Wings of Desire

Name: Wings of Desire
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Released: May 6, 1988
Duration: 128 min
Rating: 79
Cast: Bruno Ganz, Curt Bois, Otto Sander, Peter Falk, Solveig Dommartin

1988

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 9 Critic Reviews

See All

USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 89 Ratings

See All

7.8

VOTE NOW

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

7.8	Your Score
7.8	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 89 Ratings

Would you like to write a review?

There is a 75 character minimum for reviews. If your review contains spoilers, please check the Spoiler box. Please do not use ALL CAPS. There is no linking or other HTML allowed. Your review may be edited for content. 0/5000

Check box if your review contains spoilers

Movie Details & Credits

Orion Classics | Release Date: May 6, 1988 | PG-13

Starring: Bruno Ganz, Curt Bois, Otto Sander, Peter Falk, Solveig Dommartin

Summary: Wim Wenders directed this enchanting fantasy about an angel who, while wandering unseen through West Berlin, falls in love with a beautiful circus performer and decides to become human. (MGM)

Director: Wim Wenders

Genre(s): Drama, Fantasy, Romance

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 128 min

See All Details and Credits

Watch Now

Buy on

Stream On

Expand

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

Critic Reviews

100

Desson Thomson

Wings is a soaring vision that appeals to the senses and the spirit. (Review of Original Release) Read full review

100

Staff (Not credited)

Wim Wenders returns to Germany with a sublimely beautiful, deeply romantic film for our times. (Review of Original Release) Read full review

100

Roger Ebert

Astonishing things happen and symbolism can only work by being apparent. For me, the film is like music or a landscape: It clears a space in my mind, and in that space I can consider questions. (Review of Original Release) Read full review

Richard Corliss

Wings of Desire works hard to be both an essay and a love story, a mural and an intimate portrait. To savor this film, the viewer must work hard too. But when the artists behind the screen and the angels in the audience meet, it's like a smoke and coffee: fantastic! (1998 May 9, p. 79)

Rita Kempley

An ingratiating West German "Heaven Can Wait." (Review of Original Release) Read full review

Noel Murray

Though Wings Of Desire has a classic look, its mood and style is New Wave in every sense of the term. The synthesis of deep thought, leisurely pacing, and stunning visuals is in the spirit of work by the young European filmmakers of the '60s and '70s. (Reviewed in 2003 for DVD Release) Read full review

Elvis Mitchell

Startlingly original at first, Wings of Desir' is in the end damagingly overloaded. The excesses of language, the ceaseless camera movement, the unyielding whimsy have the ultimate effect of wearing the audience down. (Review of Original Release) Read full review

SEE ALL 9 REVIEWS

Write a Review

User Reviews

PatrickD.

Mar 26, 2006

Amazing and inspirational!

0 of 0 users found this helpful

VinceRocks123

Apr 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

alejandro970

Mar 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 half color. Pay attention for Peter "Columbo" Falk.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Hxkd

Oct 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 the end of the day comparing notes with each otherWhen 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

SarahCrescenzo1

Oct 21, 2018

Wings of Desire is a great film and was constructed with great thought and effort. The combination of color, voiceovers, and comedic relief to such a deep and dark film makes it an excellent choice for those looking for a different film that is unlike most.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

DylanWeasel

Oct 25, 2018

The film Wings of Desire, a foreign film made in 1987, takes an intriguing approach to the element of color and plot. It is directed by Wim Wenders, who is a German filmmaker. It is based in Berlin, which at the time was divided by the Berlin Wall. Even with the high potential of the film,The film Wings of Desire, a foreign film made in 1987, takes an intriguing approach to the element of color and plot. It is directed by Wim Wenders, who is a German filmmaker. It is based in Berlin, which at the time was divided by the Berlin Wall. Even with the high potential of the film, it was not executed properly. This is apparent due to the confusing plot and its overall appeal to a viewer. The film is quite drab and lacks cohesiveness which takes away from its potential of being a good movie. The film overall has a very eerie feel which can be a little unsettling at times due to the choice of music which some viewers might enjoy, while others may not. There are many different reasons for this review, including the amount of random camera scenes that are extremely dragged out and have no reason to be in the film. The plot is so hard to understand/follow that it may leave you wondering what is happening for the entire first half of the film.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

mattdinovo

Oct 22, 2018

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Matthew DiNovo
The movie, Wings of Desire, is a 1987 classic fantasy romance German film from Wim Wenders. This movie is not anywhere close to a decent film for multiple reasons. Wings of Desire is about angels, and who would have portrayed angels as boring, depressed men in everyday clothes other than the director Wim Wenders. Other famous movies of his include Pope Francis a Man of His Word, Pina, The Salt of the Earth, and Until the End of the World, which also can’t be much better basing my judgement off Wings of Desire. The slow, confusing, and what seems to be missing plot mixes well with the black and white cinematography and three languages spoken in the movie to create a two-hour disaster. If there was one movie to receive a negative rating, it would be Wings of Desire.
Initially, one would think of an angel as someone who is happy, heavenly, and actively helps people. This, unfortunately, is not the case in Wings of Desire. The two main characters, Damiel and Cassiel, are both angels who aimlessly roam about Berlin in search of pretty much nothing. It appears as if they have no purpose for being where they are, and both seem to hate being angels as well. It becomes so awful that Damiel eventually wants to become a human himself.
Damiel and Cassiel do not have any other features humans do such as the senses of touch, smell, taste, the desire for love and lust. This explains why a good portion of the movie is in black and white to show the plainness of these angels. Damiel struggles with this the most because he begins to envy Marion, who can experience everything he cannot. Marion ends up being the reason Damiel wants to become mortal. As previously stated, both Damiel and Cassiel cannot be seen by people, except children. This fact is next to useless because the children in Wings of Desire need no intervention from these ‘divine’ creatures. Angels are supposed to help people, right? Not the case in this movie. There is a scene in which a man is contemplating suicide by jumping off a skyscraper and Cassiel is next to the man listening to his thoughts. Instead of doing the angelic act and saving the man from killing himself, Cassiel just passively stands by and makes no real attempt to stop the man. Allowing someone to commit suicide does not sound godlike. Another agonizing aspect of Wings of Desire is the painfully long scenes that serve no purpose other than to make the movie longer, which is not a good thing. The band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds is also featured in the movie, but they have no impact at all. There are two scenes where they fully play the songs The Carny and From Her to Eternity, which is coupled with the corny dancing of Solveig Dommartin and the other extras to yield one of the most cringy movie scenes ever seen. Wim Wenders made the poor decision to make these scenes way too long does not help the already boring film. Marion (Solveig Dommartin) also has a way-too-long trapeze act scene during her circus days. The most disappointing aspect of these scenes is that they have no purpose. If they were cut out, the movie would be the same, and equally as bad. Marion also has a seven-minute monologue in a bar with Damiel. This scene has some significance because it depicts Marion and Damiel finally being together, but once again it is agonizing to watch. Both angels appear to have the ability to read people thoughts. Of course, Wim Wenders completely fails at making this interesting because of even more long, useless scenes. Damiel and Cassiel are seen walking down streets or in a library reading the random thoughts of people. These merely add to the disappointment Wings of Desire gives its audience. The biggest part of Wings of Desire, and quite possibly the worst, is the ‘big surprise’ ending. This section of the review does contain a spoiler, but rest assured there is nothing to be upset about. Throughout the movie Damiel has an internal conflict because he is an angel, but somehow falls in love with a human woman Marion. This love he has for her drives him to enter the river and transform into a mortal. Damiel’s change from angel to mortal for a girl he has never met makes no sense, and the way he and Marion meet is even more strange. Marion finds herself sitting alone in a bar and guess who she is sitting next to. Yes, you are right, its Damiel. How did this happen? No one will ever understand the basic, one dimensional way that Damiel and Marion meet, and somehow Marion ends up giving a speech to Damiel. This leads to them kissing in the bar and the movie ends. The ending is the dagger this film needed to make it one of the worst movies ever made. There is no resolution to Damiel’s minor internal conflict, and there surely is no explanation for anything else in the movie either.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

SEE ALL 26 REVIEWS