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Wings of Desire

Original title: Der Himmel über Berlin
  • 19871987
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 2h 8m
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
73K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,513
570
Wings of Desire (1987)
DramaFantasyRomance
An angel tires of his purely ethereal life of merely overseeing the human activity of Berlin's residents, and longs for the tangible joys of physical existence when he falls in love with a m... Read allAn angel tires of his purely ethereal life of merely overseeing the human activity of Berlin's residents, and longs for the tangible joys of physical existence when he falls in love with a mortal.An angel tires of his purely ethereal life of merely overseeing the human activity of Berlin's residents, and longs for the tangible joys of physical existence when he falls in love with a mortal.
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
73K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,513
570
  • Director
    • Wim Wenders
  • Writers
    • Wim Wenders(screenplay by)
    • Peter Handke(screenplay by)
    • Richard Reitinger(screenplay collaboration)
  • Stars
    • Bruno Ganz
    • Solveig Dommartin
    • Otto Sander
  • Director
    • Wim Wenders
  • Writers
    • Wim Wenders(screenplay by)
    • Peter Handke(screenplay by)
    • Richard Reitinger(screenplay collaboration)
  • Stars
    • Bruno Ganz
    • Solveig Dommartin
    • Otto Sander
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 276User reviews
    • 92Critic reviews
    • 79Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
      • 19 wins & 16 nominations total

    Videos1

    Wings of Desire
    Interview 3:38
    Watch Wings of Desire

    Photos156

    Bruno Ganz in Wings of Desire (1987)
    "Wings of Desire", Solveig Dommartin W. Germany-France, Orion, 1988, **I.V.
    Wim Wenders, Henri Alekan, and Solveig Dommartin in Wings of Desire (1987)
    "Wings of Desire", W. Wenders, B. Ganz, P. Falk, H. Alekan, W. Germany-France, Orion, 1988, **I.V.
    Wim Wenders and Bruno Ganz at an event for Wings of Desire (1987)
    Wings of Desire (1987)
    Bruno Ganz in Wings of Desire (1987)
    Bruno Ganz in Wings of Desire (1987)
    Peter Falk, Bruno Ganz, and Solveig Dommartin in Wings of Desire (1987)
    Solveig Dommartin in Wings of Desire (1987)
    Bruno Ganz and Solveig Dommartin in Wings of Desire (1987)
    Bruno Ganz in Wings of Desire (1987)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Bruno Ganz
    Bruno Ganz
    • Damiel
    Solveig Dommartin
    Solveig Dommartin
    • Marion
    Otto Sander
    Otto Sander
    • Cassiel
    Curt Bois
    Curt Bois
    • Homer
    Peter Falk
    Peter Falk
    • Der Filmstar
    Hans-Marrin Stier
    Hans-Marrin Stier
    • In weiteren Rollen - Der Sterbende
    • (as Hans Martin Stier)
    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
    Paul Busch
    • Im Zirkus
    • Director
      • Wim Wenders
    • Writers
      • Wim Wenders(screenplay by)
      • Peter Handke(screenplay by)
      • Richard Reitinger(screenplay collaboration)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In the closing titles it says: "Dedicated to all the former angels, but especially to Yasujiro, François and Andrej." This refers to film directors Yasujirô Ozu, François Truffaut, and Andrei Tarkovsky. All were favorites of director Wim Wenders. At the time of filming "Wings of Desire" Truffaut and Tarkovsky had only recently passed away, in 1984 and 1986. Ozu died in 1963.
    • Goofs
      When Cassiel (Otto Sander) is crossing the street, a bus slows down to allow him to cross the road, then accelerates once he's clear. As Cassiel is an invisible angel, the bus driver shouldn't have been able to see him.
    • Quotes

      Damiel: When the child was a child, it was the time of these questions. Why am I me, and why not you? Why am I here, and why not there? When did time begin, and where does space end? Isn't life under the sun just a dream? Isn't what I see, hear, and smell just the mirage of a world before the world? Does evil actually exist, and are there people who are really evil? How can it be that I, who am I, wasn't before I was, and that sometime I, the one I am, no longer will be the one I am?

    • Crazy credits
      Dedicated to all the former angels, but especially to Yasujiro, François and Andrej.
    • Connections
      Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Red Heat/A World Apart/Rikky and Pete/Poltergeist III/Wings of Desire (1988)
    • Soundtracks
      Zirkusmusik
      by Laurent Petitgand

    User reviews276

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    human life has value
    In the first scenes after the opening credits, we see an aerial view of Berlin, but this is a Berlin that doesn't exist anymore. It's a city divided, between East and West, that still bears the scars of the second World War, and can't rebuild where the Wall stands in the way. There is a vast vacant lot where the cultural center of pre-war Berlin stood, with the facade of an old station, and nearby stands a bomb-shelter and the tower of a bombed-out church.

    It is from this church where an angel stands looking out over the city, and then we see the people going about their daily lives. All this is shot in black and white, and we realize that we are seeing the world through the angel's eyes, seeing the same colorless world and hearing the same thoughts of the people around. As the story goes on, we realize that this is not just one angel in Berlin, for he goes to a car showroom, and compares observations with another angel. Then we go to the library, which is filled with angels.

    The first library scene is my favorite scene of the whole movie. It is here where we see many different people studying, and their thoughts reverberate around the space until they are just a murmur, which becomes music. Because there are so few distinct voices, it doesn't matter that they are in German, which I don't understand. However, there was one young man studying the creation story of Genesis in Hebrew, which ties in with a later point where the two lead angels are discussing how they witnessed creation. First they saw the glacier recede, then fish and animals appear. They laughed when they saw the first biped, someone who shared their image, but they stopped laughing when the people learned how to make war.

    As idyllic as the angels' lives are, it is through the pain we humans endure that know we are fully alive. And this is what the angels miss, to see colors, to touch, to taste, to smell, the ability to love and affect others' lives. The children can see them, but the adults may at times only feel some vague presence. They lay hands on people's shoulders, to try to understand their feelings beyond mere words. This is illustrated by a scene on a rooftop, where a man is about to commit suicide; as he sits on the ledge, an angel lays a hand on him as if holding him back, and when he jumps, the angel shouts `no!' For these angels are observers, spending their time being a presence among the living, not just to primarily serve as ushers to the afterlife (where I was sorely disappointed after watching "City of Angels," the American re-make). They are not harbingers of doom, but benign symbols of a creator's concern for humans.

    Don't be turned off by the fact that it's in black and white, because one thing that really makes an impact is that it's only through viewing as an angel is it in monochrome, because when humans see the world, it's in color. A poem continues throughout the movie and ties everything together, repeating "When the child was a child..." and we realize that humans are the children, the ones younger than angels, just learning and enjoying life. The music adds a lot to the movie, since this film is more visual than verbal, which means that subtitles don't get in the way. I can't say enough about this film–it's wonderful!
    helpful•172
    33
    • cindy_bcr
    • May 19, 2004

    FAQ1

    • What does the Japanese woman say in the rock club?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 6, 1988 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • West Germany
      • France
    • Languages
      • German
      • English
      • French
      • Turkish
      • Hebrew
      • Spanish
      • Japanese
    • Also known as
      • The Sky Above Berlin
    • Filming locations
      • Mitte, Berlin, Germany
    • Production companies
      • Road Movies Filmproduktion
      • Argos Films
      • Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $3,333,969
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $17,301
      • May 1, 1988
    • Gross worldwide
      • $3,478,395
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 8 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Stereo
      • Dolby Digital

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