The longest science fiction film in history: without cuts last 20 hours and ended up being a framework failure

Tuesday 06th May 2025 04:00 AM

Science fiction has been One of the genres that have had the highest growth throughout the history of cinema. This is linked, of course, to the technological advances of the world itself, which allow today Let’s be accustomed to the best CGI and the most groundbreaking special effects. From ‘Journey to the Moon’ (1902), by Georges Méliès, The first science fiction film in historyto totems like ‘2001: an odyssey of space’ (1968), by Stanley Kubrick, The genre has lived a thousand and one lives.

However, none of these films hold a record that is practically impossible to overcome: that of the longest science fiction tape in history. This was ‘until the end of the world’ (1991), directed by Master Wim Wenders (‘Paris, Texas’). In its first version, the film had a duration of around 20 hours. The producer forced the German director to cut it, leaving it in 158 minutes to the United States and 179 for Europe.

What is the end of the world ‘?

The film is set in 1999 and focuses on a woman who, while driving, It clashes with the car of robbers who just steal a bank. These force him to cooperate with them and there he meets Sam, a fugitive wanted by the CIA that reveals that the crimes they impute are false and that He just looks for an invention of his father that allows to navigate in his own dreams. The woman, in this way, immerses himself in the different stages of the life of her blind mother.

‘Until the end of the world’ has a luxury cast: William Hurt (‘Al Filo de la news’), Sam Neill (‘Jurassic Park’) and Max von Sydow (‘The Seventh Seal’), in addition to Jeanne Moreau or Solveig Dommartin. Despite the initial 20 hours, which had to limit the 3 finals in Europe, Wim Wenders He created a cut of the additional director with the original negatives that lasted almost 5 hours. As for the collection, the film was a real failure, raising just over 700 thousand dollars at the box office. Nowadays it is considered a cult classic.

‘Until the end of the world’ is available in Contra+ in Spain

Wim Wenders’ words

The German director, in an interview with Vulture, talked about this film and why it was one of the most ambitious of his filmography. “The film was the most ambitious project I have done, and probably the most expensive independent author of all time, at least at the time. It was an epic adventure, and we shot for a year. During the editing process, I realized that I could never comply with two and a half hours promisedon which all distribution agreements were based. The ideal movie he wanted to make lasted just under five hours. I tried in vain to convince my co -producers and distributors to release it in two parts. ”

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