The heading for this item in the Epinions' database makes it look like this is a two-film combination, but it's really two alternative names for the same film. Kings of the Road was the English language release name, while In the Course of Time is the literal translation of the German title.

I found only six reviews of this film using my standard set of internet and published sources, which is very few for a highly regarded film from the mid-seventies. There were none at the time of this writing here at Epinions. This is also a very difficult film to locate these days, at least in America. There are no vendors listed for this item here at Epinions, though the film can be found at one of the well-known internet auction sites. On the other hand, all six of the reviews that I've encountered praise this film enthusiastically. One famous critic commented in a review for another Wenders film that Kings of the Road was one of the best films of the seventies.

Why does a film that garners effusive praise disappear from the awareness of the vast majority of film-lovers as well as from commercial availability? I would suggest that it is not such a surprising combination of circumstances in this particular instance. Kings of the Road epitomizes, in my opinion, all of what some viewers love and other viewers hate and a few both love and hate about what we call "art films." This film is very "artsy" by being highly original in its concept, moody and atmospheric, and developing its characters creatively, while using very little dialog and providing very little plot. It is mainly a two-character film (a few others come and go) filmed in black-and-white. It establishes a pervasive feeling of alienation and angst and then milks that feeling for three hours. For viewers who can get into a moody, slow-moving buddy film and who can cherish the sense of freedom of the open road, you'll rarely find a more exhilarating film. For others, it will all feel like a tedious waste of time.

Historical Background: Wim Wenders was part of the resurgence of German cinema after World War II. He became identified with the so-called New German Cinema that emerged in the late sixties and flourished during the seventies and early eighties. Kings of the Road was one of the seminal films of the movement and the one that first brought Wenders to international attention. It followed on the heels of Alice in the Cities (1974) and was, in turn, followed by The American Friend (1977). Today, Wenders is best known for the film Wings of Desire (1987), which earned him the Best Director award at Cannes. Many critics feel that Wenders' output after that film has not matched the level of quality of his early films. His best films from the nineties are Until the End of the World (1991), written by an Australian writer Peter Carey, and Buena Vista Social Club (1999). Most films directed by Wenders since 1980 are in English and made in America. Many of his films feature rock music. Wenders has maintained some of his European sensibility, which means, among other things, a contemplative and visual style that relegates narrative to a subordinate role. That is certainly the case with Kings of the Road.

The Story: Bruno Winter (Rüdiger Volger) is a traveling repairman for movie house projectors, working in Germany. He lives in his large truck, driving from one small town movie house to another. At night, he parks in remote fields or along beaches. One morning, while he is shaving in the cab of his truck, he sees a Volkswagen speed by and drive straight into the Elbe River (which, at the time, formed a natural segment of the border between East and West Germany). Viewers have already met the driver of the Volkswagen – Robert Lander (Hanns Zischler). He's been driving recklessly for several miles through small villages and along country roads, presumably courting death. In one hand, he holds a picture of a loved one, tearing it into pieces just before his plunge into the Elbe. Obviously, this is a man intent on suicide who has not thought too deeply about how to accomplish it.

Robert soon discovers what we all knew in the sixties and seventies – Volkswagens float, for a while, at least. He finds himself very much alive as his vehicle slowly fills with water and is forced to beat a hasty retreat, with one suitcase, out through the moonroof window. Bruno, who has watched all of this with considerable amusement, offers Robert dry clothes and a ride. Thus begins a road odyssey that will take this pair from town to town, as Bruno tends to his job.

Neither Bruno nor Robert is a talker. Bruno is an earthy, working class kind of guy, handsome and rugged. Robert is a bit more sophisticated and educated, but equally reticent. It is hours before they even get around to introducing themselves to one another. Robert is a pediatrician and fresh off a break-up with his wife. Both are men who are comfortable with silence, both lost in their own respective thoughts and dreams.

Since there is precious little plot to this film, it would seem unfair to give away too much of what little there is. I'll briefly mention three vignettes. In one small town, Bruno and Robert encounter a theater full of expectant children, growing restless as they await a show that cannot take place until Bruno completes repairs on the projector. They've already been waiting a half-hour and that's about as long as children can last before becoming unruly. The repairs, however, are not near completion. Robert, presumably drawing on his years of experience as a pediatrician, gets an idea. He cranks up the backlighting behind the screen where the two men are working and begins performing pantomime antics, with his shadow cast on the screen. The children are highly amused and Bruno soon joins in.

In another touching vignette, as they camp along a roadside, Robert encounters a man (Marquard Bohm) who is distraught, having just lost his wife. She had become disconsolate and had driven intentionally into a tree, committing suicide. The man is waiting until the wrecked car is towed away, but begs Robert and Bruno to let him stay with them in the truck, in the meantime, so that he won't have to look anymore at the wreck that killed his wife.

One other revealing scene involves Robert and his father (Rudolf Schündler). Robert goes off on his own, for a while, to visit his father and take care of some "unfinished business." Robert's father, a publisher of a small town newspaper, was apparently something of a motor-mouth – one of those people who enjoys talking so much that those around him can't get a word in edgewise. This probably accounts for Robert's introversion and reticence, but it certainly has left him with resentment toward the old man. He surprises his father, who hasn't seen him in ten years, and demands that the old man not speak or else he'll leave immediately. Robert then does the speaking, except that the words come out at a snail's pace.

Themes: The primary theme is the barriers to human communication that result in a sense of isolation and alienation. The issue emerges through the relationship between Bruno and Robert, but also in the subplots, such as the man whose wife committed suicide after her threat to do so was shrugged off by the police. A variant of the issue is further developed through Robert's relationship with his father, where we observe that talking too much can also be a deterrent to real communication. That point is also made through the many examples of inculcation of American culture into Germany (and the rest of Europe), which sometimes generates resentment and anti-Americanism, as though America were "talking too much." The alienation issue is also implicit in the division of Germany into East and West that existed at the time this film was made. Bruno and Robert manage to forge a friendship even without the benefit of much verbal exchange, building on a natural, subliminal comfort with one another.

The secondary theme is the deterioration of the German film industry in the aftermath of World War II. Many of the small town cinemas went out of business because large conglomerates gained control of film distribution. Increasing fees necessitated larger audiences per showing. At the same time, competition from Hollywood imports stifled the German film production industry. The many broken projectors are suggestive of the dilapidated state of German cinema at the time.

Production Values: It is amazing how much Wenders accomplishes in this film by way of character exposition with next to no dialog, especially for the two principal characters. I suspect that the minor characters, despite having relatively little screen time, actually have more lines of dialog than do Volger and Zischler. We nevertheless learn about these two wayfaring individuals by their mannerisms, their facial expressions, their daily routines, and even their periods of silence. This is a classic road film except that the journey has neither beginning nor end. Both characters are already on the road as the film opens and continue on their respective journeys as it ends.

Kings of the Road is filmed in what's called "real-time." We see the two characters, especially Bruno, engaged in daily rituals, including shaving, defecating in one instance, making up beds, dressing and undressing, watching scenery pass by, tracking down meals, or listening to music (American rock). Most of the takes are very long, unbroken shots. This filming tactic is both what gives the film its mood and realism and what makes it slow-paced at times. The film is shot entirely in natural lighting.

The two lead actors deliver their parts with an infectious bonhomie. Since we often judge actors in large measure by their delivery of lines, it is harder, in a way, to assess Volger and Zischler, who have precious little to say over three hours. Nevertheless, one can't over-praise the nonverbal aspects of their performances, which have to carry the weight of the film. Rüdiger Volger was a regular in Wenders' films. His other credits include Alice in the Cities (1974), Marianne and Juliane (1981), and Until the End of the World (1991). Lisa Kreutzer, who played Pauline, a cashier with whom Bruno flirts at one of the theaters, also appeared in The American Friend (1977).

Bottom-Line: For me personally, this is a difficult kind of film to rate because my enjoyment of the film did not match my respect for the film. If I were to rate the film as an artwork, based on such issues as creativity, originality, cinematography, thematic depth, and performances, I'd have to give it five-stars. Based on enjoyment level, however, I can only give it four-stars. I have a pretty good tolerance for slow-paced art films, I think, but this one was a bit too lethargic and drawn out for me. Based on artistic merit, I would rate this film as the second best that I've seen by Wenders, after Wings of Desire. Nevetheless, I enjoyed both The American Friend and Paris, Texas more than Kings of the Road. I'm just not that much of a "buddy film" kind of guy. Kings of the Road is in German with English subtitles and has a running time of 176 minutes.


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You might want to check out these other excellent films from Germany:

The American Friend
Beyond Silence
The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant
The Blue Angel
Das Boot
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
Dr. Mabuse the Gambler
Fitzcarraldo
M
The Marriage of Maria Braun
Metropolis
The Nasty Girl
Nosferatu
Pandora's Box
Run Lola Run
Stalingrad
The Testament of Dr. Mabuse
Threepenny Opera
The Tin Drum
Wings of Desire
Zentropa

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age