Wings Of Desire

Wings Of Desire – 1987, Wim Wenders

Can you say ‘Arthaus’?

Wings Of Desire is good, but it will try the patience of even the most seasoned watcher of independent film. About a quarter of the two hour length is given over to progressing what little plot there is. The rest of the film is an exploration of the main idea behind the film and a kind of love letter to Cold War era Berlin.

The German title of the film ‘Der Himmel über Berlin’ translates more accurately to ’Heaven over Berlin’. The film presents the concept that angles watch over the human race, observing all that we do. They are invisible and completely passive. They can be seen by children but they cannot interact with anyone.

The loose plot follows two of these angels (one of whom is played by Bruno Ganz who played Hitler in ‘Downfall’) as they sit next to various citizens of Berlin and listen in on their thoughts. We hear what the people are thinking. The thoughts of the various minor characters make up a kind of narrative that runs through the whole film. Unfortunately, not a lot of what these people have to say is very interesting. It could be that it’s all lost in translation, but I doubt it. Listening to the trite ramblings of a few ‘interesting’ characters borders on boring.

Fortunately the film is very well shot. Pre-reunification East Berlin was a grim place, but it is made very compelling by the excellent cinematography. Parts of the film have a real 1940’s pre colour vibe to them. It’s hard to tell if it was intentional but it looks good. The scene shot in Berlin State Library House 2 stands out in particular. Not just the building itself, but the incredible tracking shots. It makes me want to visit the place.

Knowing this film has got to go somewhere kept me just interested enough. When the story picks up in the last half hour (Bruno’s character is tired of having spent thousands of years watching, he wants to get involved) the film suddenly becomes interesting.

Wim’s great achievement is reaching the limit of where a film can go without a clear direction or purpose, and doing just enough not to lose his audience. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds have a musical cameo, and Peter Faulk (aka Columbo) plays himself, which is pretty cool.

Pretentious guff?