''Lightning Over Water'', also known as ''Nick's Film'', is a 1980

West German West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

documentary-

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

written, directed by and starring Wim Wenders and

Nicholas Ray Nicholas Ray (born Raymond Nicholas Kienzle Jr., August 7, 1911 – June 16, 1979) was an American film director, screenwriter, and actor best known for the 1955 film '' Rebel Without a Cause.'' He is appreciated for many narrative features p ...

. It centers on the last days of Ray's own life, who was already known worldwide for his 1955 classic film ''

Rebel Without a Cause ''Rebel Without a Cause'' is a 1955 American coming-of-age drama film about emotionally confused suburban, middle-class teenagers. Filmed in the then recently introduced CinemaScope format and directed by Nicholas Ray, it offered both social com ...

''. It was screened out of competition at the

1980 Cannes Film Festival The 33rd Cannes Film Festival was held between 9 and 23 May 1980. The Palme d'Or went to the '' All That Jazz'' by Bob Fosse and ''Kagemusha'' by Akira Kurosawa. The festival opened with '' Fantastica'', directed by Gilles Carle and closed with ' ...

Summary

The film is a collaboration between Wenders and Ray to document Ray's last days due to terminal cancer in 1979. The film is partially an homage to Ray who had a strong influence on Wenders' work, and partially an investigation on life and death. Ray's influence on Wenders includes Ray's "love on the run" subgenre as well as his '' film noir'' photography. The film features excerpts from Ray's movies ''

The Lusty Men ''The Lusty Men '' is a 1952 Western film released by Wald-Krasna Productions and RKO Radio Pictures starring Susan Hayward, Robert Mitchum, Arthur Kennedy and Arthur Hunnicutt. The picture was directed by Nicholas Ray and produced by Jerry W ...

'' and his unfinished final work '' We Can't Go Home Again''. The sequence featuring the former excerpt was shot at

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States, closely foll ...

, at which Ray presented the movie and then gave a lecture, which itself is excerpted. Nicholas Ray appears in a minor role in Wenders' film ''

The American Friend ''The American Friend'' (german: Der amerikanische Freund) is a 1977 neo-noir film by Wim Wenders, adapted from the 1974 novel ''Ripley's Game'' by Patricia Highsmith. The film features Dennis Hopper as career criminal Tom Ripley and Bruno Ganz as ...

''. Wenders' science fiction film ''

Until the End of the World ''Until the End of the World'' (german: Bis ans Ende der Welt; french: Jusqu'au bout du monde) is a 1991 science fiction adventure drama film directed by German filmmaker Wim Wenders. Set at the turn of the millennium in the shadow of a world ...

'' is named for the last spoken words in Ray's 1961 Biblical epic film '' King of Kings''. The film crew is extensively featured onscreen. Jim Jarmusch, Ray's personal assistant at the time — and later a notable film director in his own right — can be briefly glimpsed at the 50:28 mark sitting at an editing console. When Wenders goes to the Vassar campus to attend a lecture, a brief one-man performance is seen on-stage. It is Franz Kafka's story "A Report for an Academy", about an ape who becomes a man. The American independent film director

Jon Jost Jon Stephen Jost (born 16 May 1943 in Chicago) is an American independent filmmaker. Born in Chicago to a military family, he grew up in Georgia, Kansas, Japan, Italy, Germany and Virginia. He began making films in January 1963 after being expel ...

has recently come out against Wenders' status as the sole co-director, saying that Wenders "used his celebrity" to push Jost and

Raúl Ruiz (director) Raúl Ernesto Ruiz Pino (french: Raoul Ruiz; 25 July 1941 – 19 August 2011) was an experimental Chilean filmmaker, writer and teacher whose work is best known in France. He directed more than 100 films. Biography The son of a ship's captain a ...

out of the project that they had been the creators of.

References

External links

Official website
* Documentary films about film directors and producers 1980 films 1980 documentary films Swedish documentary films German documentary films West German films 1980s German-language films Films directed by Wim Wenders Films directed by Nicholas Ray Documentary films about death 1980s German films 1980s Swedish films {{1980s-Germany-film-stub