Wings of Desire (Widescreen Special Edition) [Import]

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.

The bulk of the film is in German, although some dialogue is in English. There are also occasional moments in French and Turkish.

Although this review contains spoilers, there's not really much to spoil. Each viewer will get something different from the film. The events are merely a loose framework used to provoke thought.

Wings of Desire is not an easy film to watch. It requires a lot of patience and you'll get very little from it if you aren't prepared to think. It's one of those stories that shows you events or allows you to hear thoughts, and then you make of it what you will. There isn't a conventional plot at all. If you watched The Tree of Life and had problems with its abstract narrative, Wings of Desire will test you even more. It's almost like a poem.

The story involves two immortal angels, Cassiel (Sander) and Damiel (Ganz), who have existed for millennia. The setting is Berlin, but the angels knew the city before humans ever existed. They remember how the river found its bed and how life as we know it began. They are serious and rarely show any emotion. Perhaps they have seen everything and it no longer affects them, or is their dispassionate outlook part of their very nature?

Their job is to observe humans and we see through their eyes in black and white. They can hear the thoughts of everyone they pass. Occasionally, when someone is sad or contemplating a desperate act, the angels intervene by touching the shoulder of the person in trouble. This gives that person a sense of hope and well being, but there's no guarantee the person will act on it. Children are able to see angels. Perhaps their innocence and lack of cynicism allows them to see what adults cannot?

Thoughts are usually presented as whispers, so the majority of the film feels very peaceful and relaxing. From the angels' point of view, it can be noisy when a large number of people are concentrated in a small space. We see some of these encounters on the street and in a public library. It's not clear why the angels are watching. Yes, they sometimes intervene and provide comfort, but they are mainly observing human behavior. They sometimes record unusual behavior in a notebook and talk about it among themselves.

As I mentioned, the film doesn't offer much guidance and won't tell you what conclusions to draw from the behavior of the angels. It will mean something different to everybody.

There are two other elements woven into the mix:

The first shows Marion (Dommartin), who is a female trapeze artist. She is temporarily working at a local circus and we discover from her thoughts that she's unhappy and lonely. She desperately wants to be loved. When she's alone, she listens to Nick Cave's music and dreams of one day finding someone.

The other thread involves Peter Falk, playing himself. His inclusion was a stroke of genius. Falk thinks in unusual ways and can sense the presence of angels. He talks to Damiel at one point and says that he wishes Damiel could experience things as he does. The pleasure of drinking coffee, smoking, or rubbing his hands together when he's cold. He's not afraid to talk to angels even though other people look at him as if he is crazy. The reason that he can do this is startling, but I won't reveal it here.

After about 90 minutes of showing us the angels in action, the film takes a sudden turn. Damiel has been observing Marion and has fallen in love with her. He wants to take the plunge and become a mortal human being in the hope that she will return his feelings. He wants to feel, touch, smell, taste and experience what it is like to really be alive.

Nick Cave has another part to play in the conclusion and we hear his thoughts while he is performing. His final song is From Her to Eternity, which is extremely appropriate in the context of the story.

The film switches from black and white to color when we see events from the viewpoint of humans rather than angels. It's particularly effective when Damiel is able to experience life fully for the first time.

For the majority of the film, the camera shows us what the angels see. This has the effect of making us observers too, and we can imagine what it would be like to witness so much joy and suffering, while only occasionally intervening. What is Wim Wenders asking us to see? Is it an invitation to contemplate the meaning of our existence?

Criterion's Blu-ray offers and exceptional viewing experience.

Simply one of my five top movies of all time! The mowie has so many interesting parts. First, the fantastic story of an angel deciding to come down to earth and search for love. Then the speed of the film, slow and thoughtful. And the filming, from black and white to colour. I had one of my greatest experience in 1988, when it first came to Sweden where I lived at the time. A real MUST for all cineasts around the world!