Cinema
Wings of Desire
Der Himmel über Berlin
Wim Wenders · 1987
Synopsis
In West Berlin encircled by the Wall, two angels, Damiel and Cassiel, walk through the city unseen and unheard, except by children, and gather the thoughts of its inhabitants: a pregnant woman on her way to the hospital, an old man, Homer, who is looking for the vanished Potsdamer Platz. Damiel falls in love with Marion, a lonely trapeze artist in a circus about to close, and meets the actor Peter Falk, who has come to shoot a film and seems to sense his presence. He begins to long for the condition of mortals.
Context
The film was conceived with Peter Handke, who wrote much of the dialogue and inner voices as well as the “Song of Childhood” that recurs throughout; not feeling able to write a continuous story, Handke sent his ideas as the shooting went on, and Richard Reitinger helped write the scenes. Co-produced by France and Germany, photographed by Henri Alekan, with black and white for the angels' point of view, it was shot in West Berlin from October 1986 to February 1987, notably in the reading room of the Staatsbibliothek. Wenders made a sequel in 1993, and Hollywood made a remake in 1998.
Who it is for
A film of a little over two hours, carried by long interior monologues and by music, with Nick Cave concerts on stage.
Prizes and reception
Best director award at Cannes in 1987 and the European Film Award for best director; more than 900,000 admissions in Germany and more than a million in France.