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IMDbPro

Wings of Desire

Original title: Der Himmel über Berlin
  • 19871987
  • PG-13PG-13
  • 2h 8m
IMDb RATING
8.0/10
71K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,450
193
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
71K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
4,450
193
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Wim Wenders
    • Writers
      • Wim Wenders(screenplay by)
      • Peter Handke(screenplay by)
      • Richard Reitinger(screenplay collaboration)
    • Stars
      • Bruno Ganz
      • Solveig Dommartin
      • Otto Sander
    Top credits
    • 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
    • 268User reviews
    • 90Critic reviews
    • 79Metascore
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
      • 19 wins & 16 nominations total

    Videos1

    Wings of Desire
    Interview 3:38
    Wings of Desire

    Photos149

    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 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
    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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    7.5
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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 At the Movies: Red Heat/A World Apart/Rikky and Pete/Poltergeist III/Wings of Desire (1988)
    • Soundtracks
      Zirkusmusik
      by Laurent Petitgand

    User reviews268

    Review
    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    The most emotionally and spiritually moving film of all time
    A note to those of you who have only seen the bland, woefully wrong-hearted and half-assed "City of Angels", an unnecessary Americanization of this modern classic: this film leaves Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan in the dust. Co-writer/director Wim Wenders spins a visually stunning tale of angels living in Berlin before the wall came down. As they float through the lives of all they encounter, one of them falls in love with a beautiful and lonely trapeze artist. He soon must choose whether or not it is worth sacrificing the endless grace of being an earth-bound angel to know what it is like to be human, to "see at eye level."

    After having seen this film eight times or so, I can safely say that it is my favorite movie of all time. I have to watch it at least once a year and every time I do, I discover a new detail, while still being enchanted by the things that made me love this film in the first place. Although leisurely paced, every scene makes a valuable point about how our lives are touched by divinity every day.
    helpful•161
    38
    • Jaimzay
    • Apr 30, 2001

    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
      • $3,428,558
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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

    Related news

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