World On A Wire (Welt am Draht) was shot in 16 mm, and originally made for German television- it first aired in 1973, as a two-part miniseries- with each part running around 105 minutes.  In its lead role Klaus Löwitsch stars as Dr Fred Stiller who works in the Cybernetics and Future Science Institute. He uncovers a chain of mysterious disappearances and deaths- which leads him to find that his department has a supercomputer hosting an artificial world with over 9,000 "identity units" who live as human beings, unaware that their world is just a simulation. Fairly soon he’s on the run from both the company & the government- as they try to silence him.

The films very much heady & thought-provoking Sci-Fi Drama/ mystery- and less about action & futuristic  visual feasts. Much of the films three hours & forty minute runtime is set inside ’60s & ’70s (then modern) office spaces, supercomputer rooms,  mirrored clubs & luxurious apartments- it’s very, very dialogue heavy- yet it never becomes dull or plodding, as Fassbinder has filmed & edged the whole thing with a feeling  of airless tension & sleekly cold proto futurism- this is enhanced by a most effective soundtrack that shifts from grand-yet- at times off-kilter strings,  brooding & sinister electronica, and very effective use of Fleetwood Mac’s Albatross. The whole thing is thick with paranoia, doubt & mistrust.  I guess if you’d compare it to something else I’d say very early Cronenberg films like Crimes of the Future or Stereo. The excellent though often forgotten 70’s BBC show 1990- which saw Edward Woodward as an investigative reporter in dystopian UK state in the future. Or maybe even the bleak tone of cigarette smoke bound paranoia found in both the original BBC adaptation of John Le Carré Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, & it’s excellent 2011 film version.

The film is presented as it was originally intended in two 105 minute parts- and each of these comes on its own disc. Moving onto to the picture quality & extras- firstly the scan here is acceptable enough for a TV production from the 1970s, so nothing spectacular but serviceable. Extras wise we get a forty-eight-minute documentary bringing together many of the production team, and actors behind the film- this is in German with subtitles, and for the most part is most interesting. Next, we get a twenty-minute interview with assistant director Renate Leiffer, an eight-minute a tribute to Peter Gauhe- who photograph & acted in many of Fassbinder films. A twenty-two-minute discussion on Simulation Argument by Professor Nick Bostrom, A seven-minute on-set feature, and a  recap that originally appeared before the second part was aired.

The set its self is presented in a hard slipcase- we get the two discs in a sleek looking black blu ray case. Then of course there’s the fifty-page book- this is perfectly bound affair taking in cast & crew listings, plenty of stills & behind the scene pictures. Also we four essays- two new ones from Anton Bitel & Daniel Bird, and two archive ones from Daniel Oberhaus & Christian Brood Thomsen- these run between three & nine minutes apiece, and each offers both interesting insights & background information.

After seeing some Of Fassbinder's more arty & difficult work you may think that the idea of a three hours & forty minute German Sci-Fi TV show with Subtitles, could be at trying if at times, possibly a little dull- but from it’s outset, till it’s dramatic finale your hooked by both the unfolding drama, the building tension, it’s ahead of its times concepts, and what is real & what isn’t. Second Sights presentation of World On A Wire is very classy, and if you enjoy thought provoking-yet- paranoid heavy & moody sci-fi I can recommend you pick this up