Faraway, So Close! (1993)

A group of angels in the German capital look longingly upon the life of humans.

Director:

Wim Wenders

Writers:

Wim Wenders (script by), Ulrich Zieger (script by)

Stars:

Otto Sander, Bruno Ganz, Peter Falk

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Otto Sander	...	Cassiel
Peter Falk	...	Peter Falk
Horst Buchholz	...	Tony Baker
Mikhail Gorbachev	...	Mikhail Gorbachev (as Michail S. Gorbatschow)
Nastassja Kinski	...	Raphaela
Heinz Rühmann	...	Konrad
Bruno Ganz	...	Damiel
Solveig Dommartin	...	Marion
Rüdiger Vogler	...	Phillip Winter
Lou Reed	...	Lou Reed
Willem Dafoe	...	Emit Flesti
Monika Hansen	...	Hanna / Gertrud Becker
Günter Meisner	...	Fälscher
Ronald Nitschke	...	Patzke
Hanns Zischler	...	Dr. Becker

Storyline

A group of angels in the German capital look longingly upon the life of humans.

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Plot Keywords:

angel | afterlife | 1990s | berlin germany | germany | 

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Taglines:

Your favorite Angels are back!

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for language

Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German French English Italian Russian

Release Date:

21 December 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Faraway, So Close!

Filming Locations:

Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$10,500,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$810,455

Company Credits

Production Co:

Road Movies Filmproduktion,Tobis

Technical Specs

Runtime:

144 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mikhail Gorbachev only appears because his secretary was familiar with the movies of Wim Wenders and was a great admirer. She talked Gorbachev into giving up a couple of hours to do the cameo as he was on a trip to Germany anyway.

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Goofs

After Cassiel meets Anton Becker and returns to Angelo's pizzeria, he meets Emit Flesti and Damiel puts his flour stained hands on Flesti's shoulder, leaving a white mark on the black suit. The next time we see Flesti, moments later, there is no white mark.

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Quotes

Emit Flesti: Let me explain a couple of things. Time is short. That's the first thing. For the weasel, Time is a weasel. For the hero, Time is heroic. For the whore, Time is just another trick. If you're gentle, your Time is gentle. If you're in a hurry, Time flies. Time is a servant, if you are its master. Time is your god, if you are its dog. We are the creators of Time, the victims of Time, and the killers of Time. Time is timeless. That's the second thing. You are the clock, Cassiel.

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Crazy Credits

The film is dedicated to actor Curt Bois who worked with Wim Wenders in "Der Himmel über Berlin".

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Connections

References Börn náttúrunnar (1991)

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Soundtracks

Why Can't I Be Good
Written and Performed by Lou Reed
Produced by Lou Reed & Mike Rathke

User Reviews

"Not as good as 'Wings' " -- don't listen to that.

OK -- so maybe I was generous. But it really hit the spot, intellectually and visually.

Like I said, don't listen to the "not as good as the original". This not only does better than most sequels, but "scores" as a logical and emotional continuation.

I haven't seen "City of Angels" (you know, the American remake), yet, "In weiter Ferne .." seems closer to "Angels" than "Wings".

This is classic Wenders -- slow developing, ponderous, yet emotive. Great cinematography, editing, screen writing.

And yes, Peter Falk is great in his in-and-out appearances.

This review may not be a "10", but like the shrugs you've heard about this film -- don't let it prevent you from a memorable evening.