"Wings of Desire" offers a unique exploration of embodiment, presenting the body not as a static object, but as a dynamic process of becoming.
Title: Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin)
Country: Bundesrepublik Deutschland
Year: 1987
Directed by Wim Wenders
Starring: Bruno Ganz, Solveig Dommartin, Otto Sander, Curt Bois, Peter Falk
Costume design by Monika Jacobs
Damiel and his fellow angel Cassiel move unseen among the Berlin’s inhabitants, listening to their inner thoughts, providing silent comfort, and documenting human emotions and struggles. Unlike humans, these angels can hear people's most intimate thoughts and feelings but cannot physically interact with the world. They provide a kind of spiritual witnessing to human existence.
The narrative takes a transformative turn when Damiel becomes fascinated with a French circus performer named Marion and falls in love with her. He begins to long for human experiences - the ability to feel physical sensations, to experience pain and joy, to truly live rather than just observe. This desire becomes a metaphorical journey of wanting to transcend spiritual existence and embrace human vulnerability.
Peter Falk, playing himself in the film, becomes an unexpected catalyst. As it turns out, he is a former angel who chose to become human, and his presence encourages Damiel's growing desire to experience human life. Eventually, Damiel makes the momentous decision to renounce his immortality and become human, driven by his love for Marion and his yearning to truly experience life.
Review
Set in Berlin during the Cold War, the film subtly reflects the city's divided nature. The angels' ability to move freely across physical and metaphorical boundaries serves as a powerful metaphor for human connection beyond political and physical barriers.
At its core, "Wings of Desire" is a philosophical exploration of human consciousness. The angels represent a form of pure perception, witnessing human emotions without experiencing them. Damiel's desire to become human symbolizes a profound existential longing - the wish to move from merely observing life to actively participating in it. The film essentially asks: What does it mean to truly inhabit a body? How do physical sensations define human experience? Wenders transforms the body from a mere biological entity to a profound philosophical landscape.
The film beautifully captures the complexity of human experience: our capacity for suffering, joy, love, and connection. By presenting angels who are curious about human life, Wenders invites viewers to reconsider the extraordinary nature of seemingly mundane human experiences.
Wim Wenders was inspired by
Benjamin, Walter (1892-1940). “Theses on the Philosophy of History”. In Benjamin, Walter. Illuminations. Edited by Hannah Arendt. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1968: 255-266 https://archive.org/details/illuminations0027benj/mode/2up (loan available; registration required with a personal account)
Klee, Paul (1879-1940). Angelus Novus. 1920. The Israel Museum, Jerusalem https://www.imj.org.il/en/collections/199799-0
Rilke, Rainer Maria (1875-1926). Duineser Elegien. Insel-Verlag, 1923 (edition published in a London: Printed for the Hogarth Press, 1931 https://archive.org/details/duineserelegiene00rilk/mode/2up ) (loan available; registration required with a personal account)
Sander, August (1876-1964), Gabriele Conrath-Scholl, and SK Stiftung Kultur Photographische Sammlung. August Sander. Menschen des 20. Jahrhunderts. Ein Kulturwerk in Lichtbildern Eingeteilt in 7 Gruppen. München: Schirmer/Mosel, 2010.
Inspired by Wings of Desire
Louis Vuitton, s/s 2021 fashion show https://www.wim-wenders.com/event/wings-of-desire-2/
Silberling, Brad. City of Angels. USA, 1998
Wenders, Wim. In weiter Ferne, so nah! Germany, 1993
Wim Wenders (1945- ) [a selection]
"Document, guest-edited by Wim Wenders" Another a/w 2015: 1-32 (login with Polimoda account)
Im Lauf der Zeit, 1976
Der amerikanische Freund, 1977
Paris, Texas, 1984
Der Himmel über Berlin, 1987
Aufzeichnungen zu Kleidern und Städten, 1989
Bis ans Ende der Welt, 1991 (Part 1; Part 2; Part 3)
Pina, 2011
Lindbergh, Peter. Images of Women II, 2005-2014. Munich: Schirmer/Mosel, 2014.
Venzago, Alberto. Voodoo. Mounted by the Gods. München: Prestel, 2003.
Wings of Desire
Butchart, Amber Jane. The Fashion of Film. How Cinema has Inspired Fashion. London: Mitchell Beazley, 2016.
Wenders, Wim. "On Wings of Desire", Criterion, 9/11/2009 https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1290-on-wings-of-desire (accessed 07/12/2024)
Rom, Ron. "Wim Wenders. Don't move. You are being watched", Dazed and confused, 38/1998: 40-44 (login with Polimoda account)
Cave, Nick. Stranger than Kindness. Edinburgh, Scotland: Canongate, 2020 (Catalogue of the exhibition, Copenhagen, Royal Danish Library, 23 March -3 October 2020. Exhibition sponsered by Gucci].
Libraries
Campbell, James W. P. The Library. A World History. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2013.
Catalano, Maria Ida. Il Pavimento della Biblioteca Mediceo Laurenziana. Firenze: Cantini, 1992.
De Poli, Aldo. Biblioteche. Architetture 1995-2005. Milano: F. Motta, 2002.
Libraries. Dublin: Roads, 2014.
Orlow, Uriel. Deposits. Berlin: The Green Box, 2006.
Tang, Jo-ey, Hinrichs, Heide and Elizabeth Haines (eds.). Shelf Documents. Art Library as Practice. Antwerp, Berlin: Royal Academy of Fine Arts Antwerp ; b_books, 2021.
Angels
Boerner, Maria-Christina, and Rolf Toman. Angelus & Diabolus, angels and devils. The history of good and evil in Christian Art. Potsdam: H.F. Ullmann, 2016.
Knapp, Gottfried. Angels, Archangels and All the Company of Heaven. Munich: Prestel, 1995.
Pearson, Gena M. Cherubs. A Joyous Celebration. Philadelphia: Courage Books, 1998.
Berlin
Adam, Hans Christian. Berlin. Portrait of a City. Köln: Taschen, 2007.
Alacevich, Francesco, Alessandro Alacevich, and Ruggero Guarini. Scritto sul Muro. I Graffiti del Muro di Berlino. Roma: Gremese, 1991.
Berghain Ostgut GmbH (ed.). Berghain. Art in the Club. Ostfildern: Berghain ; Hatje Cantz, 2015.
Bonaventura, Tommaso, and Elisa Del Prete. 100 DM. Cinisello Balsamo, Roma: Silvana editoriale ; Luce Cinecittà, 2019.
Holiday, 388/2021
Hossfeld, Johannes, Joyce Nyairo, and Florian Sievers (eds.). Ten Cities. Clubbing in Nairobi, Cairo, Kyiv, Johannesburg, Naples, Berlin, Luanda, Lagos, Bristol, Lisbon : 1960 - March 2020. Leipzig: Spector Books, 2020.
Rau-Häring, Nelly. Ost/West Berlin. Berlin: Hatje Cantz, 2020. (CAtalogue of the exhibition, Berlin, f3 - Freiraum für Fotografie, 7 November 2019 - 19 January 2020)
Circus
De Ritis, Raffaele. Storia del Circo: dagli Acrobati Egizi a Cirque Du Soleil. Roma: Bulzoni, 2008.
Jacob, Pascal. Une Histoire du Cirque. Paris: Seuil : Bibliotèque nationale de France, 2016.
Miraldi, Maria Luisa, and Arianna Piazza. Circus Style Fashion Show. Yesterday versus Today, Arti E Stile. L’immaginario Del Circo Come Linguaggio Visivo. Milano: 24 Ore Cultura, 2017.
Plorutti, Giuliano. Circus. Bologna: Damiani, 2013.
Schlüter, Maik. Cindy Sherman, Clowns. Hannover: Schirmer Mosel, 2004.
Weber, Susan, Kenneth L. Ames, and Matthew Wittmann (eds.). The American Circus. New York, London: Bard Graduate Center: Decorative Arts, New Haven: Yale University Press, 2012.
[Published 09/12/2024]