Wings of Desire (aka Der Himmel über Berlin)

Bruno Ganz and Otto Sander play two guardian angels who oversee much of the actions and thoughts going on in the divided city (the film was made in 1987). These two actors are excellent. Ganz and Sander had worked together as actors for 20 years before this film was made, and their camaraderie is obvious. Much of the film was shot in black and white by Henri Alekan, who did the cinematography for Cocteau's "Beauty and the Beast." Ganz's and Sander's roles in great part are merely watching and reacting to the streams of consciousness of Berliners, and they are masterful in passively listening with their hearts on their faces. The use of black and white brings their faces into subtle, shaded relief, mirroring their inner feelings.

Cinematographer Alekan (you will notice that the trapeze artist is in Circus Alekan) was born in 1909 and died in 2001. His work here reminds me of the cinematography of Kazuo Miyagawa in "Rashomon." The camera work and tracking are intricate without ever being obvious, bringing focus on the actors and their faces.

The score is by Jurgen Knieper. He wrote an angelic score without being campy or heavy handed. The music is understated and perfect. He uses strings and a choir to make spoken words into music that fits the scenes.

The frail elderly man that wanders in and out throughout the movie represents Homer, the original story teller. Homer frets about losing his touch. He's played by Curt Bois who was born in Berlin in 1901 and who had a short scene in "Casablanca." This was his final role; he died in 1991. The use of Bois is bittersweet, as he was a famous actor in Berlin in the Twenties and Thirties before he was forced by the rise of the Nazis to leave the country.

Wenders surprises with his juxtapositions. In black and white we see an old man in modern Berlin get into a classic Thirties car and drive down the street. Then we see a view from within the car looking out onto a color film of 1930s Berlin full of Nazis and red flags with black Swastikas in their hearts; a cut and we see black and white film of Berliners digging out of the rubble with rows of corpses lined up beside the street as we drive by in that car. Then we arrive at a movie location in modern Berlin with actors in Nazi uniforms and Peter Falk waiting for us, and we realize we've seen what the car has seen during its life.

We have a sad scene of Bois as Homer wandering near the modern Berlin Wall looking for Potsdamer Platz as it was in the Twenties and Thirties, when it was the heart of Berlin and the busiest intersection in Europe. In 1987, it was a desolate wasteland of refuse and weeds, and Homer collapses into a junked chair, weary from his fruitless search.

Wenders also introduces subtle tension by giving us the thoughts of characters, showing their depression or anxiety. Then Wenders puts them into positions where we have the possibility of "accidents" or intentional acts. Each scene is played out slowly, without dramatic music, realistically as we watch and wait to see the outcomes. It's very nicely done without melodrama or histrionics, but like the "lives of quiet desperation" quote we all know.

The movie seems to be best known for its soaring hope - in spite of all the wars, death, and destruction, we have guardian angels looking over us. We find that the angels envy us, and Ganz's angel crosses the river and becomes human, reveling in the human senses, seeing in color for the first time (black and white shots represent the world as seen by angels bereft of our senses), and finally finding love, the most human condition of all.

"Wings of Desire" reminds me of a few movies. As I said earlier, "Rashomon" is comparable in cinematography. If you treasure the cinematographer's art, I recommend "Wings of Desire" and of course "Beauty and the Beast." I was also reminded of Truffaut's "Fahrenheit 451" in the scenes where people learning books walk around giving lengthy quotations as snow fell - a condition existing in "Wings of Desire," as well. Finally, I have a reaction to "Wings of Desire" that I had to "Donnie Darko": I think the director left too much to the audience to fill in. There's no real story to "Wings of Desire," just a series of interior monologues, which we the audience have to string together into our own coherent whole. Some people are put off by the lack of action and plot, while others take full advantage of the opportunity to vest the movie with their own plot and feelings. "Wings of Desire" is definitely a movie for adult contemplation.

The American film "City of Angels" with Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan was loosely based on "Wings of Desire." The two movies do not bear comparison; do not avoid "Wings of Desire" because you found "City of Angels" to be a sappy Hollywood romance.