Review of Wings of Desire (1987) by Louis B — 07 Oct 2014

Wings of Desire gives a great perspective of what an angel's view on the world might be. The movie takes place in Berlin where an angel, Damiel (Bruno Ganz), imagines what it would be like to be human. He wants to experience emotions, time, and ignorance. Opposing his view is the angel Cassiel (Otto Sander) who thinks that they would be better off not hoping for something like that. The desire that Damiel has over shadows that of Cassiel's, and makes for a very insightful movie that shows why life is not to be taken for granted.

In one of the first scenes of the movie, Damiel can be seen standing on a towering building looking down at city below. He is observing people just walking and living their everyday lives. His angel wings can be seen protruding out of his back. This makes the audience aware that Damiel is not a depressed person looking to jump, but is actually an angel. This scene basically defines what the point of an angel is. Angels are used as a sort of record keeper for God. They have seen everything from the beginning of time, but do not actually follow time themselves. It is interesting when Damiel has the idea to break away from his fate as an angel.

Damiel shows very human like characteristics when he falls in love with a human named Marion (Solveig Dommartin). He first sees her when she is swinging on the trapeze, practicing with her failing circus troupe and instantly knows that he must be with her. Although, because he is an angel, all Damiel can do is watch as she goes through her life. It is important to note from this that the movie shows angels as imperfect. It is easy to assume that angels are free of desires, but this is a great example of how human they can be.

The use of colors in Wings of Desire is also important for the audience. The majority of the film is in black and white with color taking full effect for half of that time. The black and white is used to show the angel's perspective. It offers that the angel has a very bland existence. They cannot feel pain or understand colors, but know everything that has and will happen. This takes out the ability to be surprised by anything which makes everything seem boring and uneventful. On the other hand, color, is used to represent the exact opposite. It makes the view of the world bright and hopeful. This is used for the perspective of the humans. It shows the beauty of people being able to experience what the world has to offer. This contrast of colors can help the viewer transition and distinguish between the human world and that of the angels.

The overall message that Wings of Desire sends off is to pursue anything you want in life. It doesn't mean that the journey will be easy, but if the hope and belief in success is strong enough, anything is possible. The movie also contains, if not more importantly, the idea of appreciating the small things in life. Something as simple as feeling the wind or looking at plants is what makes life amazing. This film would be perfect for anyone questioning if life is worth living. I greatly enjoyed this movie and would recommend it to anyone I know.