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| DIRECTED BY |
| Wim Wenders
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| STARRING |
| Bruno Ganz |
| Solveig Dommartin |
| Otto Sander |
| Peter Falk |
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One of the opening shots is among the most mesmerizing I�ve ever seen � with the Berlin skyline in the background, a man stands atop a monument and we�re subtly revealed his angelic qualities through an opalescent set of wings that subtly protrude from his back. And once one gets by the often over-intellectualized and endlessly philosophical voiceover narration, it becomes quite easy to invest emotion and empathy within yourself for these characters � particularly for the angel Damiel (Ganz) who yearns to experience genuine human life for himself. The film itself is remarkably well constructed, with some virtuosic camerawork that never gets too simple or complex.
It was a great idea to use various film stocks/filters to represent the film�s differing points of view (b&w representing the angels� and color representing the humans�.) Surely one of the film�s greatest curiosities is the vast amount of deep thinking and philosophizing that each character who we encounter does � I mean, if everyone thinks this way all the time then I must be quite inane. Nonetheless, Wenders makes up for these illogicalities in other ways � such as his decision to not focus his film too heavily upon religion. Sure, its central characters are angels, but the film attempts to be as universal as possible by never harping upon one particular faith.
As pristine as the film sometimes seems, there are definite faults: take note of when that girl at the circus sitting next to Ganz clearly looks up at him, acknowledging his presence (he�s an angel � she shouldn�t see him.) It may initially seem confusing that these angels are mostly portrayed as simply being observers and �storytellers� of humanity rather than actual guardians, but the fact that they try to guard but only rarely succeed is another testament to the film�s emotional weight (take note of that heartbreakingly puzzling suicide scene.)
Despite the mostly contemplative value of �Wings of Desire,� it contains at least one hysterical scene: when a group of teenagers stop after seeing Peter Falk (playing himself) and one exclaims �Isn�t that Colombo?� only to have his friends deny it. Speaking of Falk � as great of an actor as he is, it doesn�t seem quite right to make him into a divine being � his character probably would�ve been better off fictionalized.
The dialogue gets way too heavy-handed at times, particularly in that scene near the end in which Damiel and Marion finally meet - no one is going to get that philosophical upon a first meeting � these conversations should�ve been treated more realistically. The film�s theme � to not take life for granted and to appreciate everything it has to offer, including its simplicities � may seem like a clich�, but it is delivered as earnestly and effectively here as I�ve ever seen.
