Wings Of Desire is not the sort of film that one can easily describe in mere words. It is a cinematic masterpiece that must be seen in order for any kind of explanation to present itself — and even, then one constantly finds his or herself at a loss for the appropriate adjectives.
The brainchild of German auteur Wim Wenders, 1987’s Wings Of Desire takes us to a different plane of existence — one that is inhabited by angels. Unlike the heavenly, blonde-haired and haloed cherub creatures depicted in such works as The Bible, these angels see the world entirely in black and white. They sport ponytails and wear long dark trench coats. They have monitored the history of the Earth since its creation, and delight in taking notes on the more “philosophical” moments we human beings express in our thoughts and actions. They are not here to guide us in any way (although they do possess moderate powers of persuasion, particularly when some old soul is ready to call it a life) — they are only there to observe.
Alas, I feel even that description makes it sound like these angels are creepy German stalkers. Such is not the case. Oh, and if you’ve found yourself thinking “Hey, this sounds like City Of Angels with Nicolas Cage!,” then you really need to get out more. You also need to do your foreign film homework: City Of Angels is merely just a glitzy Hollywood bastardization of Wings Of Desire. But I digress.
After countless centuries of watching, one Berlin-based angel, Damiel (played by the great Bruno Ganz), begins to wonder what it must be like to be human. He finds himself strangely transfixed with a trapeze artist (Solveig Dommartin, who would later collaborate with Wenders on his much more ambitious Until The End Of The World), a fascination that has him ready to take the plunge into the human world.
Meanwhile, Damiel’s colleague Cassiel (Otto Sander) roams Berlin, listening to the words of wisdom from an elderly gent named Homer (Curt Bois). American actor Peter Falk gives one of his most memorable performances playing himself, and Aussie group Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds also make a couple of appearances, contributing to the film’s impressive soundtrack in the process.
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