Wings of Desire

Original title: Der Himmel über Berlin

1987
PG-13
2h 8m

IMDb RATING

7.9/10

79K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

3,609

Drama Fantasy Romance

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.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.9/10

79K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

3,609

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 18 wins & 14 nominations total

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 this movie's filming, Truffaut and Tarkovsky had only recently passed away, in 1984 and 1986, respectively; 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 reviews288

Review

Featured review

9/10

A Remarkable Achievement

A visually beautiful film, which boasts one of the most poetic and literary scripts ever- the dreamlike poetry of the dialogue fits seamlessly in with the overpowering visuals. The acting is of very high callibre too, with Peter Falk adding a very welcome dimension to the film and Bruno Ganz proving a master at acting via expression and nuance. The storyline is nice and simple and is given much additional poignancy and depth by the way Wenders directed, Henri Alekan photographed and the choice of music for certain scenes- the use of Nick Cave's "The Carney" is especially perfect for the scene in which it was used, as was the music during the main scene where we get to see Marion's Trapeze act- the music, visual mastery and the act itself combine to stunningly entrancing effect. That 100 people have given this film a 1/10 mark is almost beyond belief, as it is an absolute joy from start to finish. Rating:- ***** (out of *****)