Just watched this movie and came to finish this video which I started a quarter in but watched the movie first before finishing. That scene honestly was amazing, the heartbreak of what seemed to be a being who loved and wanted to be human watching one destroy themselves, the heartbreak in just a small moment was powerful and well acted.
So I first watched Der Himmel über Berlin this year, somewhere halfway through recovering from a depression. I don't think I've ever seen a film that captures the feeling of numbness that you somehow have to overcome to get out of a depression so well (or that made bad coffee in a plastic cup look so good). That's what the angelic existence felt like to me. The film seemed really blatant about that symbolism too, honestly, with the colors and lack thereof from the angelic perspective. Because life truly does feel, smell and taste gray when you're depressed. You feel like a disconnected observer. Bruno "falling" is reconnecting with your senses. I still get tears in my eyes thinking of how he touches that stone and really feels the texture for the first time, or smells that bad cup of coffee and is so acutely there in the moment, smelling it... when he does, I feel that stone. I smell that coffee. And it makes me want to live and experience, just like he wants to To me this is a movie about overcoming depression and embracing life in all of its melancholic beauty
This is like a year later so you'll probably never see this comment but I just wanted to say that this is so on point and perfectly sums up why I adore this movie. Thank you for writing this
I think that the shape of the water has a little bit of that. The main character may as well have been an Insmouth girl, who ends up with the fish man, but unlike Lovecraft's story, she doesn't do it because some deranged cult made her, not for some nihilistic drive, but instead it's out of real love.
Maybe not an optimistic Lovecraft story, but the film Annihilation is to me a 21st Century Lovecraft story that ultimately tells us to accept the cosmic unknown rather than reject it.
"Optimistic Lovecraft" is 100% a good way to think about it. A lot of religious art can be thought of in terms of the uncanny and weird, in the Lovecraftian mode, but from a different perspective.
Most of me was engaged on an artistic level. I was so impressed that I've ordered the blu-ray. But a small part of my brain insisted on thinking how this could be spun into a Hitler In Heaven meme video.
I watched this as a makeshift double feature with "Faraway, So Close!" while riding a train from Kyiv to Lviv shortly after the revolution in 2014. Watching Damiel (and, in "Faraway," Cassiel) moving from observation of the wider world to experiencing it and interacting with it, and with that transition, living what was once a fantasy of an ordinary yet impactful life, resonated with me similarly.
You - did not publish this video today out of coincidence, did you? :) As a German I appreciate the effort and a Happy Tag der Deutschen Einheit to you, too...
My first thought when getting this motif was “this movie was referenced in a Good Omens fanfic I read last night”. I’m both slightly embarrassed and strangely proud of this
@@anafranme Indeed - when Kyle mentioned art that celebrates the everyday, I couldn't help thinking of my favorite genre of fanfiction: oneshots depicting a low-key adventure or the characters reflecting on their feelings/relationships and adjusting to a more peaceful life after the drama of canon.
The first time I ever saw this movie was at a local college’s film seminar. They did this thing every week where they screened classic films in a commercial movie theater, and had analytical discussions afterward. The students were obligated to come, and they’d need to write reports. But the seminars were open to the public, too, and so I went every week. It was easily one of the most beautiful and heartfelt movies I had ever seen.
Jasmine Hemmings Man, there were so many. Um...there was The Scent of Green Papayas, Black Girl, Nostalghia, Some Like It Hot, The Wind Rises, M*A*S*H, Dog Day Afternoon, All the President’s Men, Casablanca, the works. This was when I first started expressing interest in film criticism and analysis, and it was a fucking REVELATION.
The One and Only Michael McCormick Thank you so much for replying. Out of interest, how old were you when you started attending the lectures? I’m twenty and I feel as though I’m woefully uninformed when I’m talking to film enthusiasts of the same age as myself.
Wow. I've never seen this film, but credit to the cinematography for making it look like a film from the 1940's during the black and white shots and a film from the 1980's with the color ones. I've never seen that before - something being changed so drastically by adding the color back in.
The cinematography was done by Henri Alekan who also shot Jean Cocteau's "La Belle et la Bete" (or "Beauty and the Beast" for English speakers). Alekan used a very old and fragile silk stocking that had belonged to his grandmother as a filter for the monochromatic sequences, adding a touch of sepia to the black and white.
I've always found that that feels VERY diegetically intentional. The angels are timeless beings who don't see the world as it appears from a human perspective, so their vision looks like classical cinema, whereas human beings are of the now, so their color vision appears contemporary. I also noticed that in addition to the lack of color, the soundscape of the angelic perspective is dominated by the score and the voiceovers of people's thoughts, whereas aside from the conclusion's intimate moments, there's much less score once Damiel becomes human, but you can hear so much more of the hustle and bustle of the city.
The little detail of the angels disappearing "into" the Berlin wall, right under a graffiti that reads "We can be Heroes" at 12:22 put a small tear in my eye.
Well, now I know what to watch tomorrow night. Also, worth noting that "Himmel" means both heaven and sky, so the german title is even better than a literal translation to English could be.
I'm a German person born a few days after the official reunion of our country and I really love this movie. It's odd to see how quickly this part of our history has been ... well, not erased, it does colour our national identity and the relationship between East and West to this day, but pushed aside. To me, something that happened less than a week before my birth, has always felt like ancient history and even my parents and grandparents treated it as such, despite the fact that my maternal grandparents literally fled from the GDR. The subject has always been treated with such mundanity, odd for something that seems to loom so oppressively over the time period, and this film taught me why: It's the same mundanity that kept people sane in the aftermath of WWII, under the totalitarian control of the GDR and during the anxiety of the Cold War. "Der Himmel Über Berlin" captures that mindset so wonderfully - the tragedy, the anxiety, the isolation, the denial, the repressed hope, the peace, the beauty, the defiant lust for life. It's truly one of the best examples of what a mood piece can be artistically. Anyway: One of your greatest video essays yet, up there with your examination of Black Mirror. Thank you for your great work!
I think all of the best media ultimately defaults back to the mundane. Like, I can see Spider-Man beat Doc Ok a thousand times, but that's not why I read his books. It's because Peter and Miles are such relatable everymen who happen to find themselves in extraordinary circumstances. I'm less interested in Harley Quinn for her flamboyant nature than the moments where she actually gets to exist as a character with understandable and relatable trauma. I dunno bro, I'm not an academic. I just think people crave seeing themselves reflected in media, whether it's superheroes, the champions of Earthrealm, or an angel who falls in love with the simple beauty of existing as a mortal.
And that's why Terry Pratchett is one of the greatest fantasy novelists. He started out parodying sword and sorcery stuff, but he quickly grew as a writer. The Tiffany Aching novels are very much about the beauty of the quotidian.
I absolutely agree. One function of art is that it lets you see other people/personalities/characters make choices, contend with their feelings and challenges, and undergo profound experiences, so you feel better equipped to do the same.
Wings of Desire is the most literary and poetic movie I have ever seen. I think that is because Peter Handke was involved. It's as if Rilke were reincarnated. The connection between the Diuno Elegies and this film is amazing. Thanks for pointing that out.
There are no "just lives", good sir. The scene on the rooftop, the one that haunts me even after all these years since seeing this film, is an argument for that. How many humans must the angels have seen go that way, and yet they still lament so strongly? Each life is as important and precious as the next, and those lives are the most precious of all things.
One of my all time favorite films that I can never get anyone to watch with me for some reason. Thanks for the video Kyle! I got to see a 35mm print of it at the Egyptian years ago as part of a double feature with Edward Scissorhands for some reason. It was somehow oddly fitting. Completely different, but it really made Edward Scissorhands feel like a fever dream post-Wings of Desire. The theater was almost empty, so I got to have this lovely semi-private experience with the film out in public, and just let it wash over me. It will forever be an important film for me.
Thank you for adding a new aspect to my perception of my favorite movie that has somewhat defined me! (I would like to mention Curt Bois, whose role you honor without mentioning his name. He was from his sixth year a mostly comedic actor who gives a truly heartbreaking farewell performance here. And of course Solveig Dommartin, the most beautiful woman ever to appear on screen - who, strangely enough, died suddenly at the age of 45.)
I remember watching this movie in my German history class when I was in college, and it was one of those movies that stuck with me in a good way. A beautiful, thought-provoking examination on what it means to be alive and finding the joy in the everyday and the mundane. Thank you for sharing this video.
Pretty spot on commentary. I first found out about it being a fan of Nick Cave. Wim had great music taste and the soundtrack is amazing. Both the original score, but also the bands featured. I've had the opportunity of seeing it on the silver screen once (perhaps some 16 years ago?) and it's one of my favourite films. Up there with "Andrei Rublev" and Pink Floyd's "The Wall". The film is pure poetry. Shout out to the film's cinematographer Henri Alekan, but also to his assistant Claire Denis who became one of the best contemporary French directors.
I am so happy that after talking about City of Angels twice you finally could talk about the actual movie I have only watch bits and pieces of this movie and the sequel and I need to change that Also I think this is also my dads favorite movie because it reminds him of old east Berlin he saw as a kid That makes me think I need to watch this movie with him and ask him questions
I know you said in the video that you aren't expecting to change the world, but you have changed how I look at film, art, and history. So many of these movies I have never been exposed to in my life too, so even seeing that those pieces of media exist has been revolutionary in my life. Your videos give me that same "at peace with life" feeling you describe at the end, and you often remind me of my favorite professors from uni.
It was fifteen years ago when I first saw this for myself (through a seminar I took at W&M on Music and Film). I think like most other people, I was put off by the title. But when I saw the film for myself, boy did that perception change (so to speak). It became an instant favourite with its blend of Rilke, history, philosophy and music. I put up with the MGM DVD and was excited as anything when Criterion issued it in Blu. I've seen it in the theatres once and I know there's a pending 4k restoration and remaster for theatrical release. (By the way, Wim Wenders actually likes the English title more. From what I can recall, the rationale for the English title came from the French title he had either provided for or approved of: les ailes du desir. And thus, you get Wings of Desire.) Your sentiments are pretty much in line with mine. I love that it is a simple celebration of living. I would like to add that Wings of Desire is reminder of why whenever "Hollywood" tries to go "deep", it falls flat. Not only does City of Angels insults everyone's intelligence, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button also has a similar aim. And while a lot can be admired about its craft, I can get my cinematic profundity from films like Wings of Desire or The Tree of Life. And to add further credence to your film allegory, Henri Alekan was the cinematographer, who actually came out of retirement at Wenders's offer. Claire Denis was the assistant director and the film itself was dedicated to Ozu, Tarkovsky, and Truffaut. I would like to add that the man pointing out all the colours to Damiel is none other than Thierry Noir, who actually painted that side of the Wall.
Great video. While it's baffling the first time around, the movie becomes exponentially better with every viewing, and it's one of my absolute favorites too. I feel like watching it again right now!!
Saw it last week. I was in some sort of trance watching this, couldn't even describe what i was feeling. One of the most powerful experiences i ever had watching films.
Thank you so much for doing this one. It's been one of my favourite films since I first watched it as a teen and it always gives me such joy of life. 💚
I had heard of this film when you guest starred in Lindsay's City of Angels episode way back when, but I finally got around to it when it was one of the films assigned to me in a film studies class last semester, and I fell utterly in love with it, to the point that I chose it as the subject of my final paper. I agree with you that it's a very comforting film, though not entirely for the same reasons as you. I also find that the very concept of the angels as this film depicts them, as observers who care deeply about those they watch over even if they can't actually reach out, is impactful in its own way, especially in that it's being presented from a fairly secular perspective, without any attachment to any specific religious dogma, Christian or otherwise. But the Lovecraft point is also very valid here, because despite how clearly deep and loving these angels are, there's also something inherently unnerving both about them and for them? A lot of that can probably be chalked up to the film's score, especially in the scenes in the library, but there's the double horrific ordeals of both being utterly known with everything you are on display (i.e. being looked at from the angel's perspective) and LOSING that perspective to the uncertainty of mortal, limited existence, where you CAN'T always know how people feel and what they think of you.
I saw this as a teenager and, I don't remember why, I just didn't "get it." A few years and much life experience later, I had to watch it for a class my senior year of college, and I was suddenly struck by its beauty. I thought, "Oh, this wasn't for that other, younger version of me with all that silly angst."
I must see this film. Years ago, I didn't - the title "Wings of Desire" gave a very wrong impression. Get out my Duino Elegies first - at least I know where that is! Thank you for this.
This movie has been on my watchlist for a while. I want to start a series of groupwatches with friends, that will include this movie, The Seventh Seal, The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1939), and Point Break (1991); I'm hunting down movies that were inspirations for modern films and filmmakers. (Already seen Bladerunner: The Final Cut, Metropolis, Citizen Kain, Frankenstein, Dracula, The Shining, Silence of the Lambs, Zardoz... let me know if you can think of any Film Classics I should add to the 4 I mentioned above!)
Please do add Apocalypse Now, Terminator 2, The Reflecting Skin, Miller's Crossing, The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, Jan Svankmajer's Alice (1988), Easy Rider, City Lights (Chaplin), To KIll a Mocking Bird, Tenebre, A Clockwork Orange, The Dead Zone, The Apartment, Brazil, Stand By Me. I have many more to recommend, as there are so many great films to choose from, both mainstream and obscure. Welcome new movie buffs ;).
Metropolis might bea good addition, though there is a shorter cut that was more well-known (the full cut was lost until very recently). Also, it's a wonderful life (the movie) but you've probably seen it if you're American.
Hidetaka Koizumi that’s the thing Japan is great at .. they can tell stories with beauty and serenity .. Studio Ghibli , Cowboy Bebop and so on “ sorry can’t remember what else right now.. “ and that’s a thing we not so good at in the western.. especially America and Europe.. we become too cynical and egotistical that the idea of beauty of normal life seems laughable and lack of ambitions .. which is showing in modern media a lot.. take it easy let it flow.. there is nothing wrong with living a good life in small piece or something like that..!
@@bacht4799 dude, you have a very orientalist viewpoint here. the japanese make more animation about day to day life but we have the same with comics, webcomics and prose. many sitcoms are just slice of life. we just don't have an animation culture that portrays that as much. they aren't inherently better at it, go on the youtubes and check out animation shorts, there a talented people all over the world doing that. Also none of the studios or shows you mention are slice of life. ghibli makes dramas and fantasies, cowboy bebop is a action-noir callback.
Hidetaka Koizumi okay.. you probably right.. and it’s funny because I don’t seem myself as a manga/ anime fan or in love with the culture.. so yeah.. I don’t know what to say.. but I trying something else is good thing to because I have thought of take a long break from Anime, manga and RU-vid.. it’s not healthy to using ones iPad so much as I do.. as Kyle “ sorry I cannot spells his last name “ says.. enjoy the normal life.. !
Ulysses came to my mind when he was talking about the themes of the movie towards the end of this video too. It's not just bringing the divine down to the level of the mundane, it's bringing the mundane up to the level of the divine.
While it would be fun to see a former employee throwing shade at the work of his former employer, I don't get the sense that Kyle is that type of person.
@@writerspen010 All he did was reenact the famous songs with not so witty commentary. I don't think the team behind current channel awesome has enough merit to review anything close to art house without just making fun of how pretentious they think it is. It was the same joke throughout, they dimmed it down and I can hardly call it a review, more like a referential sketch tribute for The Wall. They just seem like they're entertaining children a lot of the time. Sure it's because of the youtube guidelines butI can not take it seriously at all.
thank you for a fantastic review, with carefully chosen words. I wonder what you think of the ever so weird (but somehow... also great ?) "Faraway, so Close". I mean, William Dafoe and Lou Reed do make their entrance in the Wings of Desire extended universe.
Kyle..."It's a movie that puts me at ease...with being alive". Yes yes and yes. I could write a whole essay inspired by your summing up, but not wanting to clog up the comments section, I'll just say, well said.
I saw this film in a theater at the time of its release, and I have always wanted to see it again but I really don't need to. Its beauty, which you describe very well, has stayed with me for over 30 years.
I remember renting this by accident around the time that City Of Angels came out, and as a bewildered 18 year old, I didn't get it. Thanks for this, I'm interested in seeing it again with fresh eyes
I love the last line of your essay. "Wings of Desire" has always inspired me and centered me after I watch it. It's always made me more interested in living.
Hey Kyle, just wanted to say that you’re a big inspiration to me both as a fellow bi guy and cinema lover. This channel is part of the reason I want to go into cinema studies. Hope you’re doing well and please keep making vids on films you like regardless of view count.
Nice to see this! I recently listened to the City of Angels episode of Bad Romance and remember you talking about this movie that I'd never heard of before.
He's been in a few of those: Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre, Messer im Kopf, The American Friend (another Wenders classic) and more recently the Baader Meinhof Complex. He's had a fantastic career.
One thing about the Homer character, it almost I think implies/follows the theory that Homer wasn't one person but many story tellers who's work was recorded on print. Like the Homer of this movie is like the amalgamation of all those former story tellers, or the ideal we have of Homer. Idk
I saw this very recently and wondered why you never made an episode about it, seemed up your alley enough. And now here it is with an interesting take as always. Thank you, Kyle.
Written by Peter Handke who went on to become an apologist for Slobodan Milosovic and Serbia's war crimes. I've never been able to accept that shift. A Sorrow Beyond Belief is an incredibly moving book but then to follow it up with A Journey to the Rivers seemed such a departure. I feel like he romanticised SFR Yugoslavia so much that he couldn't see the reality of what the Serbs did after it fell apart.
Decidedly deep, Exceptionally hilarious. Always introspective. THere is always something To Observe in kyle's videos. he manages to bring FAscinating perspective and SCenery from every subject In his videos. SMall wonder he has the loyal fans he does.
Kyles favorite movie: Black and white. Foreign. About nothing really, but life and film. And something you never heard of because 8 and a half was too well known. What were the odds? Great video btw.
I had a barrage of Pratchett quotes run through my head while watching this... Think I'll stick to: "HUMAN BEINGS MAKE LIFE SO INTERESTING. DO YOU KNOW, THAT IN A UNIVERSE SO FULL OF WONDERS, THEY HAVE MANAGED TO INVENT BOREDOM. (Death)" Also...Ineffable springs to mind, for some reason.
