Wings Of Desire
1987
Directed by Wim Wenders
The sky over Wenders’ war-scarred Berlin is full of gentle, trenchcoated angels who listen to the tortured thoughts of mortals and try to comfort them. One, Damiel (Bruno Ganz), wishes to become mortal after falling in love with a beautiful trapeze artist, Marion (Solveig Dommartin). Peter Falk, as himself, assists in the transformation by explaining the simple joys of a human experience, such as the sublime combination of coffee and cigarettes.
Told from the angel’s point of view, the film is shot in black and white, blossoming into color only when the angels perceive the realities of humankind. Ultimately, Damiel determines that he must experience humanity in full, and breaks through in to the real world to pursue a life with Marion.
Released 1987. A hugely acclaimed and multi-award winning movie including Best Director for Wenders at Cannes the same year.
Original language: German.
Original title: Der Himmel Über Berlin
Two songs by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds feature in the film, The Carny and From Her To Eternity. The band also make a cameo appearance. The tracks are included on the Original Soundtrack.
Soundtrack released 1988. CD format released 1990
