Wings of Desire

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Summary: Brilliant poetry
Review: One of the best, most deeply spiritual films I've ever seen.

Rating:
Summary: An elegy to Berlin
Review: More appropriately titled Skies over Berlin, Wim Wender has created an elegy to the once divided city, as seen from the point of view of two angels. It is a beautiful film, so rich in imagery and so evocatively told. Wenders has never been able to quite match it in later works, although the theme continues to haunt him. One of the angels follows the troubled life of a trapeze artist as she contemplates her death. The film moves effortlessly between color and b&w as the view shifts from the angels' perspectives to that of the trapeze artist. Peter Falk gives a memorable performance as "Columbo," but it is Bruno Ganz' haunting performance that will remain in your mind for years to come. He captures all the empathy of the descending angel, searching out the trapeze artist now that he decides to live his life on earth. The sequel to this film, Far Away, So Close, provides a light hearted counterpoint to Wings of Desire.

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Summary: I can't see you but I know you're there...
Review: Where to begin... The film defies description. I could attempt a synopsis but I won't. Such an attempt would be futile and diminish this breathtaking adventure. I could try to touch on some of the themes; angels over the city of Berlin, the importance of storytellers, extra people, two halves, the deepest love, a fractured city and our fractured world, Berlin itself and The Wall, the Nazi past, longing, wholeness in solitude, fate, a greater power, a search for the past, childhood innocence, the presence of angels around us, love and the future, but I am sure that you will see many other themes that I have not mentioned.

Some facts about this film...It was begun as Wim Wender's tribute to Berlin. Filmed in 1987 before the fall of The Wall, it was almost entirely unscripted when production began, so the film evolved as it was being created. It is really interesting to see Berlin just before the fall of The Wall. The cinematography is magnificent. Alternating between BW and color, it takes on a dreamlike quality the is no less than stunning. Much dialog in the film is voice-over, adding to the other worldliness of it.

Additionally. the packaging is really worthwhile with neat extras. The menu page is even beautiful.

Now a disclaimer. Wings of Desire is not a Hollywood blockbuster that is going to hit you over the head with blatant scripting, plot progression and tidy resolutions. (And I am not blasting Hollywood.) It is a German film, in German, French and English, that is over two hours long. The stellar reviews of this film may incite you to expect too much. This film is a poem - sit back relax, let it settle into you and don't try to figure it out.

I can give this no less than 5 stars, because it is truly the closest that I have seen to cinema fully realized. (I can say this about only a handful of films.) The photography, editing, script - or lack of it, casting, understated performance, composition all seem to work together with a magical synergy, not to mention the fact that it is absolutely beautiful to watch.

Buy, rent, or borrow this film. If you read the reviews and have an inkling that it is for you, then it probably is. Wings of Desire will stay with you for a long time to come.

Rating:
Summary: ~Dark Desperation~
Review: I had never heard of this movie until I saw the outstanding reviews it received while I was looking up City of Angels (CofA). Intriqued by the many descriptive reviews and wondering just how it did measue up with CofA (which I love)I felt compelled to buy the tape. Its hard not to compare this work with CofA, and in doing so found stark contrasts. If I had not seen CofA first ,Wings of Desire would have been much harder to grasp.Wings of Desire portrays the two angels as more dark and brooding. They seem to possess a dark despair and seem to find thier charge over us humans as a rather tedious job and not to thier liking, I found no feeling of thier love or care for us as I felt in CofA. I felt the portrayal of the angels in CofA possessed more heart. Wings of Desire had a dark desperate feeling throughout, while City of Angels had a feeling of light and hope.I felt empty after Wings,but touched after CofA. City of Angels made me think of God and His love for us and the guardians He has placed in the spiritual realm to help us, Wings of Desire did not make me think of God much at all. I did enjoy Wings and give it 4* but I give City of Angels 5. The movie was good but I think sometimes European films just try too hard to be "artsy".

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Summary: When the child was still a child...
Review: When a movie treats of angels, one is tempted to think of the facile conception of winged pale men-like creatures doing "holy" work, as opposed to the "base" material world. Such reasoning is bound to degenerate in altruistic and Christian propaganda.

In "Wings of Desire" this dichotomy is enforced, as there are also two worlds : the material and the angelic. But the angelic world is not "divine". There is no god, at least no apparent one, and angels are unsubstantial observers who envy the humans' capacity to experience. Wandering around the divided 80s Berlin in dark trenchcoats, two angels on friendly terms, Damiel and Cassiel, share their daily tasks as Damiel begins to express his desires to become human.

The narrative of the movie revolves around a poem that begins : "Als das Kind Kind war..." (When the child was still a child...). Indeed, the movie's ideological structure itself is centered around this notion of innocent but immature child stage vs mature adulthood. The angels are atemporal and have little experience, and in a fitting symbolism, see things monochromatically. When we see the human viewpoint, the screen bursts with colour. Much like in the movie Pleasantville, black-and-white thinking must mature into the richness and complexity of colours.

Along the way the angels meet Homer (alive after all these centuries), and especially delicious, Peter Falk, playing himself, more or less. Damiel also falls in love with an angel of another kind - a beautiful trapeze artist named Marion. All the while, they read the minds of the humans of Berlin, forced to simply observe.

Interestingly, the movie was dedicated to Ozu, Truffaut and... Tarkovsky. Like a Tarkovsky, this is not an easy movie, or a fast-paced movie - you need to be able to take your time and understand it. Unfortunately, Wenders' commentary track is... well, pretty bad. Not only is he rambling most of the time, but he has little to say about the movie itself. This is rather too bad.

Damiel : "Just once, I'd like to say 'oh!' and 'hey!' instead of always 'yea' and 'amen'"

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Summary: Wings of Desire
Review: This film was remade into "City of Angels" with Meg Ryan and Nick Cage. This original version, "Wings of Desire", runs circles around the remake in both its artistic detail and content. I highly recommend this film to anyone who enjoys quality.

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Summary: ENTERTAINING ANGELS...
Review: "Do not forget to entertain strangers, for some people have entertained angels without knowing it." Hebrews 13:2

The world's three great religions incorporate angels as real, created entities, messengers between the world of mortals and God. And movies about angels, both good and bad, will always be messengers of film entertainment.

Wim Wenders' 1988 WINGS OF DESIRE Special Edition arrives on DVD with a making-of documentary, extensive interviews, over 30 minutes of deleted footage and a commentary from Wenders. Damiel (Bruno Ganz) is a lonely angel. He roams the streets of Berlin and provides comfort to needy humans. But when he is drawn into the life of a sad-eyed trapeze artist (Solveig Dommartin), he experiences love for the first time and does everything in his power to be seen, heard and felt by her. Jeopardizing his divine position, he must decide: give up love or lose his wings forever.

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Summary: Genius, yes -- but dull
Review: Slow and dull as watching paint dry or grass grow -- but brilliant in a way, too.

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Summary: a masterpiece with very good dvd extras
Review: The word "moving" gets overused, but it really does apply here. German filmmaker Wim Wenders had spent eight years in Hollywood and made four films when he decided to return to his homeland and make a movie there. "Wings of Desire" is the result, an inspired tale of angels watching over Berlin, and of friends Damiel (Bruno Ganz) and Cassiel (Otto Sander) in particular.

The depiction of the angels, even for the secularly minded, is so comforting and hope-filled that you will look at the world in a different way. Angels stand beside us and watch over us, comfort us and testify to our actions and thoughts. They are filled with joy and kindness, and to some extent they envy us. The two friends speak with affection of humans and their experiences, while they themselves are unable to taste or feel or see color. Now Damiel has fallen in love with trapeze artist Marion (Solveig Dommartin) and he decides to take the plunge -- literally -- to descend to earth and become a human so that he can be with her and live a human life.

Ganz and Sander, as the angels, bring depth, joy and empathy to this gorgeous and unique film. Dommartin, Wenders' girlfriend at the time, is not only believable as the object of love, but she performs all the trapeze feats herself too. Peter Falk is charming as an ex-angel in Berlin for a film (though his internal monologue contains a logical impossibility -- listen to Wenders' commentary), and Curt Bois is notable as the mythic Homer. Legendary Director of Photography Henri Alekan (Beauty and the Beast) uses his grandmother's silk stocking to good effect and lights the film beautifully, while Peter Handke's script is lyrical and thoughtful. Wenders repeatedly captures incredible images and scenes -- an angel atop a column looking across the city, library patrons watched over by invisible guardians, and the memorable and touching voiceovers of everyday people as the angels hear their thoughts. Wenders' decision to use b&w for the angels' perspective is perfect, while Knieper's sublime soundtrack is evocative and splendid, memorably augmented by performances from Crime & the City Solution and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds.

The film is undeniably European, so there are a few moments (such as the lovers' dialogue toward the end of the film) that can be uncomfortable or laughable for an American, but I've shown this film to several people who aren't usually foreign film fans and each has loved it. The idea of divine beings who regard us with affection is comforting, and Wenders and his team have brought this lovely vision to the screen in a way that will change the way you look at the world, and at film.

The DVD extras are very good. There is an excellent commentary track by director Wenders, with a few comments by Falk; 30 minutes of deleted scenes (though unfortunately only a couple of the many angel costumes Wenders says were tested); a wonderful retrospective 43-minute feature, The Angels Among Us, composed of comments and anecdotes by the director, cast and crew; an English and a German trailer; a promo; an interactive map; and two print advertisements. Subtitles are available in English, French or Spanish.

If you are new to foreign film, this is a great introduction. It's a non-American sensibility wrapped around a beautiful idea. It is Apple to Hollywood's Intel. It's also instructive to watch City of Angels, Hollywood's remake of this film, to see the differences. I enjoyed both films, though in fifty years City of Angels will be remembered for its association to Der Himmel Uber Berlin rather than vice versa.

Rating:
Summary: The DVD is splendid.
Review: I first saw Wings of Desire in 1988. It is impossible to tell someone what this movie is about. They best way to describe it is to tell that you will learn from it. It shows you what it is to be alive, appreciate life, and to fall in love with the world around you. Bruno Ganz and Otto Sander are gorgeous! They fit very well together. Solveig Dommartin was a joy to watch. Her use of multiple languages to display her thoughts and emotions was very well done. Curt Bois fit into his role 100% and was superb. Peter Falk was a splendid addition to the film and also fit nicely with his use of English and a tiny bit of German. This movie teaches about Cold War Berlin and the wall that divided the city. It teaches you to strive for what you desire in life because you can get it if you really want it. Wim Wenders and Peter Handke were geniuses with fitting all of this together. This movie is totally not Hollywood style. There is no sappy romance or most of the cast getting shot to death in brutal ways. There is no script cast in stone. It pulls at your heart and your mind and never becomes tiresome or boring. It does not tell you step by step the plot. It gives basic ideas and lets you decide in your heart how you will feel the film. Wim Wenders is brilliant! Berlin has changed so much since Wings of Desire was released. Wim Wenders has kind of frozen time and preserved this era of Berlin for us. It does not show Berlin as some beautiful majestic town like a Hollywood film would. It shows how the people are a kind of eclectic group kind of pushed together and pulled apart in this walled off land. Wim Wenders gives a lot of behind the scenes info in the angels among us section of the DVD. Wim Wenders' director's commentary is priceless. He answered questions that have been in my head for the last 15 years. He is very generous with all information and takes a lot of time to explain all. A Hollywood director would never do this! The DVD is like a double feature. The movie (in German) is one part and the film history, historical city data, and personal information (in English) provided by Wim Wenders about Berlin makes a second part.

Wings of Desire is a nice film for German students. Bruno Ganz and Otto Sander speak German beautifully and clear. They use every day vocabulary so it gives good practice with sentence construction.

Do not bother with the American version City of Angels. Maybe it is easier for us in the U.S. since it is in English but it was a complete waste of film. The American version kills, more like savagely butchers, all the Wings of Desire cast worked so hard for.

I would give the DVD 10 stars if I could.