Kaity Li

Wim Wenders� “Why Do I Make Films”

In his essay “Why Do I Make Films,” Wim Wenders claims that the reason he makes films is record reality as it is, even if the reality seems mundane to outsiders. When he had been filming the street, it never occurred to him to stop shooting until the reel was over. This dedication to capturing the scene exactly as it is shows a dedication to something beyond mise-en-scene. His preference for the long and unedited take can be attributed to this attitude about life. He argues that the occurrence of things is always temporary and doomed to eventual inexistence, and that one must hurry to see anything. Thus, he believes that recording reality rescues it, and therefore, filming becomes a heroic act of preventing the destruction of existence.

Questions:

1. How is Wenders’ philosophy on film-making reflected in his films?

2. Is there any element of Wenders’ films that go against his film-making philosophy of recording reality as it is?

3. Going by Wenders’ thought process, is the editing process “sacrilegious?”