What is the true nature of angels as seen by genius Wim Wenders in "Wings of Desire"?

“Angel’s gaze” from cutting-edge rock and great masters

A live house appears twice in the play as an important setting for this work. Many people may remember this scene as a scene in which a Japanese woman appears. The first performance will be performed by Crime & The City Solutions, and the second by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds. Both bands were originally from Australia and based in Berlin at the time. Wenders, who has loved rock music since he was 15 years old, found their sound new and invited them to shoot this film.

In particular, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' appearance at the climax leaves a strong impression. Not only is the song ``From Her to Eternity'' wild, but frontman Nick Cave's spirited performance is overwhelming. Wenders once said, ``Nick is the Angel of Berlin,'' and placing him in key moments of the film probably reflects that sentiment. By the way, "From Her to Eternity" was also performed at the performance in Japan the year after the film was released in Japan, and it remains a standard song at Cave's live performances.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds "From Her to Eternity"

There are many angels who contributed to this film, but the three masters to whom Wenders dedicated it - Yasujiro Ozu, François Truffaut, and Andrei Tarkovsky - are undeniable for their great inspiration. He's an angel. In this film, when Damiel changes from an angel to a human, the black-and-white film changes to color, but the poetic beauty of the black-and-white images also applies to the works of these masters. They truly had the gaze of an angel.

After the success of this film, Wenders created the sequel `` On the Wings of Time/Faraway So Close! '' (1993), which was his long-awaited work. ``Wings of Desire'' was also remade in Hollywood under the title ` `City of Angels '' (1998), which also received positive reviews. Handke won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2019. Demartin passed away in 2007 and Ganz in 2019, both of whom were sadly missed, but I can't help but feel like they are still gazing at the city of Berlin like angels.

Text: Manabu Soma

After working as an information magazine editor, became a freelance writer. He writes articles and reviews for magazines such as ``SCREEN,'' ``DVD & Video Distribution,'' and ``Cinema Square,'' as well as theater pamphlets and the movie site ``Cinema Today.'' Currently appearing on Star Channel "GO! Theater". I host club events as a hobby.

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