Directed by Wolfgang Peterson, who had just finished directing "Das Boot," this film was a German production with some actors performing in English, and some in German. It was filmed in Germany in a studio and was released in 1984. At the time it was the most expensive film production outside of the US or the Soviet Union. It is based on the book by Michael Ende, which tells more of a story than the initial film.The story told in the film is about a boy whose mom has passed recently, and he is bullied at school. He is a bookworm, and his name is Bastian. While being chased on his way to school one day, he runs into a bookstore to hide. There he borrows the book that the bookseller is reading - because he is told that most books you enjoy, but this one you become part of the story. He is late getting to school and so skips class and hides in.... some closet with a key that leads to a multilevel attic of some sort. He stays there and reads the book all night... which I find troubling. The book is named "The Neverending Story" and tells the story of a place named Fantasia what is being overrun by The Nothing. They need a hero to save them so Atreyu comes to the rescue and is sent on a quest to find a human child to rename the Childlike Empress (the actual name of the character).
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I remember liking this film when it came out - I was a bit older than the intended audience probably as I was in High School. But I thought it was fun, and the title song was great! That being written... it did not hold up for me. For example, the film starts with Bastian being told by his father that he has to keep his feet on the ground and focus on school. Yet when he skips class, and stays hidden in the school all night long (on what seems to be a very stormy night), there is no hint of teachers looking for him, his dad looking for him, or even the bullies looking for him. what? I felt that some of the acting was mainly yelling to get an emotion across but that could be chalked up to working in a different language from the director, and children acting. However, towards the end of the film a word is yelled out that I could not understand - and yet it should have been an important word/moment. Finally, at the end when Bastian can wish for anything, one thing he wishes for is revenge on his bullies by chasing them down a street and into a dumpster. Again... that is the triumphant ending to this? Revenge?
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The theme of the film is great. Fantasia is being eaten up by The Nothing because people don't believe in it. It is about the decay of imagination and fantasy in life, and how reading, and creativity is important. The author of the book was not happy with the film because he said it only really told the story of the first half of the book, and did not really show the correct theme. This makes me want to read the book and see what the real theme of the book is. Plus I find these sorts of stories to be interesting writing. Like "The Princess Bride" - is the written book also broken up by interruptions by the child it is being read to? Considering how much the reader (Bastian in the film) is affecting the world of Fantasia, how does that come across in the written word? I'm intrigued...
If you haven't seen the film, you should. It is charming and while certainly aimed toward a certain audience, I think it will be enjoyable.
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