Land of Plenty

Last updated

Land of Plenty
Land of plenty.jpg
German release poster
Directed by Wim Wenders
Written by Michael Meredith
Wim Wenders
Story byWim Wenders
Scott Derrickson
Produced by In-Ah Lee
Samson Mucke
Gary Winick
Starring Michelle Williams
John Diehl
CinematographyFranz Lustig
Edited byMoritz Laube
Music by Die Toten Hosen
TV Smith
Thom & Nackt
Distributed by IFC Films
Release date
Running time
123 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Land of Plenty is a 2004 American drama film directed by Wim Wenders starring Michelle Williams and John Diehl. [2]

Contents

The title of the film comes from the song "The Land of Plenty" from the album Ten New Songs , written by Leonard Cohen and Sharon Robinson, which was used in the film. The film was Gloria Stuart's last screen appearance before her death in 2010. [3]

Plot

The film presents a view of the post-9/11 United States as seen through the eyes of Lana, an American girl who has lived in Africa and the Middle East for years with her missionary parents. She is returning from a long trip to the West Bank. In Los Angeles, she works at a homeless mission and looks up her only living relative in the US, her late mother's brother, Paul. He is a traumatized Vietnam veteran who drives around filming and spying on Arabs or people with Arab features in the belief that most, if not all are planning terrorist acts on US soil. Lana, in contrast, leans toward anti-war convictions and has been changed by her experiences abroad, so feels outside American culture.

Having first-hand knowledge of the Middle East and Africa, she sees similarities between the slums of Los Angeles and those of the Third World. After she and Paul see the murder of a young Pakistani outside the mission, they take his body to his family. Their road trip offers Paul a different view of Muslim home life. Over the course of the film, Paul and Lana learn more about each other.

Cast

Production

Of the idea for the film, Wim Wenders said it "originated with the fundamentalist Christianity of the Bush era. From the anger that Christianity has been so perverted and used in so a perfidious manner for political interests. As a Christian, I know no other option except to be against war and to have solidarity with the poor". [4] He added, "My film…addresses the underbelly of poverty in the United States, and specifically in Hollywood – not only the entertainment capital of the world, but also an unacknowledged capital of hunger. Poverty was not the main subject of the film, but more of a backdrop to a film that tried to deal with the post-9/11 trauma in the US. The two issues are linked, of course…The problem is that the social net in America has too many holes that people can fall through; they end up abandoned, lost and without hope, which is even more tragic if you think about the country's wealth and its very own ideals of brotherhood and equality." [5]

The film was shot in 16 days using digital cameras. [4]

In the United States, the film was distributed by IFC Films. [6]

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 63% based on 27 reviews, with an average rating of 6.1/10. [7] Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 62 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [8]

Kevin Thomas of Los Angeles Times said, "Hampered by an ending that overreaches needlessly, the film is nevertheless worthy and unmistakably the effort of an enduringly distinctive and important filmmaker." [9] Leslie Felperin of Variety praised Michelle Williams' performance, saying, "Engaging perfs keep its motor running, with Williams in particular charming and convincing as a politically engaged humanist." [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wim Wenders</span> German filmmaker (born 1945)

Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders is a German filmmaker and author, who is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among the honors he has received are prizes from the Cannes, Venice, and Berlin film festivals. He has also received a BAFTA Award and been nominated for three Academy Awards and a Grammy Award.

<i>Wings of Desire</i> 1987 film by Wim Wenders

Wings of Desire is a 1987 romantic fantasy film written by Wim Wenders, Peter Handke and Richard Reitinger, and directed by Wenders. The film is about invisible, immortal angels who populate Berlin and listen to the thoughts of its human inhabitants, comforting the distressed. Even though the city is densely populated, many of the people are isolated or estranged from their loved ones. One of the angels, played by Bruno Ganz, falls in love with a beautiful, lonely trapeze artist, played by Solveig Dommartin. The angel chooses to become mortal so that he can experience human sensory pleasures, ranging from enjoying food to touching a loved one, and so that he can discover human love with the trapeze artist.

<i>City of Angels</i> (film) 1998 film by Brad Silberling

City of Angels is a 1998 American romantic fantasy film directed by Brad Silberling and starring Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan. Set in Los Angeles, California, the film is a loose remake of Wim Wenders's 1987 film Wings of Desire. As with the original, City of Angels tells the story of an angel (Cage) who falls in love with a mortal woman (Ryan), and wishes to become human to be with her. With the guidance of a man who has already made the transition from immortality, the angel falls and begins the human experience.

<i>Paris, Texas</i> (film) 1984 film by Wim Wenders

Paris, Texas is a 1984 neo-Western drama road film directed by Wim Wenders, co-written by Sam Shepard and L. M. Kit Carson, and produced by Don Guest. It stars Harry Dean Stanton, Nastassja Kinski, Dean Stockwell, Aurore Clément, and Hunter Carson. In the film, disheveled recluse Travis Henderson (Stanton) reunites with his brother Walt (Stockwell) and son Hunter (Carson). Travis and Hunter embark on a trip through the American Southwest to track down Travis's missing wife, Jane (Kinski).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gloria Stuart</span> American actress and painter (1910–2010)

Gloria Frances Stuart was an American actress, visual artist, and activist. She was known for her roles in pre-code films, and garnered renewed fame late in life for her portrayal of Rose Dawson Calvert in James Cameron's epic romance Titanic (1997), one of the highest-grossing films of all time. Her performance in the film won her a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role and earned her nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture.

<i>Risky Business</i> 1983 film by Paul Brickman

Risky Business is a 1983 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written and directed by Paul Brickman and starring Tom Cruise and Rebecca De Mornay. It follows the sexual exploits of high school senior Joel Goodsen (Cruise), who is staying home alone during his parents' vacation trip and meets a call girl named Lana. The film is considered to be Cruise's breakout role.

<i>Air America</i> (film) 1990 film by Roger Spottiswoode

Air America is a 1990 American action comedy film directed by Roger Spottiswoode and starring Mel Gibson and Robert Downey Jr. as Air America pilots flying missions in Laos during the Vietnam War. When the protagonists discover their aircraft is being used by government agents to smuggle heroin, they must avoid being framed as the drug-smugglers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michelle Williams (actress)</span> American actress

Michelle Ingrid Williams is an American actress. Known primarily for starring in small-scale independent films with dark or tragic themes, she has received various accolades, including two Golden Globe Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award, in addition to nominations for five Academy Awards and a Tony Award.

<i>The Grudge</i> 2004 American film by Takashi Shimizu

The Grudge is a 2004 American supernatural horror film directed by Takashi Shimizu, written by Stephen Susco, and produced by Sam Raimi, Robert Tapert, and Takashige Ichise. A remake of Shimizu's 2002 Japanese horror film Ju-On: The Grudge, it is the first installment in The Grudge film series. It stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jason Behr, KaDee Strickland, Clea DuVall, and Bill Pullman. Takako Fuji, Yuya Ozeki, and Takashi Matsuyama portray the characters Kayako Saeki, Toshio Saeki, and Takeo Saeki from the original films. The plot is told through a nonlinear sequence of events and includes several intersecting subplots.

<i>The Million Dollar Hotel</i> 2000 American film

The Million Dollar Hotel is a 2000 drama film based on a concept story by Bono and Nicholas Klein, directed by Wim Wenders, and starring Jeremy Davies, Milla Jovovich, and Mel Gibson. The film features music by U2 and various musicians that was released on the soundtrack, The Million Dollar Hotel: Music from the Motion Picture.

<i>They Drive by Night</i> 1940 film by Raoul Walsh

They Drive by Night is a 1940 American film noir directed by Raoul Walsh and starring George Raft, Ann Sheridan, Ida Lupino, and Humphrey Bogart, and featuring Gale Page, Alan Hale, Roscoe Karns, John Litel and George Tobias. The picture involves a pair of embattled truck drivers and was released in the UK under the title The Road to Frisco. The film was based on A. I. Bezzerides' 1938 novel Long Haul, which was later reprinted under the title They Drive by Night to capitalize on the success of the film.

John Henry Diehl is an American character actor. Noted for his work in avant-garde theater, Diehl has performed in more than 140 films and television shows, including Land of Plenty, Stripes, City Limits, Nixon, Jurassic Park III and the TV series Miami Vice, The Shield, and Point Pleasant.

In-Ah Lee is a German film producer based in Los Angeles, California.

Michael Shane Meredith is an American independent film director, screenwriter and producer. He frequently collaborates with German director Wim Wenders. Meredith is the son of the late former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and football commentator Don Meredith. He was the oldest of two children from Don Meredith's second marriage to the artist Cheryl King.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angela Greene</span> Irish actress (1921–1978)

Angela Katherine Greene was an Irish-American actress.

<i>Every Thing Will Be Fine</i> 2015 film

Every Thing Will Be Fine is a 2015 German-Canadian-Swedish drama film directed by Wim Wenders, written by Bjørn Olaf Johannessen and produced in 3D. It is Wenders’ first full-length dramatic feature in seven years. The film stars James Franco, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Rachel McAdams and Marie-Josée Croze. It premiered out of competition on February 10, 2015 at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival. The film made its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2015. It was released in the United States in a limited release and through video on demand by IFC Films on December 4, 2015.

<i>Certain Women</i> (film) 2016 American drama film by Kelly Reichardt

Certain Women is a 2016 American drama film edited, written, and directed by Kelly Reichardt. Based on "Native Sandstone", "Travis, B." and "Tome"—three short stories from Maile Meloy's collections Half in Love and Both Ways Is the Only Way I Want It—it stars Laura Dern, Kristen Stewart, Michelle Williams, Lily Gladstone, James Le Gros, and Jared Harris.

<i>Submergence</i> (film) 2017 film by Wim Wenders

Submergence is a 2017 romantic thriller film directed by Wim Wenders, based on the novel with the same name by J. M. Ledgard. The film stars Alicia Vikander and James McAvoy. The film premiered at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival. The story revolves around the characters' individual professional missions and flashbacks to their romance on the coast of Normandy.

<i>The Last Thing He Wanted</i> (film) 2020 film

The Last Thing He Wanted is a 2020 political thriller film directed by Dee Rees, based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Joan Didion, from a screenplay by Rees and Marco Villalobos. The film stars Anne Hathaway, Ben Affleck, Rosie Perez, Edi Gathegi, Mel Rodriguez, Toby Jones, and Willem Dafoe.

References

  1. ↑ "Land of Plenty". Wim Wenders Foundation. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  2. ↑ Scott, A. O. (October 12, 2005). "A Desire to Heal the Rifts in a Troubled Landscape" . The New York Times . Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  3. ↑ Harmetz, Aljean; Berkvist, Robert (September 27, 2010). "Gloria Stuart, an Actress Rediscovered Late, Dies at 100". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved May 24, 2021.
  4. 1 2 "Attacking the "Land of Plenty"". dw.com. October 12, 2004. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  5. ↑ Satterlee, Saundra (March 11, 2008). "A look back with Wim Wenders". The Guardian . Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  6. ↑ Gonzalez, Ed (October 8, 2005). "Review: Land of Plenty". Slant Magazine. Retrieved January 5, 2023.
  7. ↑ "Land of Plenty". Rotten Tomatoes . Flixster . Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Land of Plenty". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  9. ↑ Thomas, Kevin (November 11, 2005). "Getting left behind in 'Land of Plenty'". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  10. ↑ Felperin, Leslie (September 14, 2004). "Land of Plenty". Variety . Retrieved November 15, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.