Der Himmel über Berlin (1987)

Director:

Wim Wenders

Writers:

Peter Handke (writer)
Richard Reitinger (screenplay)
(more)

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 | Circus | Desire | Flashback | Car Dealer

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
Peter Werner	...	Im Zirkus - Der Manager
Susanne Vierkötter	...	Im Zirkus
Paul Busch	...	Im Zirkus
Karin Busch	...	Im Zirkus
Irene Moessinger	...	Im Zirkus (as Irene Mössinger)
Franky	...	Im Zirkus - last but not least
Teresa Harder	...	In der Bibliothek - Die Engel
Daniela Nasimcova	...	In der Bibliothek - Die Engel
Bernard Eisenschitz	...	In der Bibliothek - Die Engel
Didier Flamand	...	In der Bibliothek - Die Engel
Rolf Henke	...	In der Bibliothek - Die Engel
Scott Kirby	...	In der Bibliothek - Die Engel
Franck Glemin	...	In der Bibliothek - Die Engel
Jerry Barrish	...	Im Bunker - Der Regisseur
Jeanette Pollak	...	Im Bunker - Die Kostümbildnerin
Christian Bartels	...	Im Bunker - Der 'Hitlerjunge'
David Crome	...	Im Bunker - Der Regieassistent
Käthe Fürstenwerth	...	Im Bunker
Werner Schönrock	...	Im Bunker
Bernd Ramien	...	Im Bunker
Erika Rabau	...	Im Bunker
Silvia Blagojeva Itscherenska	...	Im Bunker
Sultan Meral	...	Im Bunker
Olivier Picot	...	Im Bunker
Jochen Gliscinsky	...	Im Bunker
Erich Schupke	...	Im Bunker
Margarete Hafner	...	In den Altbauwohnungen
Oliver Herder	...	In den Altbauwohnungen
Margitta Haberland	...	In den Altbauwohnungen
Jürgen Heinrich	...	In den Altbauwohnungen
Ralf Strathmann	...	In den Altbauwohnungen
Walter Ratayszak	...	In den Altbauwohnungen
Charlotte Oberberg	...	In den Altbauwohnungen
Lubinka Kostic	...	In den Altbauwohnungen
Gisela Westerboer	...	Auf der Autobahn
Andreas Valentin	...	Auf der Autobahn
Anne Gerstl	...	Auf der Autobahn
Dirk Vogeley	...	Auf der Autobahn
Ruth Rischke	...	Auf der Autobahn
Simon Bonney	...	Crime and The City Solution
Mick Harvey	...	Crime and The City Solution
Harry Howard	...	Crime and The City Solution
Rowland S. Howard	...	Crime and The City Solution (as Rowland Howard)
Kevin Godfrey	...	Crime and The City Solution
Nick Cave	...	Himself - Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Thomas Wydler	...	Himself - Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Blixa Bargeld	...	Himself - Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Roland Wolf	...	Himself - Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds
Kid Congo Powers	...	Himself - Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds (as Kid Congo)
Denis Rodriguez	...	Mit den Kindern
Dieta von Aster	...	Mit den Kindern
Gustav Geisler	...	Mit den Kindern
Paul Geisler	...	Mit den Kindern
Lorenz Geisler	...	Mit den Kindern
Sladjana Kostic	...	Mit den Kindern
Benedikt Schumann	...	Mit den Kindern
Nicolas Roth	...	Mit den Kindern
Marcus Stenzel	...	Mit den Kindern
Benjamin Ferchow	...	Mit den Kindern
Mario Meyer	...	Mit den Kindern
Mark Leuschner	...	Mit den Kindern
Tibor Dahlenburg	...	Mit den Kindern
Lia Harder	...	Mit den Kindern
Mascha Noak	...	Mit den Kindern
Vera Butzek	...	Mit den Kindern
Donald Behrendt	...	Mit den Kindern
Patric Kreuzer
Simone Säger
Gerdi Hofmann
Ulrike Schirm
Hans Marquard
Heimke Karl
Klaus Mausolf
Ozyer Hüsinye
Jean-Claude Lezin
Thierry Noir
Matthias Maaß
Henry Luczkow

Directed by
Wim Wenders

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Peter Handke		writer
Richard Reitinger		screenplay
Wim Wenders		writer

Produced by
Anatole Dauman	....	producer
Pascale Dauman	....	associate producer
Joachim von Mengershausen	....	associate producer
Wim Wenders	....	producer
Ingrid Windisch	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Jürgen Knieper

Cinematography by
Henri Alekan

Film Editing by
Peter Przygodda

Production Design by
Heidi Lüdi

Set Decoration by
Esther Walz

Costume Design by
Monika Jacobs

Makeup Department
Regina Huyer	....	makeup artist
Victor Leitenbauer	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Herbert Kerz	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Peter Braatz	....	second unit director
Claire Denis	....	first assistant director
Knut Winkler	....	assistant director

Art Department
Peter Alteneder	....	property master
Thierry Noir	....	repainter: Berlin Wall

Sound Department
Axel Arft	....	sound mixer
Hartmut Eichgrün	....	sound re-recording mixer
Detlev Fichtner	....	sound processing
Lothar Mankewitz	....	sound processing
Jean-Paul Mugel	....	sound mixer
Uwe Thalmann	....	boom operator

Stunts
Hans Seck	....	stunt performer

Camera and Electrical Department
Dieter Bähr	....	grip
Klaus Bieling	....	best boy
Frank Blasberg	....	director of photography: second unit (as Frank-Guido Blasberg)
Louis Cochet	....	assistant camera
Claus Gerling	....	electrician
Agnès Godard	....	assistant camera
Thomas Gosda	....	electrician
Bernd Huebner	....	gaffer (as Bernd Hübner)
Achim Poulheim	....	first assistant camera
Ralf Strathmann	....	still photographer
Peter Uhlig	....	second assistant camera

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Brigitte Friedländer-Rodriguez	....	wardrobe

Editorial Department
Anne Schnee	....	assistant editor

Transportation Department
Dieter Stempnierwsky	....	transportation

Other crew
Catherine Coste	....	production secretary
Franck Glemin	....	production assistant
Scott Kirby	....	production assistant
Marie-Christine Malbert	....	publicist
Gabriele Mattner	....	script supervisor (as Gabi Mattner)
Inge Ruf	....	production accountant
Chris Sievernich	....	production consultant
Tilmann Vierzig	....	production wizard
Barbara von Wrangell	....	location manager
Ulla Zwicker	....	assistant to producer
Ulla Zwicker	....	production coordinator

Thanks
Yasujiro Ozu	....	dedicatee (as Yasujiro)
Andrei Tarkovsky	....	dedicatee (as Andrzej)
François Truffaut	....	dedicatee (as François)

Production Companies

• Road Movies Filmproduktion
• Argos Films
• Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)

Distributors

• Basis-Film-Verleih GmbH (1987) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Argos Films (1987) (France) (theatrical)
• Orion Classics (1988) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Image Entertainment (1989) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Filmverlag der Autoren (1993) (Germany) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Orion Home Video (1993) (USA) (VHS)
• Cinefil Imagica (1999) (Japan) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2000) (USA) (VHS)
• Primer Plano Film Group (2000) (Argentina) (DVD)
• SBP (2000) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Asociace Ceských Filmových Klubu (ACFK) (2002) (Czech Republic) (theatrical) (re-release)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Finnkino (1988) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Lucernafilm - Beta (1991) (Czechoslovakia) (theatrical)
• Plånborg Film (1988) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (2009) (USA) (DVD)
• Criterion Collection, The (2009) (USA) (DVD) (Blu-ray)
• Madman Entertainment (2007) (Australia) (all media)
• Madman Entertainment (2007) (New Zealand) (all media)
• Oy Europa Vision AB (1990) (Finland) (VHS)
• Ripley's Home Video (2003) (Italy) (DVD)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2009) (Finland) (DVD)
• Sandrews (2009) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Vídeo Arte (Brazil) (VHS)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1993) (Finland) (TV)
• atlas Film (????) (USA) (DVD)

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:

128 min

Country:

West Germany | France

Language:

German | English | French | Turkish | Hebrew | Spanish

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor) | Black and White

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:

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".

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:

Damiel: First, I'll have a bath. Then I'll be shaved by a Turkish barber who will massage me down to the fingertips. Then I'll buy a newspaper and read it from headlines to horoscope. On the first day, I'll be waited upon... For requests, ask the neighbor. If someone stumbles over my legs...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Wings (2003)

Soundtrack:

Pas Attendre

Astonishing

I just saw this film for the first time. This film is simply amazing. So subtley powerful. The climaxing scene at the bar, is like seeing the world in a grain of sand. There, just now. Did you see it? There it is again. And again, over there. You didn't see it? Watch and you'll see. This film has just made #1 on my favorite films of all time. The way they use Peter Faulk to trancend the boundry between art and life, or perhaps erase the line all together, wonderfully creative. We are guided gently in to a world full of fallen angels, and then brought full circle back home again. This is simply a must see movie. I find it hard to imagine anyone not getting something out of this movie.