Ende’s reservations aside, what ultimately makes The NeverEnding Story an enduring classic is its ability to dovetail fantasy and escapism with themes of childhood grief and the ‘nothing’ of death. Wolfgang Petersen’s The NeverEnding Story, starring Noah Hathaway and Barret Oliver, is available to rent, buy and stream.
As a seven-year-old watching The NeverEnding Story for the first time at my local Granada Cinema in 1984, I was swept away by the film’s fantasy and imagination. But my lasting memory remained Artax, being sucked into the swamp of sadness, and I know I am not the only one to have been traumatised by those fateful events. However, as a child, this sadness was coupled with awe, wonder, and a delicate first crush on the young Noah Hathaway. It wasn’t until later that The NeverEnding Story’s more prominent themes jumped off the screen as I revisited Fantasia, and the fantasy gave way to a complex, deep, and fantastical exploration of death, childhood grief, and recovery.
Based on Michael Ende’s book Die unendliche Geschichte, first published in 1979, Ende puts an outcast boy grieving his mother’s death at the centre of his expansive fantasy world. The book’s first half explores the fantastical land of Fantasia as read by Bastian, while the second half explores Bastian’s quest to give the ‘Childlike Empress’ a new name. Ende’s novel received worldwide praise upon its release as he seamlessly combined childhood imagination with adventure and sorrow. Eventually, Ende would sell the film rights to Constantin Films, a West German production company.
The NeverEnding Story would soon enter into a producing partnership with Bernd Eichinger and Dieter Giessler, with Wolfgang Petersen joining as director. However, nobody at the time could have envisioned The NeverEnding Story becoming a financial headache as significant as an Ivory Tower for Constantin Film. Principal photography would take place at Bavaria Studios in Munich, with location shots in Vancouver.
Casting would bring together Battlestar Galactica’s Noah Hathaway and the relative newcomer Barret Oliver. Upon its 1984 release, The NeverEnding Story performed well, with box-office takings in Germany, the UK, and the US exceeding expectations. However, the book’s author remained highly critical of the final film, reportedly saying it revolted him. But let’s face it, Ende won’t be the first or the last author to have significant misgivings about a movie adaptation of their literary work. Ende’s reservations aside, what ultimately makes The NeverEnding Story an enduring classic is its ability to dovetail fantasy and escapism with themes of childhood grief and the ‘nothing’ of death.
The opening scenes of Peterson’s film firmly establish that Bastian is a little boy lost in fear and grief. Yet Bastian’s father offers little love or support as he coldly tells Bastian he must move on from his mum’s death and improve at school. These scenes remain incredibly hard to watch even now. For Bastian, his only real escape from the emotions surrounding him is literature, as books open a world where he can become someone else and forget the pain he carries. This is a daily reality for many kids suffering from bullying, loss, or segregation.
After escaping local bullies in an old bookshop, Bastian is encouraged by the owner to borrow The NeverEnding Story. Here, the bookseller clearly understands Bastian’s isolation, fear, and pain, while also recognising literature’s power in instigating change. Bastian takes the book and skips lessons to read it, using his school’s attic to begin his journey into Fantasia – the safety and isolation of the room masking its barren and scary atmosphere, a reflection of Bastian’s inner fear and emptiness.
As Bastian enters the world of Fantasia, he finds it threatened by a dark, creeping presence called ‘the nothing.’ This mysterious entity slowly consumes everything in its path, leading to despair, loss, and suffering. The ‘nothingness’ symbolises the grief consuming Bastian, a psychological condition called anhedonia. The feelings this condition creates lead to a sense of numbness and disconnect from the world, feelings anyone who has lost a loved one, friend or partner can easily relate to. However, these feelings can be particularly challenging for young people, as expressing internal emotions can feel confusing and scary. In The NeverEnding Story, ‘the nothing’ is Bastian’s inner soul.
As ‘the nothing’ gobbles up Bastian’s fantasy world, the only hope resides in the Childlike Empress, a young girl who is Fantasia’s heart and soul. Here, we have a symbolic mother figure in a child’s clothing. For example, look at our young princess’s symbol, the Auryn. In ancient Ouroboros culture, these two snakes were entwined to form a figure-eight, representing the interconnectedness of birth, life, and death. The Childlike Empress is Fantasia’s mother; her role is both creator and caregiver. Meanwhile, our young warrior Atreyu is the boy Bastian wishes he could be – a brave young warrior who must fight ‘the nothing’ and save the mother of Fantasia from death. Even Atreyu’s white horse symbolises death, wisdom and faith in numerous religions and cultures.
One of the first challenges our young warrior must overcome is the death of Artax (his horse) in the swamp of sadness. This scene has haunted most kids since their first viewing, and it’s easy to see why. The death of Artax is embedded in a truth we struggle to accept as kids: no matter how much we fight, death is unavoidable. The swamp represents the sadness and despair of this reality, sucking any creature under its muddy quilt who cannot rise above the sorrow. Here, Atreyu conquers the swamp’s pain and takes Bastian a step toward recovery. Artax’s death becomes a vehicle for Bastian to explore his own grief and his need to escape sadness through Atreyu.
On escaping the swamp of sadness, Atreyu meets Morla, the wise and ancient. However, the meeting offers Atreyu little hope, as he discovers a creature who doesn’t listen or care. Moria reflects a world where adults often dismiss children’s emotional pain with phrases such as “Don’t worry about it”, “Everything will be just fine”, and “You need to grow up”. Morla is Bastian’s father, transformed into a turtle, so consumed by their own loss that they can’t see the wounded child in front of them. But all is not lost, as the slightly creepy but well-meaning Falkor arrives, and Atreyu finds his guide and counsellor. Falkor’s character is derived from the ancient Japanese ‘Fukuryū’ or Luck Dragon. His arrival represents the calm and assured wisdom of an adult who will listen, a mentor and counsellor on the journey ahead.
Throughout the film, the G’mork pursue Atreyu, a giant black wolf intent on ensuring ‘the nothing’ does its work in destroying Fantasia. Once again, the film uses ancient symbols to convey deeper messages within its narrative. G’mork never hurts Atreyu; aside from a large scratch in the final battle, his presence signals fear and apprehension more than threat. However, his arrival is rooted in ancient Norse mythology, where the ‘Fenrir’, or son of Odin, takes the form of a black wolf, representing the end of times and death. In The NeverEnding Story, G’mork is the physical representation of death and ‘the nothing’ of grief, with each feeding off the other in the never-ending cycle of life and death.
As we near our journey’s end, Bastian must join the story in helping Atreyu complete his task of rebuilding a broken Fantasia. The NeverEnding Story reflects the cycle of loss, love, endings, and beginnings through Bastian’s final journey. As Bastian renames the Childlike Empress while thinking about his mother, he finally accepts his mum’s death while realising that her memory lives forever inside him. As we leave Fantasia, Bastian learns that life and death are simply part of one big, never-ending story as the light of life replaces the darkness of loss.
Director: Wolfgang Petersen
Cast: Noah Hathaway, Barret Oliver, Tami Stronach, Patricia Hayes, Sydney Bromley
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