I’ve never had a strong urge to travel. I’m happy to, when we could, but never felt that strong wanderlust. Over the past two years though, I’ve fallen more and more in love with movies that travel. A certain type of arthouse vibe that’s not about sight seeing or having a good time. Usually it’s just about being loney, drifting and occasionally connecting. The Meetings Of Anna, In The White City, Kings Of The Road and now Radio On (1979). With Wim Wenders as an associate producer and key music featured being Kraftwerk and Bowie’s Berlin period, there’s a heavy German New Wave influence to this forgotten, debut movie directed by British writer turned filmmaker Christopher Petit. Britain is not known for known for being great road movie fodder and here in black-and-white cinematography, the experience of driving from the depressing urban landscape to the foggy countryside is not exactly about escape or release. Radio DJ Robert (David Beames, excellent) is already a silent, shiftless sort. When he hears that his brother has died, which is the opening sequence of the movie, taking in an empty apartment with a dead body in a bathtub while ‘Heroes’ plays on the soundtrack, Robert gets into his car and travels to Bristol for some answers. We hear songs often in full as we drive along the highways and country roads, though the sound mix alternates between being in the car and outside the car depending on the shots, so even listening to a song is never given a full consistent sonic experience. As with any other road movie, there are encounters – a ex-soldier hitchhiking, a German visitor (Lisa Kreuzer, Wender’s wife at the time), and even an Eddie Cochrane obsessed petrol pumper (Sting!) – and there’s an eventual end, though no real resolution. For some, this will be a boring movie where nothing happens. But I was really into its monochromatic mood and depressed vibe – visually, it feels like you’re seeing a sequence of beautiful photographs or flipping through a series of album covers. Great soundtrack – the opening credits give the songs featured more space and time than the cast and crew get – also featuring Robert Fripp, Ian Dury, Devo, Wreckless Eric and Lene Lovich. I purchased the Fun City Editions blu-ray but its also on Criterion Channel to view. Recommended.
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