

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Wim Wenders
Writers: Robert Kramer, Josh Wallace, Wim Wenders
Languages: French, Portuguese, English
Countries: Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America, Portugal, France, Spain, Netherlands

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

44 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: French, Portuguese, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 7 countries: Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America, Portugal, France, Spain, Netherlands.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Wim Wenders, shot by Fred Murphy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jürgen Knieper. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jon Neuburger shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Isabelle Weingarten and Rebecca Pauly and Jeffrey Kime carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "They didn't want to kill him. They just wanted a story.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Wim Wenders directs. Fred Murphy behind the camera. Jürgen Knieper scores. Jon Neuburger cuts. Produced in Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America, Portugal, France, Spain, Netherlands. Dialogue in French, Portuguese, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

144 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: French, Portuguese, English.
3International production across 7 countries: Germany, United Kingdom, United States of America, Portugal, France, Spain, Netherlands.
4Directed by Wim Wenders, shot by Fred Murphy. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Jürgen Knieper. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Jon Neuburger shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Isabelle Weingarten and Rebecca Pauly and Jeffrey Kime carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "They didn't want to kill him. They just wanted a story.".
9IMDB entry: tt0084725 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 85 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.