World on a Wire

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Review added by
Stuart McLean

Welt am Draht
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 326 mins
Retail Price: £29.99
Release Date: 18/02/2019
Content Type: TV Series

Synopsis:
Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s dystopian sci-fi epic World on a Wire was way ahead of its time, with fascinating themes that would later be explored in films such as The Matrix, Bladerunner, and TV series like Westworld. Now this hugely influential classic arrives as a stunningly restored Limited Edition Blu-ray Box Set from Second Sight on 18 Feb, with a host of outstanding new special features and a 50- page booklet.

Originally created for TV by the radical and often controversial filmmaker, it centres around Simulacron 1, a highly advanced project designed to elevate conventional computer technology to a new level by creating a virtual reality, inhabited by computer generated people or ‘identity units’. When the head of the project dies mysteriously, Dr Stiller (Klaus Löwitsch – Firefox, Cross of Iron) becomes his successor. As the new doctor begins to probe deeper, the line between the real and virtual worlds become increasingly blurred and his own existence comes into question.

Also starring Barbara Valentin (Body in the Web, Our Man in Jamaica) and Mascha Rabben (Salome, The Sensuous Three), Fassbinder’s science fiction masterpiece has a rare and well-deserved 100% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Slant Magazine says it’s ‘a fascinating and dynamic film, packed with intriguing ideas and soaked in a moody ambience,’ exploring themes as relevant as ever to our swiftly technologically advancing world.

This new restoration, supervised by The Rainer Werner Fassbinder Foundation and cinematographer Michael Ballhaus (Goodfellas, The Departed), comes 45 years after its initial release and still pushes audiences to question the world around them.

Special Features:
No Strings Attached - an interview with assistant director Renate Leiffer
Observing Fassbinder a tribute to photographer Peter Gauhe
Looking Ahead to Today documentary
On-set featurette
Original Broadcast Recap
The Simulation Argument an interview with Professor Nick Bostrom
Optional English subtitles

LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

Rigid slipcase packaging
50 page perfect-bound booklet featuring new essays by Anton Bitel and Daniel Bird and archival writing by Daniel Oberhaus and Christian Braad Thomsen