Read Positive User Reviews for Wings of Desire

10

Eoin_O_ConnorJan 31, 2017

One of the greatest films ever made and one of Wim Wenders' many masterpieces. AND it has Columbo in it! Great humour interspersed with very provocative imagery.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

All this user's reviews

10

JemonovSep 6, 2018

One of the most unique and touching movies ever made by man. Beautiful, poetic, and still not overtly sentimental.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

All this user's reviews

10

aaronLJan 31, 2009

One of the best movies of all time. Extremely poetic. beautiful and sarcastic at the same time in its vision of the human plight. You cannot watch this movie and not think deeply about our deepest desires and goals on earth and about what One of the best movies of all time. Extremely poetic. beautiful and sarcastic at the same time in its vision of the human plight. You cannot watch this movie and not think deeply about our deepest desires and goals on earth and about what humanity means.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

10

PatrickD.Mar 26, 2006

Amazing and inspirational!

0 of 0 users found this helpful

10

KeithBJul 21, 2007

I remember seeing this movie during a summer program and prior to its showing, the presenter mentioned that dinner was already in progress. Those who wanted to eat could leave, but risk missing an incredible art film. My friends left, but I I remember seeing this movie during a summer program and prior to its showing, the presenter mentioned that dinner was already in progress. Those who wanted to eat could leave, but risk missing an incredible art film. My friends left, but I stayed and watched it. This is one of the most intimate, serene, delicate and stunningly beautiful movies I have ever seen in my life. It is truly a testament about the power of love and the human spirit; this movie is inspirational in every sense. It does not profess any moral or lesson, but allows the viewer to be enveloped in its elegance and pure, innocent statement about humanity. Anyone who views this film will leave it with a refreshed feeling of contentment.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

10

VinceRocks123Apr 25, 2015

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. a philosophical modern if not dated, a romantic fairytale of a world divided by two dimensions one thats filled with the living and the other filled with the spirits, mostly taking place in a 1980s Berlin now a urban and cultural community divided by the berlin wall and the remains of a WWII war zone

Unknown to the people who now live and strive in this city, angels (the dead) perch on the highest buildings, castles, and statues, watching and hearing every man's thoughts and emotions. things change when angel Damiel (Bruno Ganz) falls for a young female acrobat and wishes to trade in his wings for life.

Damiel's transition from an invisible spirit to a human being, is well executed with an amazing cinematographic technique by director Wim Wenders' which portrays Damiel's point of view as an angel shot in Black and White then slowly to color when the time comes when he becomes human. a cinematic record

A beautiful film about why its so beautiful to have life and why its worth fighting especially in the view of a ghost who never experienced life before. a transcendental gem for the ages… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

10

alejandro970Mar 10, 2019

The secret life on angels in quite poetic way. Long life for Bruno Ganz as Damiel, an angel who can read what you think, and he is just visible for the afflicted and the children. Filmed in Berlin before the fall of the wall half B&W and halfThe secret life on angels in quite poetic way. Long life for Bruno Ganz as Damiel, an angel who can read what you think, and he is just visible for the afflicted and the children. Filmed in Berlin before the fall of the wall half B&W and half color. Pay attention for Peter "Columbo" Falk.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

8

BenMihalyOct 22, 2018

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. “Wings of Desire” (1987) by Wim Wenders is what you get when you realize that art doesn’t come with a recipe or instruction manual. It breaks so many rules of storytelling that if you tried to fill out a checklist of all of the features of a good story, you’d give up halfway through. Even so, this movie just works. Wim Wenders decided to make a film that thinks for itself, not bothering to follow some silly “conventions.” It asks questions that it doesn’t help you answer, forcing you to take it all in and think about what you are seeing. In “Wings of Desire” there is no direct exposition, it gives you the questions and shows the world upon which you should base your answer. This film makes you think about the path from question to answer on your own, no hand-holding. The first two characters that we meet are angels: Cassiel and Damiel, played by Otto Sander and Bruno Gantz. We can often find these two walking and talking together, comparing the thoughts and events that they heard and saw that day. We follow him throughout the movie, taking his point of view as he goes about his celestial business.
The gimmick of this film is actually quite interesting: the angels can hear people’s thoughts as if they were speaking, and can even interpret the signals of a radio tower. We hear the voices in the heads of normal people, but we don’t ever hear the inner thoughts of the angels, specifically the thoughts of Damiel. That is our job, we are the angels of the angels. The only way they can interact with the real world is by comforting people in distress, be that considering suicide or dying of injuries or recalling awful memories of the past. Why do they do any of this? Maybe you can figure it out, but you won’t get much help from the movie other than what is shown to you. The cinematography, done by the legendary Henri Alekan, is part of what makes this movie great. The camera moves through the scene as if unbound by gravity or the harsh motions of real world physics. When the camera is in black and white, which represents the viewpoint of the angels, the tone is neutral, you don’t feel anything, just see it. Situations that might normally be suspenseful seem almost meaningless. It is when the film sparks into color that the film conveys a tone. That feeling is what art should be judged by: how much a piece makes you think and feel is what gives it quality. This film is equivalent to a two hour trip to an art museum. There is no-one there who can tell you the exact meaning that the artist intended for the piece, no hand-holding, just you and the art. You have to connect what you see and what the characters say to figure out the subtle symbolisms. Just as you would explore a museum, “Wings of Desire” lets you take the story at your own pace, with the long, wordless scenes giving you time to reflect on what you are seeing. The third important character to this story is Marion (Solveig Dommartin) a trapeze artist for a travelling circus. Marion is the weakest part of this film: her only role is to tempt Damiel to “take the plunge” into the real world of hate, pain, time, and death; and what or who tempts him ends up being inconsequential. The last half hour of the film seems like it wasn’t really well refined, with character interactions that seem out of place and the ending monologue that doesn’t do much more than finding out how long it takes to say “and they lived happily ever after.” “Wings of Desire” is the perfect movie for the thinker. Heavy on visuals, light on words, the film lets your mind wander to wherever it pleases. It asks some questions about life, but it doesn’t expect you to answer them, especially since it doesn’t give you any clues to help you. The calm, soothing german voices do not intrude on your english thoughts, allowing you to read the subtitles at your own pace. You don’t even need to think about the movie, which you can use to clear your mind for two hours. Overall, “Wings of Desire” is a solid eight out of ten. If you like long visits to the local art museum, this movie is for you. If you don’t like films with at least one fight scene or a twist at the end, this is definitely not for you. Wim Wenders gives you everything outright, nothing is hidden to be revealed at the end, just a bunch of subtle symbolism.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

7

HallahFOct 23, 2018

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. 'Wings of Desire" is a romantic fantasy film that was directed by Wim Winders in 1987. It follows two angels, Damiel (Bruno Ganz) and Cassiel (Otto Sander), that watch over the people of Berlin. Damiel falls in love with a trapeze artist named Marion (Solveig Dommartin), but can't fully be with her in the beginning because she's human and he isn't. It sounds very romantic but these romance aspect is overshadowed by the overly complex dialogue and the side plots. Throughout the movie, the angels have no choice but to hear to the human's thoughts. It's understandable that the audience would have to listen to a few of those thoughts here and there but there's scenes that go on for what feels like forever of them just hearing their thoughts. What makes it even worse its that nothing came of those thoughts. They didn't help advance the plot in any way. They dialogue was also overly complex for the simplistic movie. It did nothing but make it more confusing. Though there was one quote that helped connect all of the characters and made the story a bit more interesting. It reads, "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 I be that, who I am, wasn't before I was, and that sometime I, the one I am no longer will be the one I am?" This is said by a few people in the movie and shows that they're all questioning life and the world around the. They're questioning why they're in the positions that they are and what put them there. Regarding the acting, Bruno Ganz, Otto Sander, and Solveig Dommartin did and exceptional job. Otto Sander holds true to being the more serious angel while Bruno's Ganz's depiction of a man in love is accurate. Solveig Dommartin really embraces the role of being this carefree spirit and nails it with how relaxed she is. Overall, "Wings of Desire" comes in at a 7.5/10. If majority of the unnecessary side-plots scenes were cut and more attention was put into expanding on the main plot of the love story, the film would have been a lot better.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

7

HxkdOct 26, 2018

When you envision an angel what do you see? Possibly a god-like figure of perfection with wings and a halo. Well in Wim Wenders film “Wings of Desire”, the angels travel throughout the east and west side of Berlin witnessing events and at theWhen you envision an angel what do you see? Possibly a god-like figure of perfection with wings and a halo. Well in Wim Wenders film “Wings of Desire”, the angels travel throughout the east and west side of Berlin witnessing events and at the end of the day comparing notes with each other about what they saw. In the film “Wings of Desire” we come to follow two angels Damiel (Bruno Ganz) and Cassiel (Otto Sander) during one of the harshest time in Berlin. They can dive deep into the thoughts of people like an old holocaust victim or to hear what an arealist Marion (Solveig Dommartin) is thinking when she is afraid of falling from a trapeze rope. As the storyline progresses at a relatively slow pace, Damiel falls in love with the arielest and spends night after night at the circus to watch her perform on the trapeze. The two angels then cross paths with a filmmaker named Peter Falk who plays himself in the film. The cinematography of the film has its pros and cons. Some of the pros are the way the camera moves over Berlin like you are an angel. The film also changes from black and white (to show the angels viewpoint) and changes to color (to show the human viewpoint). One thing that could have been fixed or changed is the incredible amount of time they spent panning on Marion at the circus. Wim Wenders could of had shorter scenes to progress the film better. The acting had to be one of the hardest things to do for this film because the angels Damiel and Cassiel could not really do much. All their acting consisted of is standing beside either the arealist Marion (Solveig Dommartin), or other civilians with a straight face and look like they are supporting them. The actors did a fantastic job with the strict limitations of acting that was required for the film except for one instance. When Damiel (as an angel) ends up meeting Peter Falk at the coffee stand in the middle of the night. The performance of Peter is almost hysterical because from the human viewpoint he is talking to nobody. I would not consider this the best film I have ever seen it is also not the worst. Wim Wenders was successful with the film in many ways and could have done better in other ways. In some parts like the encounter with Damiel (in angel form) with Peter Falk could have been acted a little better. Henri Alekan does a good job of keeping the human and angel viewpoints in the film separated with black and white along with color. The way the camera flew all over Berlin was a great subtle touch to put you into the angels perspective. In total, I would give this movie a seven out of ten.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

7

bmlange4Oct 27, 2018

A movie that was confusing, different (in a good way), and pretty well played. All of these topics come to mind when thinking about the film “Wings of Desire” directed by Wim Wenders in 1997. This film was a unique fantasy drama that had aA movie that was confusing, different (in a good way), and pretty well played. All of these topics come to mind when thinking about the film “Wings of Desire” directed by Wim Wenders in 1997. This film was a unique fantasy drama that had a very interesting feel to it. Throughout this movie, Damiel and Cassiel had to be pretty quiet and emotionless as angels. People couldn’t see them because they were angels. They would be in the skies of the city of Berlin watching over the great people in the city. The people’s feelings and thoughts would draw the angels closer. The angels would try helping the hopeless people by making them feel like they weren’t alone, which was actually true. The different colors of the backgrounds in this movie truly could confuse anyone. After figuring it out, the reason behind it was pretty interesting. The angels perspective created a black and white color background. The color switched to normal colors once the movie was in perspective of real life. There wasn’t much of a plot in this movie, which made it interesting. The angels would just go from person to person which made it a little random from time to time, but it wasn’t overwhelming. This movie was always keeping my attention. It might not be the go-to action movie, but it’s definitely an interesting and well played out movie. The ending with Damiel deciding to take a dip into a real perspective going out of his angel self was a big turning point. Seeing Damiel after that just made you into it and made you wonder. Some of the scenes drug on for a longer time than they needed. Some scenes were just way too long that didn’t need to be like that at all.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

8

ryanszyperOct 28, 2018

This 1988 foreign film directed by Wim Wenders gives a unique film experience. Unlike most films where a plot is explained and handed to you, “Wings of Desire” does not outright tell you what is happening. We discover the plot of the filmThis 1988 foreign film directed by Wim Wenders gives a unique film experience. Unlike most films where a plot is explained and handed to you, “Wings of Desire” does not outright tell you what is happening. We discover the plot of the film through dialogue and visual cues. The main story follows Damiel an angel who watches over the people of Berlin, Germany. Through playful camera work, that consists of hard cuts and sweeping tracking shots that switch depending who is on the screen, the movie takes us throughout the city as the angel listens to the thoughts of people. These internal monologues offer beautiful scenes where we see characters raw emotions while listening to their inner thoughts. The visual imagery ranges from angel wings, to color changes, and wardrobe design. The color of the movie switches from black and white to color. This gives us the visual representation on how the angels and humans perceive the world. In the opening shot we are greeted by Damiel perched on a roof and his wings are present for a second allowing us to see he is an angel. The costume design for the movie chose to portray the angels sporting trench coats with pony tails. Having them stand out for us to understand that they are different from the rest of the world. These are just a few examples of how the movie uses tools to carry the movie. This creativity makes this more of an experience that allow the viewers to come up with the answers and gives incentive to watch the movie more than once.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

8

jeffreyb1Oct 28, 2018

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The Wings of Desire does not fit your image of what an angel is suppose to look like in your imagination. Damiel is a majestic angel that is one of the main characters of the movie. He is first seen looking over the city of Berlin in a black trench coat with a mullet. First seeing him with wings coming out of his back is shocking because angels portrayed in movies do not usual look like this. Damiel is looking down at this girl who is looking right back at him. No one else sees this angel besides this little girl in the street. It tells you something at the beginning of the movie of how a young kid can only see the angel. In the airplane where Damiel is walking a kid looks him in his face and he stops then smiles at her.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

7

zachlarnhartOct 29, 2018

The dark inner thoughts of a human are brought to light in the 1987 film Wings of Desire. Berlin, Germany is blanketed with angels who can only see in dull colors of black and white. Their job is to provide indirect comfort to those who mayThe dark inner thoughts of a human are brought to light in the 1987 film Wings of Desire. Berlin, Germany is blanketed with angels who can only see in dull colors of black and white. Their job is to provide indirect comfort to those who may be in need of a little extra love and care. Damiel (Bruno Ganz) and Cassiel (Otto Sander) sweep the city and observe how humans interact and form relations with one another all while providing their best wishes. The film begins with a very sporadic string of events. The first 20 minutes will be spent trying to figure out what the movie is about and what it will entail. Combining this and the lack of high quality special effects such as audio and transitions can mislead you into thinking this movie isn’t worth the bag of popcorn you just threw in the microwave. Patience and close attention is recommended throughout the entirety of the movie. You may find yourself dozing off, but be careful because you may miss an important detail amongst things that do not matter. The movie is made up of interpretations and wonder. The audience is trying to follow a plot that doesn’t necessarily exist which is what makes this film so unique and successful. Wim Wenders created a beautiful concept and makes it obvious that it is refreshing to view a movie that doesn’t follow any specific guidelines on how it is supposed to be watched.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews

9

DawdlingPoetNov 20, 2021

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I wanted to see this after hearing one of my favourite films as a teenager, the 90s film City of Angels, was based on it. I'd never got around to seeing it until now. I have to say, there are similarities and also differences but overall I loved this film. It is quite an arty type film, its mostly in black and white (although there are brief moments in colour) which gives it a timeless and even somehow an ethereal feel, but that didn't bother me. Its a very thoughtful film - quite a deep and meaningful film and it somewhat (dialogue wise) talks in riddles but as I say I very much enjoyed it. Perhaps it'd be more accurate to say the dialogue is a bit poetic, rather than entirely consisting of riddles. It isn't a film likely to appeal to people just wanting to sit back and not have to go to any effort to try to follow and understand everything, I suppose.

I like the concept of angels being around, able to hear the internal thoughts of humans who have no idea of their existence and part of their purpose being to help people in their final moments. It may sound a bit grim, it is undoubtedly grim in parts but its the sort of optimism that the plot hints at, that I suppose I find so comforting and that appeals to me. I am quite a socially anxious person, in terms of face to face conversations and interactions and so there's something very uplifting and comforting in the concept of angels and aspects or themes covered in this film, so its safe to say that this film appeals to me a great deal.

The film is primarily in German, although there is some English but for those unfamiliar with the German language, there are (of course) English subtitles. This may put people off watching but it certainly didn't put me off and as I say both languages feature, although I'd say primarily German is spoken, moreso than English. I felt that the plot pace in this film was a fair bit slower than the plot pace in the 90s remake, City of Angels, although thats not necessarily a bad thing. Of course its up to you whether a slow plot pace especially bothers you or not, depending on how patient (or not) you are as a film viewer. I felt that the not especially clear plot direction made me consider for longer how different people felt, what they worried and wondered while the camera pans from person to person, with the English subtitles telling us their thoughts and concerns. This includes who I presume to be Nazi soldiers - this may cause issues with anyone who has been personally affected by the war, of course, so I suppose I felt I should mention this. There is also specific mentions of Jews as well. Thematically speaking it mostly concentrates on loneliness and isolation, I'd say (I did say its (if but partly) grim).

I would wholeheartedly recommend this film to anyone interested in it, although I say that while also wanting to make it clear that I realise some people won't necessarily enjoy it, for the language issue, the lack of clear and fast paced plot direction and perhaps the war and/or religious aspects/connotations. If those things don't bother you, then please see this - its well worth a watch!.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

All this user's reviews