'Wings of Desire' by Wim Wenders, set in Berlin towards the end of the Cold War, follows Damiel, an angel (played by Bruno Ganz) as he and fellow angel Cassiel (Otto Sander) observe humankind. Unseen by all except for children, the angels can hear peoples' thoughts, fears and desires but otherwise have no physical power in their one-sided interactions with humans. Damiel tires of his endless, immortal existence and upon becoming human marvels at his new experiences - he bleeds, sees colors, drinks coffee and warms his hands by rubbing them back and forth. As an angel he had fallen in love with a trapeze artist, Marion, and in his newfound experience as a mortal, seeks to find her. The film is also a series of ruminations on Berlin's past, its current state and what is in store for it in the future, which felt like what Andrezj Wajda did with Poland for Ashes and Diamonds . Said thoughts are profound and overall the film is dreamy and beautiful, and no surprise, for the director of photography was Henri Alekan (who was responsible for the groundbreaking camera work in Jean Cocteau's La Belle et la Bête). Peter Falk (The Princess Bride!) stars as himself, in a nice twist of a role which grounds the film in its fantasy land. The first 2/3 of the film feels mostly expository, as we move around the city and watch characters, whereas in the last part we see how Damiel deals with being human. An interesting film.
1 comment:
I saw "Wings of Desire" at the Melbourne Film Festival when it was first rreleased and fell in love with the film (and I think with Wim Wenders and Bruno Gantz).
It has stood the test of time and still in my top ten. Beautiful, sophisticated and providing food for thought. A masterpiece. J J
PS: The later US copy in no way compares.
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