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Two angels walk the streets of Berlin, invisible to us but attentive to the thoughts and problems of those they pass. They go through public libraries and public transport, listening to people and embracing them, almost undetected, if they see someone looking miserable. When one of the angels, Damiel (Bruno Ganz), meets disaffected French trapeze artist Marion (Solveig Dommartin), he becomes besotted beyond reason. Cue classic dilemma: Damiel has to decide whether to continue living eternally but alone, or give up his immortality for love.
The film is bursting with strikingly poetic lines, spectacular photography and auditory delights
The romance of the story is kept edgy, however, by the artistic direction. Wenders’ careful eye for architecture, shapes and movement means that every shot is visually stunning. Marion’s acrobatics eat up the screen; the world is portrayed in shadowy black and white for the angels’ points of view, and in dark, vibrant colour for the real world. The dialogue is kept to a minimum, mostly concentrating on inner thoughts rather than discourse with others. Peter Falk – better known as Columbo – guest stars as himself: his presence is a surreal twist, bringing in both humour and a bit of attitude. The film is bursting with strikingly poetic lines, spectacular photography, and auditory delights ranging from the melodious sing-song of the opening nursery rhyme, to the soft-spoken German interior monologues, to the unutterably cool post-punk soundtrack. Deeply intelligent while never falling into unforgivable pretentiousness, it is an honest and poignant celebration of life.
Wings of Desire could not be set anywhere other than Berlin, with its perfect balance of beauty and unbearable desolation. Having at one point or another been a home to everyone who’s anyone in music – David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Nick Cave, Lou Reed, Einstürzende Neubauten – Berlin has in recent years become recognised as the undisputed European capital of cool. Wenders presents Berlin’s atmosphere in a manner not unlike the Berlin in Ian McEwan’s The Innocent: the mood of the city is grim but passionate, artistic but industrious, its people alienated but, simultaneously, mutually supportive. Despite being shot before the fall of the Berlin Wall, the film manages to subtly understate its presence, the Cold War providing a bleak backdrop to the story but never overshadowing it.
One final word of advice. It’s got subtitles, it’s not in pastel-tone Technicolor and the pace is undeniably deliberate: let’s be honest, it’s the sort of film you have to be in the mood for. But, once seen, it’s one of those films that will stay with you, both for its lyrical visual beauty and for its stirring emotional impact.
Der Himmel Über Berlin (Wings of Desire) dir. by Wim Wenders, 1987, is showing at the York City Screen on Tuesday, February 26, at 6.10pm.
I have to say, I'm a huge fan of German films, and beautiful films, but this one left me rather cold.
However, Bruno Ganz is spectacular in Der Untergang.
It's a fantastic film.
On the subject of Bruno Ganz - yes, his performance in 'Downfall' is probably one of the most amazing performances in a film I have ever seen.
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