Palermo Shooting is a 2008 film written and directed by German director Wim Wenders, and starring Campino, Dennis Hopper, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Lou Reed in his final feature film appearance, and an uncredited Milla Jovovich, also playing herself. It was screened at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.

Palermo Shooting
German DVD cover
Directed byWim Wenders
Written byWim Wenders
Norman Ohler
Bernd Lange
Produced byGian-Piero Ringel
Wim Wenders
StarringCampino
Giovanna Mezzogiorno
Dennis Hopper
CinematographyFranz Lustig
Edited byPeter Przygodda
Oli Weiss
Music byIrmin Schmidt
Production
company
Distributed bySenator Film
Release dates
  • 24 May 2008 (2008-05-24) (Cannes)
  • 20 November 2008 (2008-11-20) (Germany)
Running time
124 minutes
CountriesGermany
France
Italy
LanguagesGerman
English
Italian

Plot

edit

A German photographer named Finn (Campino) comes to Palermo because he needs to make a clean break from his past. In the city, he meets a young woman named Flavia (Giovanna Mezzogiorno) and a completely different way of life.

Cast

edit

Production

edit

The is the first film directed by Wenders in his hometown, Düsseldorf.[1] Filming also took place in the nearby cities of Essen and Neuss as well as in Palermo and other areas of Sicily.

Soundtrack

edit

The film's original soundtrack includes songs from Beirut, Jason Collett, Portishead, Calexico, and Iron & Wine. It also features exclusive tracks from Grinderman, Bonnie Prince Billy, Matt Sweeney, and Sibylle Baier.[2]

No.TitleArtist(s)Length
1."Dream (Song for Finn)"Grinderman4:06
2."Busy Hope"Get Well Soon3:11
3."The Rip"Portishead4:29
4."Bei Flavia I"Irmin Schmidt1:32
5."Freedom Hangs Like Heaven"Iron & Wine3:59
6."It's a Departure"The Long Winters3:04
7."The Black Light"Calexico3:21
8."Some Kinda Love"The Velvet Underground3:39
9."Beds in the East"Thom4:19
10."Fresko"Irmin Schmidt3:33
11."Postcards from Italy"Beirut4:16
12."Quello Che Non Ho"Fabrizio De André5:06
13."We All Lose One Another"Jason Collett4:20
14."Torn and Brayed"Bonnie Prince Billy & Matt Sweeney3:19
15."My Impropriety"Monta3:51
16."Let Us Know"Sibylle Baier3:02
17."Bei Flavia II"Irmin Schmidt1:39
18."Quannu Moru"Rosa Balistreri3:04
19."Song for Frank"Grinderman3:14
20."Mysteries"Beth Gibbons & Rustin' Man4:38
21."Good Friday"Get Well Soon4:45

Release

edit
 
Hopper, Mezzogiorno, Wenders, and Jovovich at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.

On 24 May 2008, the film was screened at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival.[3]

The film was released in Germany on 20 November 2008. The film had its U.S. premiere on 20 January 2009 at the Berlin and Beyond film festival at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco.

The closing titles contain a dedication to two directors who died on the same day, July 30, 2007, Ingmar Bergman and Michelangelo Antonioni, while filming was ongoing.

Reception

edit

Peter Brunette of The Hollywood Reporter states, "Every time the film goes philosophical on us, the resulting dialogue is sententious and banal."[4] Todd McCarthy of Variety said, "Although she can’t save the film from its own silliness, Mezzogiorno does provide a gravity and legitimacy of her own, as her mesmerizing eyes and her excellent delivery in English make a dramatic highlight out of a monologue about a personal tragedy, as well as showing up Campino for the non-actor he is."[5]

At the 2009 Sofia International Film Festival, the film won the Bourgas Municipality prize.[6]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Press release" (PDF). Cannes Festival. Retrieved 30 November 2013.
  2. ^ Hughes, Josiah (31 July 2009). "Wim Wenders Gets Exclusive Tracks from Grinderman, Bonnie "Prince" Billy & Matt Sweeney for Palermo Shooting Soundtrack". Exclaim!. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  3. ^ "German director Wim Wenders (C) poses with US actor Dennis Hopper (L)". ABC News. 25 May 2008. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  4. ^ Brunette, Peter (23 May 2008). "The Palermo Shooting". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  5. ^ McCarthy, Todd (25 May 2008). "Palermo Shooting". Variety. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
  6. ^ ""The Voice of the Audience" – A Pallette of Various Cinematographies". Sofia International Film Festival. 30 March 2009. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
edit