Der Himmel über Berlin (1987)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Wim Wenders

Writers:

Peter Handke (writer)
Richard Reitinger (screenplay)

Release Date:

6 May 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

There are angels on the streets of Berlin.

Plot:

An angel tires of overseeing human activity and wishes to become human when he falls in love with a mortal.

Plot Keywords:

Angel | Berlin | Circus | Desire | Library

Awards:

Nominated for BAFTA Film Award. Another 15 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Bruno Ganz	...	Damiel
Solveig Dommartin	...	Marion
Otto Sander	...	Cassiel
Curt Bois	...	Homer, the aged poet
Peter Falk	...	Der Filmstar
Hans Martin Stier	...	In weiteren Rollen - Der Sterbende
Elmar Wilms	...	In weiteren Rollen - Ein trauriger Mann
Sigurd Rachman	...	In weiteren Rollen - Der Selbstmörder
Beatrice Manowski	...	In weiteren Rollen - Das Strichmädchen
Lajos Kovács	...	Im Zirkus - Marion's Trainer
Bruno Rosaz	...	Im Zirkus - Der Clown
Laurent Petitgand	...	Im Zirkus - Der Kapellmeister
Chick Ortega	...	Im Zirkus - Der Schlagzeuger (as Chico Rojo Ortega)
Otto Kuhnle	...	Im Zirkus - Die Jongleure
Christoph Merg	...	Im Zirkus - Der Jongleure

Also Known As:

Wings of Desire (UK) (USA)
Les ailes du désir (France)
The Sky Above Berlin (USA) (literal English title)
The Sky Over Berlin (USA) (literal English title)

Runtime:

127 min

Country:

West Germany | France

Language:

German | English | French | Turkish | Hebrew | Spanish

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (1999) | Iceland:L | Australia:PG (DVD rating) | UK:12 (DVD rating) (2007) | UK:15 (cinema rating) | Brazil:Livre | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Finland:S | South Korea:12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 | West Germany:6 | Singapore:PG | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Company:

Road Movies Filmproduktion

Trivia:

Wim Wenders originally wanted Peter Handke to collaborate on the script. Handke declined to work on the script as a whole but agreed to write a set number of important scenes which Wenders could then work around.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Cassiel is crossing the street, there is a bus coming. You can hear the bus driver let off the accelerator to allow the actor to pass, and then accelerate when he is clear. But the character is an angel, which adults cannot see, yet by the sound of the bus, it is clear that the bus driver sees him.

Quotes:

Homer, the aged poet: Must I give up now? If I do give up, then mankind will lose its storyteller. And if mankind once loses its storyteller, then it will lose its childhood.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Wings of Desire: The Angels Among Us (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

The Carny

lyrical and haunting work of art

Two angels named Damiel and Cassiel are onlookers on the lives of people in Berlin. Damiel longs to become human mainly because of a trapeze artist he has become drawn to. Both dote on how the world would look if they could see it with color, feel of things, and breathe air. The angels in Wim Wender's "Wings Of Desire" are separated by the rest of the world and see this world in black and white. They look upon the many sad happenings that occur, how people go about their daily lives. The angels take notes and share lifelong memories of people they have looked upon over the years. They can hear people's thoughts and how they feel about their lives. Damiel is the one the movie focuses on more. Cassiel understands Damiel's desire, but doesn't long for humanity iname way. The film isn't coy about the fact that being an angel could be quite lonely and sort of exasperating. The film's dialogue(mostly thought)from the people across Berlin are more lyrical. It's as if their thoughts are a daily constant of Shakespeare..a long tragedy of loneliness among other emotional longings. The trapeze artist, Marion, is quite a thinker and always feels as if someone has always been their to guide her through the paths of life. Peter Falk(Yep, Columbo)appears as himself playing in a film in Berlin. Many address him as that famous detective. He, like the children, can sense the Angels' presense around him..and there's quite an interesting reason why he can. The film is very pondering and haunting. Life is quite bleak. Berlin is a fascinating setting for a film like this. We often see what history has done to Berlin..the scars show such devastation, yet this brings an element that reaches out to you. We see that life goes on around the ruin..the devastation. The angels have seen that ruin first hand. The film has Cassiel following an old dying Jew. There's a particular scene I love which has the old man walking down ruined streets. He says to himself,"This can't be Potsdamer Platz." He continues to walk and remember the places that use to exist where only ruin reveals. This scene, among so many, define the film's elegant melancholy. The film really is an unforgettable gem. Towards the end, our angel Damiel makes a decision to accept a life as a human. This adds to the film's overall dilemma. I asked myself,"Are we taking things like smelling coffee, touching an apple, or simply watching the rain as it slides from a gutter for granted." The opportunities to exist and live should be appreciated somewhat. What if we are on the otherside of the spectrum? What if we had to look at others living and breathing and smelling? *****/*****