Der Himmel über Berlin

English title: Wings of Desire

Genre: supernatural drama (in black and white/colour)

With: Bruno Ganz (Damiel), Solveig Dommartin (Marion the trapezist), Otto Sander (Cassiel), Curt Bois (Homer the aged poet), Peter Falk (the movie star), Hans-Marrin Stier (the dying man), Elmar Wilms (a sad man), Lajos Kovács (Marion's trainer)

Director: Wim Wenders

Screenplay: Peter Handke and Wim Wenders, with help from Richard Reitinger and Bernard Eisenschitz

Release: 1987

Studio: Road Movies Filmproduktion, Argos Films, Westdeutscher Rundfunk

Rating: PG-13

MBiS score: 8.8/10 

 

‟Instead of forever hovering above... I'd like to feel a weight grow in me... to end the infinity and to tie me to earth.” 

 

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Story-line: from various sites in Berlin – a rooftop, an incoming passenger jet, busy streets – angel Damiel observes humans dealing with earthly problems and tries to comfort them with the help of fellow angel Cassiel. One day, however, he wonders aloud what it would be like to be on the other side, to be a human being.

Pluses: persuasive acting by Bruno Ganz (as the reflective Damiel), Otto Sander (his sympathetic partner), Solveig Dommartin, Curt Bois and Peter Falk (in an important and surprising role), essential support from a good cast and a remnant of history (the Berlin Wall), perfect and uncompromising direction, a transcendent, poetic and thought-provoking screenplay, magnificent cinematography and breathtaking visuals, exquisite production values and a dramatic, varied musical score.

Minuses: (1) please remember that the film follows a specific colour code (black and white for angels, colour for humans; angels can be seen by blind people and children but not by adults generally). (2) While striving to show our two angels caring for earthlings at pivotal moments of their lives, the movie does feel disjointed and episodic in its first half but makes up for it later on by focusing brilliantly on its main characters. (3) Considering its philosophical point of view and occasional gravitas, this movie may not suit every taste.    

Comments: it is for good reason that most arbiters of the cinematic world (Cannes Festival, New York and Los Angeles Film Critics, National Society of Film Critics, etc.) have hailed Wim Wenders’ splendid work. Arty, conceptual, original and profound, it links the spiritual and secular worlds in daring fashion and takes the viewer on a journey that is sometimes gloomy but ultimately hopeful. Through Homer’s musings, it also bears witness to the scars that still pockmarked Berlin forty years after the war and to the infamous division brought about by the building of the Wall. WINGS OF DESIRE is a masterpiece, a cerebral work that slowly seeps into your system and stays with you like a guardian angel. As for its enigmatic final note (‟To be continued…”), it refers to a 1993 follow-up, FARAWAY, SO CLOSE!, that I may see eventually, God willing…              

 

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