World on a Wire (1973)

Editor's Note A scientist in charge of a project that could usher in a bold new era of technology begins experiencing signs of mental illness that may indicate the onset of schizophrenia, but could be the bold first step in merging man and machine in Rainer Werner Fassbinder's mind-bending sci-fi classic. The "Simulacron 1" project was designed by The Institute for Cybernetics and Futurology to predict the events of the future with uncanny accuracy. Though the benevolent scientists in charge of the project envision the "Simulacron 1" being used to improve living conditions for all the people of planet Earth, other, less altruistic people see it as a source of unparalleled power. The future of the project comes into question, however, when its mastermind, Professor Vollmer, dies unexpectedly. Attributing his death to suicide due to his strange behavior in recent weeks, institute head Herbert Siskins quickly places the capable Dr. Fred Stiller in charge of the project. But it isn't long before Dr. Stiller, too, begins to display signs of mental instability that seem to indicate the early stages of schizophrenia. Now, the deeper Dr. Stiller immerses himself in the project, the more he begins to see signs of life in the electronic 'identity units' of the "Simulacron 1." As the "identity units" begin to take on the appearance of someone he knows, the line between technology and humanity becomes indistinguishable.

	Rainer Werner Fassbinder - Screenwriter
	Margit Carstensen - Co-Star
	Ingrid Caven - Co-Star
	Peter Chatel - Co-Star
	Eddie Constantine - Co-Star
	Ivan Desny - Co-Star
	Liselotte Eder - Co-Star
	Joachim Hansen - Co-Star
	Gottfried John - Co-Star
	Elma Karlowa - Co-Star
	Christine Kaufman - Co-Star
	Peter Kern - Co-Star
	Gunter Lamprecht - Co-Star
	Rudolf Lenz - Co-Star
	Klaus Lowitsch - Co-Star
	Christiane Maybach - Co-Star
	Peter Moland - Co-Star
	El Hedi Ben Salem - Co-Star
	Karl Scheydt - Co-Star
	Barbara Valentin - Co-Star
	Ulli Lommel - Co-Star
	Magdalena Montezuma - Co-Star
	Kurt Raab - Co-Star
	Werner Schroeter - Co-Star
	Katrin Schaake - Co-Star
	Heinz Meier - Co-Star
	Rudolf Waldemar Brem - Co-Star
	Bruce Low - Co-Star
	Walter Sedlmayr - Co-Star
	Karl Heinz Vosgerau - Co-Star
	Michael Ballhaus - Director of Photography
	Rainer Werner Fassbinder - Director

Chicago Sun-Times
3 stars out of 4 -- "Fassbinder's camera massages his characters, gliding through elaborate spatial movements as if somehow their lives are connected in an occult way with the arrangements of space and time." 10/12/2011