"
Wings of Desire" is the movie of Wim Wenders who is one of the best-known directors
of Germany. No doubt, “Wings of Desire” is best work and it is the movie
that has many prizes (ex. Best Director at Cannes 1987). The original
name is “
Der Himmel über Berlin” and the direct translation is "
Sky above
Berlin". The main city of the movie, Berlin, is full of angels in the
movie that are moving around and listening to the tortured thoughts of mortals.
Angels never interfere the lives of mortals and they just try to comfort them
by touching or telling something that mortals are not able to hear. Damiel and
Cassiel are two angels that hang around Berlin and observe people and listen to
their thoughts. They are immortals so they know the past of German and the
present time that they are in and they compare two Germans in some scenes. One
day, Damiel (
Bruno Ganz) meets to a beautiful trapeze artist, Marion (
Solveig
Dommartin), in a circus and he fell in love with her. Damiel wishes to become
mortal as humans after falling in love and after meeting Peter Falk who
explains Damiel the joys of being human and feeling like a human. Even the
small things that we don’t give emphasis in daily life such as bath, coffee and
cigarette might be valuable than we think. As it is understood, the movie is
reflected from the angel’s point-of-view and it is mostly black and white since
angels can not see that colors of life. Some scenes are in color but these
parts are the human’s point of view. The movie ends with a statement “
to be
continued” and it gives a message that it will continue. And it is followed
by “Faraway, So close” in 1993.
There may be a
lot of different comments about this movie but I believe that the differences
between scenes show the difference between life with love and without love. For
Damiel, love give color to his life as it always gives color to human’s life.
When the film ends, the audience will think that they have read a wonderful
poem and they will understand better what is to feel like a human.
The Sky above
Berlin, tells the story of Berlin and people who live in Berlin from the eyes
of two angels that are squeezed from immortality and eternity. “Wings
of Desire” is one of most iconic movie of Wenders at the same time.
Children are the most important symbols in the film. Even in the beginning of
the film, we can read what Damiel writes about the children. Damiel explains
why children are so special. A child is a symbol of purity. At the same time,
this purity makes the children understand the world, look what is at the back
of visible, and see the fascinating truth. So that, only children can sees
angels. And children ask the questions that are not questioned. Why am I me and
not you? Why I am here and not there? When does the time begin and where does
the space end? Does evil really exist and which people are really bad?
“Longing.
Longing for a wave of love that would stir in me. That's what makes me clumsy.
The absence of pleasure. Desire for love. Desire to love.”
"… I was
often alone but never lived alone."
“Only
with him could I be alone, open for him. And welcome him wholly to me, and we
could share in happiness. I know that it's you.”
“Time is a treat
of everything but what if the time is the disease itself? Everything is so
empty, so compatible. Emptiness, the fear, fear fear… like an animal lost in
the jungle. Who are you, now; I don’t know…Berlin… I am a stranger here but it
sounds familiar"
