Wings of Desire

Year:  1987

Director:  Wim Wenders

Screenplay:  Wim Wenders, Peter Handke, Richard Reitinger

Starring:  Bruno Ganz, Solveig Dommartin, Otto Sander, Curt Bois, Peter Falk

Running Time:  127 minutes

Genre:  Fantasy

West Berlin:  Two angels, Damiel (Ganz) and Cassiel (Sander), watch over the affairs of humans.  The immortal angels are able to hear the thoughts of humans, however they are physically unable to intervene, or even interact with the physical world, and remain invisible to humans, although some can sense their presence.  Suffering from existential angst over his immortal existence set apart from the physical plane, Daniel falls in love with trapeze artist Marion (Dommartin) and decides to renounce his angelic existence for a mortal, human life.

In the years since it's release this philosophical romantic fantasy has become seen as one of the classics of world cinema.  While the film is long, slow, and arguably pretentious, it is intriguing, often funny and ultimately becomes profoundly moving.  The film is visually impressive, most of it is in sepia tinged black-and-white, with sequences in colour, and brief flashes of vintage newsreel footage.  The locations in Berlin range from the more familiar tourist areas such as the Victory Column where the angels frequently gather at the top to observe human life, to more run-down and industrial areas of the city, as well as the Berlin Wall. We also follow the stories of various characters that the angels observe, including an elderly poet, a suicidal young man, and American actor Peter Falk (playing himself) who is filming a war movie in Berlin.  The film has some fantastic performances from Bruno Ganz and Solveig Dommartin in particular, and a warm, funny performance from Peter Falk.  The film also gives a glimpse of life in West Berlin in the years immediately before reunification, including a look at the underground rock clubs with a cameo from Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.  It is really more a film about a city than about angels.  It is interesting how little traditionally angelic imagery is used, the angels have wings that appear occasionally, but usually appear as normal humans in long overcoats, and there are no references to Heaven or God.  The angels with their ability to pass over the city and hear thoughts provide an insight into the city and the people who live there.  Ultimately it becomes a celebration of the small, transient joys and pains of life, and the beauty of existence.  The film was followed by a sequel Faraway, So Close! (1993) and was remade in 1997 as City of Angels, starring Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan.  

Bruno Ganz in Wings of Desire