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Wings of Desire (1987)
"Der Himmel über Berlin" (original title)

 -  Fantasy | Drama | Romance  -  6 May 1988 (USA)
8.0
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Ratings: 8.0/10 from 32,274 users   Metascore: 79/100
Reviews: 183 user | 81 critic | 9 from Metacritic.com

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

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, (screenplay), 1 more credit »
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Title: Wings of Desire (1987)

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Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 18 wins & 6 nominations. See more awards »

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
...
...
Otto Sander ...
Curt Bois ...
Homer
...
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
...
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
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Storyline

This Wim Wenders film centers around the story of two angels wandering in a mixture of post-war and modern Berlin. Invisible to humans, they nevertheless give their help and comfort to all the lonely and depressed souls they meet. Finally, after many centuries, one of the angels becomes unhappy with his immortal state and wishes to become human in order to experience the joys of everyday life. He meets a circus acrobat and finds in her the fufillment of all his mortal desires. He also discovers that he is not alone in making this cross over, and that a purely spiritual experience is not enough to satisfy anyone. Written by Nell Rehn <NRehn@aol.com>

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

angel | circus | love | desire | dream | See more »

Taglines:

There are angels on the streets of Berlin.

Genres:

Fantasy | Drama | Romance

Certificate:

PG-13 | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

 »
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Details

Country:

|

Release Date:

6 May 1988 (USA)  »

Also Known As:

The Sky Above Berlin  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Box Office

Gross:

$3,806,540 (USA) (18 September 1998)
 »

Company Credits

Show detailed on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

(Eastmancolor)| (partly)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See  »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

During the scene in the Berlin Library, Damiel leans over a young man who reads: "Ha'Aretz haita tohu-va-vohu". This is the second verse of the book of Genesis in Biblical Hebrew, and basically means "the land was in chaos". See more »

Goofs

During the scene at the snack cart, Peter Falk let his cigarette drop from his fingers without appearing to notice. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
[in German, using English subtitles]
Damiel: [voiceover] When the child was a child, it walked with its arms swinging. It wanted the stream to be a river, the river a torrent, and this puddle to be the sea. When the child was a child, it didn't know it was a child. Everything was full of life, and all life was one. When the child was a child, it had no opinion about anything, no habits. It often sat cross-legged, took off running, had a cowlick in its hair, and didn't make faces when ...
See more »

Crazy Credits

Dedicated to all the former angels, but especially to Yasujiro, François and Andrej. See more »

Connections

References Columbo (1971) See more »

Soundtracks

"Pas Attendre"
by Sprung Aus Den Wolken
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

See more (Spoiler Alert!) »

User Reviews

 
Beautiful, poetic, stimulating
2 July 2004 | by (London, England) – See all my reviews

A calm and wonderful fantasy with such a simple vision that makes you want to believe in angels. Perhaps they are there... whenever my mood changes, seemingly unprompted, I always wonder.

Hijacked and debased by people who don't know any better (even U2, I'm afraid, and the American remake must be avoided at all costs - ideally it should be wiped from the record and the memories of all who saw it) this film has become iconic and has infected the imaginations of countless filmmakers. Look carefully and you will see its influence in the most unexpected places.

I always thought that one masterpiece is all that anyone can aspire to in life. Wim Wenders has made several but for me this one stands out above all others. My favourite film.


49 of 59 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you?

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