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.
- Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
- 18 wins & 14 nominations total
- In weiteren Rollen - Der Sterbende
- (as Hans Martin Stier)
- Im Zirkus - Der Schlagzeuger
- (as Chico Rojo Ortega)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn 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.
- GoofsWhen 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 creditsDedicated to all the former angels, but especially to Yasujiro, François and Andrej.
- SoundtracksZirkusmusik
by Laurent Petitgand
The story of the angel Damiel (the excellent Bruno Ganz, who'd play Adolf Hitler 17 years later in the Oscar-nominated "Downfall"), who falls in love with a mortal circus acrobat, Marion (Solveig Dommartin, Wenders's then-girlfriend, who died last January) and wishes to become human is told by breathtaking images (cinematographer Henri Alekan's courtesy - he worked on Cocteau's "La Belle et la Bête") - the angels see in black and white, humans see in colors; philosophical, analytical observations about human life (and death); scenes of beauty in the simplest things in a masterful way that never becomes corny or boring. More than a film director, Wim Wenders is a film poet; his films are fabulous intersections of image and sound (dialogue, music) crafted in a way that only some other masters achieved.
"Dedicated to all the former angels, but especially to Yasujiro, François and Andrej", "Wings of Desire" is a gorgeous celebration of life who should be seen by people aged 8 to 80. My vote: 10/10.
P.S.: Avoid at all costs the ridiculous Hollywood remake, "City of Angels" (1998), with Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan.
- Benedict_Cumberbatch
- Jul 5, 2007
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Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- The Sky Above Berlin
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross US & Canada
- $3,333,969
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $17,301
- May 1, 1988
- Gross worldwide
- $3,520,525
- Runtime2 hours 8 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
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