Wings of Desire

Saturday, August 29 - Thursday, September 17, 2015

Wim Wenders in person Sat Aug 29 for Q&A following 2:35pm show!

Intro by former Wenders assistant Ulla Zwicker Sat Sep 12 at 6:55pm show!

DCP projection

WINGS OF DESIRE marked Wenders’s homecoming and was his first German film after eight years in America. The main characters are guardian angels— benevolent, invisible beings in trench coats—who listen to the thoughts of mortals and attempt to comfort them. One of them, Damiel (Bruno Ganz), wishes to become human after he falls in love with the beautiful trapeze artist Marion (Solveig Dommartin). Peter Falk, playing himself, helps Damiel during his transformation by introducing him to life’s little pleasures. The film is narrated from the perspective of the angels, who see the world in black and white. Only when Damiel becomes human does the world of color reveal itself to him. He leaves behind his old friend Cassiel (Otto Sander), who continues to be accompanied by Homer (Curt Bois), the “storyteller of humanity.” The film has achieved cult status around the world; in 1998, it was remade under the title City of Angels, with Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan in the lead roles.

Part of the retrospective “Wim Wenders: Portraits Along the Road”

• Country Germany
• Year 1987
• Running Time 128 minutes
• Director Wim Wenders

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.