Missoula News

"Don't Come Knocking" Montana Film Premiere

Wim Wenders Earns His Belt Buckle in Butte

By Contributing Writer, 3-26-06

Wim Wenders steps out of local architect Bob Corbett's so-called Mirrormobile, which is featured in "Don't Come Knocking."

Photo by Glenn Bodish.

By Seonaid Campbell

Friday night in Butte Wim Wenders showed me his belt buckle. It was impressive. Styled like that of a rodeo cowboy, it complemented the tall, German filmmaker's Berlin-meets-Butte get-up of black pants, black boots, gray-striped shirt bound by a silver and black onyx bolo tie, and black knee-length overcoat. The buckle read, "Don't Come Knocking…if this trailer's rocking."

"Don't Come Knocking" is the title of Wenders' latest film (Read the New West review here), which was set and filmed in the Mining City. And the Finlen Hotel in uptown Butte was rocking Friday night as the filmmaker and local VIPs gathered to celebrate the film's premiere at the Mother Lode Theater. Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres were provided by Bresnan Communications and Starz, and although Wenders was drinking cranberry juice -- "I have to speak in public," he told me -- he stood patiently as person after person approached him to pose a question, praise the filmmaker, or testify to this or that aspect of the town.

"I think they will like it," Wenders said in anticipation of the home crowd's response to his movie. "They will recognize their city."

Butte native and former Montana Congressman, Pat Williams, thought otherwise. "I don't think people will like it because people here see the landscape and the story as inseparable, but this is not a Butte story." Pat's son Griff had seen the film at the Sundance Film Festival upon invitation of Sam Shepard, the film's star and writer.

Sam and Wim conspired to set the film in Butte. Both share a fascination with the West, and Wenders, who grew up in a small mining town in Germany, first came to Butte in 1978 with the intent of making into film Dashiell Hammett's book "Red Harvest," which Hammett had based on his experience as a Pinkerton agent in Butte. The town resonates with Wenders. "It's my favorite place in America," he said.

At the VIP party both before and after the film, Wenders seemed like an adopted local, discussing the M&M -- "I ate there this morning." -- and the town: "There's not a road I've not driven down." He listened as folks boasted about their Irish heritage. Wenders has none. And when it came time to go to the première he waited patiently with the crowd as they piled into trolley-like busses to be delivered to the theater.

Wenders, instead, was a vision in glass, driven to the red carpet in local architect Bob Corbett's so-called Mirrormobile -- a mirror-covered 1970 Oldsmobile, which appears in the film. Wim was as cool as could be. Whatever the locals might think of his film, he had won their affection. He had earned his belt buckle.

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