Art for Art: A Poetry-True Film
Structure
1. The image of Berlin 2. Rethinking Human Life 3. Searching for Light in Darkness
Themes
«The sky above Berlin» is a dissonance of life, death, love and war. Humans are chaotic, but alive and bright. Angelian is harmonious but insensitive and monochrome. An angel’s humanity is becoming a reflection of the minds of the 20th century people.
Review
«The sky above Berlin» is a dissonance of life, death, love and war. Berlin is not a place of action, it’s a separate world, it’s people. The city is the main image of Vima Wenders. «What is felt since arrival in Berlin: something in the air, under the feet, in the faces of people; what makes life in this city so different from life in others» is a quote by the director. The picture of Vim Wenders is true — it reflects the situation and consciousness of the people in the postwar crisis. The fallen spirit must accept the worthless existence. It is not for everyone to find the strength to move on. The visual aesthetic of the film supports the idea. Despite the dreary paint and melancholic monologues, Henri Alekana’s camerawork filled the film with special artwork. He was able to picture the long — suffering Berlin in a poetic light. From the beginning, the viewer has observed urban landscapes from the height of the bird’s (Angelian) flight, black and white Berlin, in which thousands of lives, past and future are mired.
Angel Damiel sitting on the Victory Column
People’s lost eyes reflect a print of time. The scene with the older writer, whose memory is remembered by the tragic peripetia of Nazi Germany, and the reading of the poem by the genius writer Peter Handke, give the viewer the opportunity to relive the carefree period of his life, to feel the fullness of his emotions and to forget the anxiety for a moment. When the child was a child, he didn’t know he was a child… children are innocent, their soul is intact. Only a child can see an angel. At that time, adults, confused with routines, are caught up in their thoughts about endless problems and missed opportunities. In the center of the tape, two angels, Damiel and Cassel, are witnesses of God, eternal observers of the human world. The angel’s life isn’t as beautiful as it looks. Their world is devoid of colors and feelings. They are doomed to wander forever by loose creatures and to observe the course of time. Yes, man’s world is far from perfect, but that’s what gives him the taste of life. Marion is an air gymnast whose acrobatic movements are not ideal and its inner world lacks harmony. Humans are chaotic, but alive and bright. Angelian is harmonious but insensitive and monochrome.
Images from the film «Sky above Berlin,» 1987
Sources
Wings of Desire mobile review & film summary (1988) / Rogerbert.com URL: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-wings-of-designire1988 (date of address: 20.11.2024)Wings of Desire review — Wim Wenders / elegica Hymn to a broken Cold-war Berlin // the Guardian (https://amp.theguardian.com/film/2022/jun/22/of-desire-review-Wim-wim-wenders-elegyac-hymn-to-broken-cold-war-berlin) Classic Vima Wenders film «Sky above Berlin» / Snob UrL: https://snob.ru/culture/i-spaset-nas-vseh-tolko-lyubov-klassichij-film-vim-vendersa-nebo-nad-berlinom/ (date of address: 17.11.2024) Nebo over Berlin / Der Himmelüber Berlin (1987): photos, images and posters from the film URL: https://www.vokrug.tv/photo/produc/der_immel_berlin/ (date of address: 17.11.2024)