I have seen "The Thirteenth Floor" (1999), but it's 16 years ago, so luckily I remembered next to nothing about the story, which in this instance, although I'm barely one to be put off by knowing what's going to happen, is certainly a plus. (They're based on the same novel, in case you're wondering what I'm talking about.) Fassbinder's adaptation of Daniel F. Galouye's novel "Simulacron–3" is certainly massive. Made for TV in 1973, it's in two parts that total a runtime of 205 minutes. But it is far from overlong, which says something since, when all's said and done, not that much happens. But what makes the film so entertaining is Fassbinder's total command of his craft, and that insatiable, sinuous sense for cinematic adventure that not only reflects but largely defines the narrative itself. The camera lurks behind objects, it's sometimes inescapably lost, reflections are used a lot. Fassbinder's repertoire is so varied it's amazing. The narrative pushes forward with relentless gusto and with appropriate predetermined sense of discovery.In a wonderfully exuberant filmography "World on a Wire" not only shines, it's actually one of the best sci-fis out there, a worthy companion to "2001: A Space Odyssey" (1968), Solaris (1972) and "Stalker" (1979). More modern fare that has explored nested realities in the mainstream, namely "The Matrix" (1999) and "Inception" (2010), will be a great deal more interesting because of this film.

This movie, made for TV in 1973 and consisting of two parts with a total length of more than three hours, certainly can seem a bit slow-going at times. However, there's so much internal tension in the slowly unfolding story that at the end, it doesn't feel too long or drawn-out at all. This is also thanks to the splendid performance by Klaus Löwitsch who convincingly plays the main character as a man who almost frantically tries to keep his guarded, restrained demeanour as his environment gets more and more puzzling and threatening. If we compare "World on a Wire" with the later adaptation "The Thirteenth Floor" which is based on the same book, the earlier film is a much more interesting experience - more layers, more depth, more interesting actors. Craig Bierko's interpretation of the main character in "The Thirteenth Floor" is not a tenth as interesting as Löwitsch's performance - I can't find the emotion in Bierko's "Douglas Hall" character, the self-doubt, the despair... it's all there in Löwitsch's "Fred Stiller". And "World on a Wire" isn't just a pioneering movie, it's also strangely timeless despite the prevalent seventies design. With the very clear, fine picture of the current DVD restoration it doesn't feel dated. It's a strange, half frozen world seemingly not entirely connected to reality - which of course fits the theme very well.

Welt am Draht may very well be ahead of its time story-wise on a philosophical level discussing aspects of the modern man vs. machine and maybe the totalitarian regime topics. The Matrix definitely borrows the best aspects of this movie.But if you take a look at the screenplay, timing, editing, acting, sound editing, visual effects and production design I have never seen a movie that looks so hopelessly outdated. Maybe that's the price for trying to make an ultra modern avantgardistic film, or it's just the result of trying to put too much (or too little) effort into a philosophical/intellectual sci-fi/action movie of 200 minutes.I'm sorry that I didn't find more positive aspects to point out, especially considering Rainer Werner Fassbinder reputation but all the mentioned downsides made the 2010 remastered DVD version nearly unwatchable for me.

First of all, this film is nearly impossible to get a grip on, but the upcoming Fassbinder DVD-Collection (Code 2!) hopefully includes this one. If you are fond of virtual reality stories (and capable of understanding the German language) you might want to look for a video-hunt. This film is truly fascinating, with a great cast of famous (and sometimes notorious...) German actors. It foreshadows everything about VR - because it is the first adaption of the novel "Simulacron", on which "13th Floor" is based as well. "Welt am Draht" is brilliantly shot by Michael Ballhaus and Ulrich Prinz. Although I am not a fan of Fassbinder's works, I really liked the eerie atmosphere and the hilarious 70's design.Rating 9/10!