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Original title: Welt am Draht
Country: Germany
Director: Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Genre: fiction, thriller, detective, drama
Premiere: October 14, 1973
Budget: 950 000 DEM
Running time: 205 minutes

Many fans of quality kinofantastiki certainly are familiar with the film "The Thirteenth Floor" Joseph Rusnak, who went into the rental time with the legendary "The Matrix" and remained at its background virtually unnoticed. Based on the original, the book of Daniel Francis Gelui "Simulakron-3", he narrated a very advanced simulator virtual reality, inhabited by programs that simulate human behavior with a high degree of similarity. Less well known is the fact that this film is the second adaptation of the novel Gelui. The first was shot in the distant 1973, under the leadership of director arthouse cinema of Rainer Fassbinder.

"World on a Wire" is little known outside of Germany. The reason was the lack of clarity in copyright, because of which the film has never had either on tape or on CD, or on DVD. Do not "roll of" it in cinemas, because originally was "locked up" under the TV format. But even on TV it showed very rare, and only the sale of copies to foreign channels and did it not go! So this two-part film - very ekoticheskaya bird in our area. Russian-speaking actors, Welt am Draht never made public. Find it could so far only on a torrent, at best, with the original voice acting and Russian subtitles. Fortunately, recently the situation with the right to permit, and February 18, 2010 scheduled release a double disc DVD-restored version of the picture. So far, only, again, in Germany. And before you know it, and a full Russian language edition coming soon!

Despite the commonality of the plot and the presence of similar plot turns, "World on a Wire" to "The Thirteenth Floor" is like very little. Hollywood version - is, first of all, genre cinema, it focused on action, detective line and dive into the characters they have created a virtual reality. The film is Fassbinder - Film copyright, not fettered genre framework, and therefore mass audience may seem rather dull spectacle. His characters are not worn one after another, brandishing pistols, and most screen time are intimate conversations among themselves. The main character moves Simulakron only twice, and then only for a short time. Dialogues, actor and game hanging in the air the question "What is happening?" - These are three pillars on which rests "World on a Wire. For them it is definitely worth watching.

Institute of Cybernetics and futurology has created a revolutionary supercomputer - Simulakron, with which you can simulate entire worlds and populate them with artificial persons. Triumph scientists darkened the sudden death of the technical director of the Institute Henri Follmera and strange disappearance security chief, Gunter Lausen. Last literally melted in air at a party where he saw a lot of people! The new director of the Institute, Fred Sztyller trying to understand what happened, but suddenly encountered a new problem: no one remembers the existence of Lausen, and generally more than five years, his position is entirely different person!

Around the emotional ravings of Fred Sztyller and built the whole story. Klaus Levich, who played his role brilliantly managed to pass the state and the emotions of a man caught in a very delicate situation: either he was crazy, or, conversely, all flocking round the reel? Other actors of his game as something not particularly impressive, but one Levich more than compensate inexpressiveness all others. However, as any emotion can be expected from people who play the officials, academics and businessmen in their normal working environment?

Fassbinder film is also interesting that not only concentrates on one technical aspect of the theme of virtual reality, but also affects the philosophical aspects of the human mind and attitude. Together with an intricate plot, which, in addition to a global Mystery, a place, and social, and romantic component, viewers are introduced to a very curious glances of the ancient Greek philosophers. And one of the scenes and did a five-point illustration of Plato's doctrine of "ideas".

From today's perspective is quite interesting and looks even more reluctant Fred Sztyller Simulakron exploit for commercial purposes. The protagonist of "thirteenth floor" worked in a computer corporation, so there is the question: to sell or not the results of their labor, not even standing. Here the action takes place in public institutions. And according to its creators, Simulakron must be used exclusively for the benefit of society, but does not serve the interests of a narrow group of individuals. Such is the theme of troubled director and society in the seventies of last century.

Against the backdrop of modern science fiction films, literally saturated the action, "World on a Wire" stands out for its ordinariness and this, perhaps, it seems even more convincing. See it is if only so that he is the first in the history of cinema film about virtual reality. In Fassbinder filmography as he also occupies a unique place - it is his only painting in the genre of science fiction with elements of social drama.