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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 5060020621529
Format: PAL
Number Of Discs: 1
Region Code: 2
Sales Rank: 164546
Theatrical Release Date: May 06, 1988
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
'There are angels over the streets of Berlin,' quotes the movie poster, but these are like no angels you've ever seen. Bundled in dark overcoats, they watch over the city with ears open to the heartbeat of the human soul, listening to the internal musings and yearnings of earthbound humans like existential detectives. In these delicate, astounding scenes we float through the thoughts of dozens Berlin citizens, from the weary and worn to the hopeful and young, as the angels record the magic moments for some heavenly record. But when Damiel (the empathic and sensitive Bruno Ganz) falls in love with an angel of another sort, the lonely trapeze artist Marion (willowy, sad-eyed Solveig Dommartin), he gives up the contemplation and observation of life to experience it himself.
Wim Wenders's most purely romantic film is like poetry on celluloid, a celebration of the transient and fragile moments of being human: the warmth of a cup of coffee on a cold day, the embrace of a friend, the touch of a lover, the rapture of love. Opening with an angel's-eye view of Berlin in silvery black and white (delicately captured by the great cinematographer Henri Alekan, who photographed Jean Cocteau's Beauty and the Beast 40 years earlier), it transforms into a gauzy color world when Damiel 'crosses over' by sheer will. Peter Falk plays himself as a fallen angel with a special sensitivity for celestial visitors ('I can't see you, but I know you're there,' he proclaims), and Otto Sander, whose smiling eyes brighten a face etched by eons of waiting and watching, is Damiel's partner. Wenders made a sequel in 1993, Faraway, So Close, and Hollywood remade the film as City of Angels with Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan. --Sean Axmaker
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Angels at Work
I was under the impression that "Wings of Desire" was a unique love story and I guess it is. However that aspect of the film was almost a distraction compared to the real nature of the movie. For me, "Wings of Desire" is a brilliant cinematic concept of angels in the world around us. If that sounds overly religious or unappealling, hold on. The way director Wim Wenders brings his vision to life is the essential beauty of this movie. We almost get the impression that these angels punch in and ... Read More
Rating: - Wings of Desire DVD
Not being a professional writer, I don't know if my review can give justice to a film like 'Wings of Desire'. The devoutly religious may find it strange that an angel would want to return to life on earth to experience the joys and sorrows of the human drama. But I see the angels as a device to profoundly expand our awareness of our common humanity with all other human beings, and our profound connection to history. A deeply poetic meditation on the human condition. I consider Wim Wenders film ... Read More
Rating: - Down to Earth
Wim Wenders' gentle poem on the seductive pleasures of life itself is a must for film lovers. Not only is the film's story beautifully constructed to reveal the curious transformation of an angel into a human, but it does so with visual authority. Bruno Ganz's face -- a kind of meat-pie everyman face -- was a perfect choice to convey the transformation. Watch this, and in its wake, life will take on a new sweetness -- not surgary, but poignant.
Rating: - Living breathing poetry...
Like my title suggests, `Der Himmel uber Berlin' is a film of intensely angelic proportions; a film that is the visual equivalent of a thousand beautiful strokes of the pen. Watching `Der Himmel uber Berlin' is a treat for the eyes as well as the mind. It has been hailed as Wim Wenders finest film, and while I have not seen many of his other films I must say that this would be a hard film to top. If you are only aware of the Hollywood remake of this movie (i.e. `City of Angels') then you are in ... Read More
Rating: - Wim Wenders' best film
Though some can argue about Paris, Texas or the likes of Faraway, So Close!, I believe this to be Wim Wenders' best film.
It serves as not only a poem of romance, but as one for life and love of the city of Berlin. The plot follows a lonely angel who falls in love and wishes for life, even knowing all the hardships and heartbreaks that are included.
Wenders paints a beautiful picture with the words and actions of the characters. A truly uplifting film.
The DVD ... Read More
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