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Wings
of Desire is a mysterious and captivating film, intriguing
you right from the first sounds coming from Bruno Ganz`s voice;
a peculiar singsong phrasing which can only have its effect
coming from the German tongue. This is a German film directed
by Wim Wenders in around 1987, and stars Bruno Ganz and Peter
Falk. Those who have seen the Hollywood remake, City of Angels,
may be somewhat surprised at the lack of formula storyline
in this original. Wings of Desire is not a romance, unlike
the remake, but an discourse on what it means to be human.
It is also a film immersed in mood, and style, and ideas,
and devoid of a solid plot in the conventional sense.
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The
basic outline of the story is probably already familiar from
viewers of the remake. Two angels keep watch over the citizens
of Berlin. They themselves, of course, cannot experience life
itself, but are required to observe the activities and feelings
of the people around them. For what reason I cannot be sure.
Then again I don`t think these angels really know either.
It`s a way of life for them, to put it mildly. They are commanded
by God to act this way, so they don`t argue. Well, all but
one..... the angel played by Ganz. He, right from the start,
finds a fascination with the activities of the average human
being. He wants to know what it`s like to laugh, to associate
with others, etc.
The
Ganz character, in his travels, encounters a woman (a trapese
artist in this version) and he develops a facination with
her. It`s hard to know whether it is really love or just the
angel`s belief that she represents all that is provocative
and exceptional among humans, and therefore proof that it
is much better to become human. His belief is somewhat interesting
becasue it doesn`t appear that she has a very happy life.
The circus she performs for is closing down due to lack of
funds. She feels lost, aimless; in a world where things just
begin and end and do the same thing all over again. Life does
not hold any pleasure for her. And yet, the angel falls in
love with her misery. It`s as if in having misery you at least
know you are alive. The angel, on the other hand, has nothing
going for him, negative or otherwise. He wants some suffering
and pain in his life, as much as he wants the happiness and
joy.
As
I`ve said, there really isn`t so much of a story as there
is an expression of mood and ideas. Many of the ideas involve
the relationship between humans and the spiritual world, especially
the unusual communication between the angels and the people
they encounter. The angels are of course able to read everybody`s
thoughts, which are heard by us in a very faint whisper, much
like the noises in my imagination would sound to me. As well,
certain people are somehow knowledgable of the angels. These
people are, to the best of my memory, small children and old
people. I developed an undoubtedly unoriginal theroy on this:
these two demographics are able to sense the angels because
they are closer to the spiritual realm than all other humans.
For young people, they have just recently entered the earthly
realm, their senses not yet trained fully, and so still recognize
the aspects of the spiritual which thier souls had previously
exited. Old people, on the other hand, become aware again
of the spiritual world as they creep ever closer to death,
knowing that they will return to a similar state as that of
the celestial presence before them.
The
film is shot in both black-and-white and color, and is immensely
crucial to the philosophical underpinnings of the film. The
angels cannot experience earthly life in anyway, by any of
their senses, and the perfect visual representation of their
isolation is the draining of color from the screen. The imagery
is stately, rigid, stylized, and of course totally devoid
of any of the mundane color Ganz`s character so desperately
wants to experience. So whenever you see that color, it becomes
a real shock, a real flood upon the senses. You are tempted
to feel exactly as Ganz feels, that it truly is such a fascinating
world out there.
And
finally, I must mention Peter Falk, who plays himself in this
movie. You would probably wonder what Columbo is doing in
an arty German film, but here he is. What`s the deal, you
say. Well, it is a big deal, for as the film develops, we
realize that Falk is a mysterious presence throughout the
entire story. Sure, he`s also in Berlin filming a crime drama
probably not unlike his old series, but he has another mission
which is completely crucial to the plot. Without revealing
what that is, I can say that even if this character had been
a fictional creation, everything which occurs would still
make sense. I think the use of Falk represents Wenders` fascination
with American culture, which reveals itself throughout the
movie, but he still uses "Detective Columbo" wisely. What
transpires is, I feel, the most innovative use of a real person,
playing him/herself, in a fictional production. There are
a number of great scenes with him, which I wouldn`t dare reveal,
except to say that I think you will be surprised at the revelation
later on in the film.
In
a way, as well, the presence of Falk helps underscore the
universality of the story. While this is a German film, Falk
is an American. And the trapeze artist is French, speaking
her language in her interior monologues. This is a story about
the nature of humanity in the most general sense. And who
couldn`t appreciate the gift of life one has when one hears
of an angel wishing he could someday have a drink of coffee,
or feel the bitter cold on his hands and face. Sure, to us,
having our morning coffee is an extremly minor event. But
when you think about it, it must have taken a lot of work
for whomever it was that created us to allow us to experience
that event. And one barren of a particular sensory experience
would think it very extraordinary indeed.
David
Macdonald
David
Macdonald's Movie Reviews
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