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{{short description|1987 film by Wim Wenders}}
{{about|the 1987 film|the Jennifer Rush album|Wings of Desire (album){{!}}''Wings of Desire'' (album)|the racehorse|Wings of Desire (horse)|the band|Wings of Desire (band)}}
{{good article}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Wings of Desire
| image          = Wingsofdesireposter.jpg
| alt            = 
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Wim Wenders]]
| producer       = {{Plainlist |
* Wim Wenders 
* [[Anatole Dauman]]}}
| writer         = {{Plainlist |
* Wim Wenders
* [[Peter Handke]]
* [[Richard Reitinger]] (collaboration)
}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist |
* [[Bruno Ganz]]
* [[Solveig Dommartin]]
* [[Otto Sander]]
* [[Curt Bois]]
* [[Peter Falk]]
}}
| music          = [[Jürgen Knieper]]
| cinematography = [[Henri Alekan]]
| editing        = [[Peter Przygodda]]
| studio         = {{Plainlist|* Road Movies Filmproduktion<br>Argos Films<br>[[Westdeutscher Rundfunk]]}}
| distributor    = Basis-Film-Verleih GmbH (West Germany)<br />Argos Films (France)
| released       = {{Film date|df=y|1987|5|17|[[1987 Cannes Film Festival|Cannes Film Festival]]|1987|10|29|West Germany<ref name="Filmlexikon"/>}}
| runtime        = 127 minutes<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/wings-desire-1970-2 |title=Wings of Desire |access-date=13 August 2017 |publisher=[[British Board of Film Classification]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170814053843/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/wings-desire-1970-2 |archive-date=14 August 2017 }}</ref>
| country        = {{Plainlist|
* West Germany
* France}}
| language       = {{Plainlist|
* German
* English
* French
* Turkish
* Hebrew
* Spanish}}
| budget         = 5 million [[Deutsche Mark|DM]]{{sfn|Lüdi|Lüdi|2000|p=60}}
| gross          = [[United States dollar|USD$]]3.2 million<ref name="BOM">{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=wingsofdesire.htm |title=Wings of Desire |work=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=5 July 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170317151752/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=wingsofdesire.htm |archive-date=17 March 2017 }}</ref>
}}
'''''Wings of Desire''''' ({{Langx|de|Der Himmel über Berlin}}, {{IPA|de|deːɐ̯ ˈhɪml̩ ˈʔyːbɐ bɛɐ̯ˈliːn|pron|De-Der Himmel über Berlin.ogg}}; {{lit|The Heaven/Sky over Berlin}}) is a 1987 [[romantic fantasy]] film written by [[Wim Wenders]], [[Peter Handke]] and [[Richard Reitinger]], and directed by Wenders. The film is about invisible, immortal [[angel]]s who populate Berlin and listen to the thoughts of its human inhabitants, comforting the distressed. Even though the city is densely populated, many of the people are isolated or estranged from their loved ones. One of the angels, played by [[Bruno Ganz]], falls in love with a beautiful, lonely [[trapeze]] artist, played by [[Solveig Dommartin]]. The angel chooses to become mortal so that he can experience human sensory pleasures, ranging from enjoying food to touching a loved one, and so that he can discover human love with the trapeze artist.

Inspired by art depicting angels visible around [[West Berlin]], at the time encircled by the [[Berlin Wall]], Wenders and author Peter Handke conceived of the story and continued to develop the screenplay throughout the [[Cinema of France|French]] and [[Cinema of Germany|German]] co-production. The film was shot by [[Henri Alekan]] in both colour and black-and-white, the latter being used to represent the world as seen by the angels. The cast includes [[Otto Sander]], [[Curt Bois]] and [[Peter Falk]].

For ''Wings of Desire'', Wenders won awards for Best Director at both the [[Best Director Award (Cannes Film Festival)|Cannes Film Festival]] and [[European Film Award for Best Director|European Film Awards]]. The film was a critical and financial success, and academics have interpreted it as a statement of the importance of cinema, libraries, the circus, or [[German reunification|German unity]], containing [[New Age]], religious, secular or other themes.

It was followed by a sequel, ''[[Faraway, So Close!]]'', released in 1993. ''[[City of Angels (film)|City of Angels]]'', a U.S. remake, was released in 1998. In 1990, numerous critics named ''Wings of Desire'' as one of the best [[1980s in film|films of the 1980s]].

==Plot==
In a [[Berlin]] divided by the [[Berlin Wall]], two [[angel]]s, Damiel and Cassiel, watch the city, unseen and unheard by its human inhabitants. They observe and listen to the thoughts of Berliners, including a pregnant woman in an ambulance on the way to the hospital, a young [[prostitution in Germany|prostitute]] standing by a busy road, and a broken man who feels betrayed by his wife. Their ''[[:wikt:raison d'être|raison d'être]]'' is, as Cassiel says, to "assemble, testify, preserve" reality. Damiel and Cassiel have always existed as angels; they were in Berlin before it was a city, and before there were any humans.

Among the Berliners they encounter in their wanderings is an old man named Homer, who dreams of an "epic of peace". Cassiel follows the old man as he looks for the then-demolished [[Potsdamer Platz]] in an open field, and finds only the [[graffiti]]-covered Wall. Although Damiel and Cassiel are pure observers, visible only to children, and incapable of any interaction with the physical world, Damiel begins to fall in love with a profoundly lonely circus trapeze artist named Marion. She lives by herself in a caravan in [[West Berlin]], until she receives the news that her group, the Circus Alekan, will be closing down. Depressed, she dances alone to a concert by [[Crime & the City Solution]], and drifts through the city.

Meanwhile, actor [[Peter Falk]] arrives in West Berlin to make a film about the city's [[Nazi Germany|Nazi]] past. Falk was once an angel, but, having grown tired of always observing and never experiencing, renounced his immortality to become a participant in the world. Also growing weary of infinity, Damiel longs for the genuineness and limits of human existence. He meets Marion in a dream, and is surprised when Falk senses his presence and tells him about the pleasures of human life.
[[File:GWT 39, Boyenstraße im Juni 1989.jpg|thumb|The graffiti on the [[Berlin Wall]] is depicted in the film.]]

Damiel is finally persuaded to shed his immortality. He experiences life for the first time: he bleeds, sees colours, tastes food and drinks coffee. Meanwhile, Cassiel taps into the mind of a young man just about to take his own life by jumping off a building. Cassiel tries to save the young man but is unable to do so, and is left tormented by the experience. Sensing Cassiel's presence, Falk reaches out to him as he had to Damiel, but Cassiel is unwilling to follow their example. Eventually, Damiel meets the trapeze artist Marion at a bar during a concert by [[Nick Cave]], and she greets him and speaks about finally finding a love that is serious and can make her feel complete. The next day, Damiel considers how his time with Marion taught him to feel amazed, and how he has gained knowledge no angel is capable of achieving.

==Cast==
* [[Bruno Ganz]] as Damiel
* [[Solveig Dommartin]] as Marion
* [[Otto Sander]] as [[Cassiel]]
* [[Curt Bois]] as Homer
* [[Peter Falk]] as himself
* Hans-Martin Stier as Der Sterbende (the dying man) (as Hans Martin Stier)
* Elmar Wilms as Ein trauriger Mann (a sad man)
* Sigurd Rachman as Der Selbstmörder (the suicide)
* Beatrice Manowski as Das Strichmädchen (the young prostitute)
* [[Lajos Kovács (actor)|Lajos Kovács]] as Im Zirkus - Marion's Trainer (in the circus, Marion's trainer)
* Bruno Rosaz as Im Zirkus - Der Clown (in the circus, the clown)
* [[Laurent Petitgand]] as Im Zirkus - Der Kapellmeister (in the circus, the bandleader)
* Chick Ortega as Im Zirkus - Der Schlagzeuger (in the circus, the drummer) (as Chico Rojo Ortega)
* Otto Kuhnle as Im Zirkus - Die Jongleure (in the circus, the juggler)
* Christoph Merg as Im Zirkus - Der Jongleure (in the circus, the juggler)
* Peter Werner as Im Zirkus - Der Manager (in the circus, the manager)

==Production==
===Development===
[[File:Berlin Tiergarten Siegessaeule 2.jpg|thumb|Berlin art depicting angels served as an inspiration to the filmmakers.]]
After living and working in the United States for eight years, director [[Wim Wenders]] returned to his native [[West Germany]] and wished to reconnect to it with a film about his favourite part of it, [[West Berlin]].<ref name="KennyWenders"/> Planning to make ''[[Until the End of the World]]'' in 1985, he realised the project would not be ready for two years, and wishing to return to photography as soon as possible, he considered another project.{{sfn|Cook|1997|p=164}}

[[Rainer Maria Rilke]]'s poetry partially inspired the story. Wenders claimed angels seemed to dwell in Rilke's poetry, and the director had also jotted "angels" in his notes one day,<ref name="Wenders">{{cite web |url=https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1290-on-wings-of-desire |title=On Wings of Desire |last=Wenders |first=Wim |publisher=[[The Criterion Collection]] |date=9 November 2009 |access-date=5 July 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807112715/https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1290-on-wings-of-desire |archive-date=7 August 2017 }}</ref> and noted angel-themed artwork in cemeteries and around Berlin.<ref name="KennyWenders">{{cite AV media |last1=Kenny |first1=J.M. |last2=Wenders |first2=Wim |date=2009 |title=The Angels Among Us |medium=Blu-ray |publisher=[[The Criterion Collection]]}}</ref> In his [[film treatment|treatment]], Wenders also considered a backstory in which God exiled his angels to Berlin as punishment for defending humans after 1945, when God had decided to forsake them.{{sfn|Cook|1997|p=165}}

Wenders employed [[Peter Handke]], who wrote much of the dialogue, the poetic narrations, and the film's recurring poem "Song of Childhood".{{sfn|Detweiler|2017}} Wenders found the names Damiel and [[Cassiel]] in an encyclopedia about angels, and also had photographs of [[Solveig Dommartin]], [[Bruno Ganz]] and [[Otto Sander]] that served as muses.<ref name="Wenders"/> The idea that angels could read minds led to Wenders considering personal dialogue no one would say aloud.<ref name="KennyWenders"/> Wenders did not view the angel protagonist as representative of himself, instead deciding the angel could be an embodiment of film, and that the purpose of film could be to help people by opening their eyes to possibilities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-13525798.html |title=Das Kino könnte der Engel sein |last=Müller |first=Andre |date=19 October 1987 |access-date=12 September 2017 |work=[[Der Spiegel]] | language= de | url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413233902/http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-13525798.html |archive-date=13 April 2016 }}</ref> Handke did not feel able to write a single coherent story, but promised to regularly send notes on ideas during production.<ref name="Handke">{{cite AV media |last1=Kenny |first1=J.M. |last2=Handke |first2=Peter |date=2009 |title=The Angels Among Us |medium=Blu-ray |publisher=[[The Criterion Collection]]}}</ref> Screenwriter [[Richard Reitinger]] also assisted Wenders in scripting scenes incorporating Handke's contributions.{{sfn|Wenders|1997|p=67}}

Given the nature of this arrangement, Wenders would hold daily meetings with his crew, frequently at late hours, to plan the logistics for the following day.{{sfn|Cook|1997|p=165}} French producer [[Anatole Dauman]] did not see a large budget as necessary,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/1994/film/news/wenders-takes-wing-117908/ |title=Wenders takes wing |last=Lerner |first=Dietlind |date=30 January 1994 |access-date=13 August 2017 |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807073433/http://variety.com/1994/film/news/wenders-takes-wing-117908/ |archive-date=7 August 2017 }}</ref> and the project was funded with 5 million [[Deutsche Mark|DM]].{{sfn|Lüdi|Lüdi|2000|p=60}}

===Casting===
{| class="wikitable floatright"
|-
! {{anchor|Cast}}Actor{{sfn|Kolker|Beicken|1993|p=181}}
! Role <!-- or "Character" -->
|-
| {{sortname|Bruno|Ganz}}
| Damiel
|-
| {{sortname|Solveig|Dommartin}}
| Marion
|-
| {{sortname|Otto|Sander}}
| Cassiel
|-
| {{sortname|Curt|Bois}}
| Homer, the aged poet
|-
|-
| {{sortname|Peter|Falk}}
| himself (credited as "Der Filmstar")<ref name="Filmlexikon"/>
|-
| [[Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds]]
| themselves{{sfn|Billingham|2013|p=13}} 
|-
| [[Crime & the City Solution]]
| themselves{{sfn|Fitzpatrick|Roland|2006|p=48}}
|}
Wenders believed it would be important for the actors playing the two main angel characters to be familiar and friendly with each other. Ganz and Sander had performed in some of the same stage productions for 20 years.<ref name="KennyWenders"/> Sander and Ganz also recommended [[Curt Bois]] to Wenders and asked Bois to perform.<ref name="Sander">{{cite AV media |last1=Kenny |first1=J.M. |last2=Wenders |first2=Wim |last3=Sander |first3=Otto |date=2009 |title=The Angels Among Us |medium=Blu-ray |publisher=[[The Criterion Collection]]}}</ref> Bois' performance as Homer marked his final feature film in an 80-year career, beginning as a child actor.{{sfn|Huda|2004|p=249}}

[[Peter Falk]]'s role was not planned until photography had already begun, with Wenders planning an artist or political official to have an analogous role until assistant [[Claire Denis]] suggested the ''[[Columbo]]'' star would be familiar to everyone.<ref name="Feaster"/> Falk described the part as "the craziest thing that I've ever been offered", but quickly agreed.<ref name="KennyWenders"/> He was accustomed to the improvisation the newly created role required, and when Wenders and Falk met, they conceived ideas of the character sketching and searching for a hat.<ref name="Feaster"/> [[Nick Cave]] and his band were based in West Berlin, with Wenders calling him "a real Berlin hero" and deciding "It was inconceivable for me to make a film in Berlin without showing one of his concerts".{{sfn|Danks|2016|pp=113-114}}

===Filming===
{{multiple image
|align     = right
|direction = vertical 
|image1    = Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin (Kulturforum) interior.JPG
|image2    = Wilmersdorf Bundesallee Imbiss-001.JPG
|width     = 200px
|footer   =[[Berlin State Library]] and other spots around West Berlin were filming locations.}}
The film was shot by [[Henri Alekan]],{{sfn|Kilbourn|2013|p=237}} whose cinematography represents the angels' point of view in monochrome, as they cannot see colours, and switches to colour to show the human point of view. During filming, Alekan used a very old and fragile silk stocking that had belonged to his grandmother as a filter for the monochromatic sequences,{{sfn|Hurbis-Cherrier|2012|p=277}} in order to depict the angels' muted view of the world.<ref name="Singer">{{cite web |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/five-visual-themes-wings-desire-wim-wenders-immortal-film-about-watching |last=Singer |first=Leigh |date=14 September 2016 |title=Five visual themes in Wings of Desire – Wim Wenders' immortal film about watching |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] |access-date=5 July 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170601070531/http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/five-visual-themes-wings-desire-immortal-film-about-watching |archive-date=1 June 2017 }}</ref> Wenders felt it was natural that angels without experience of the physical world would not see colour, and also thought black-and-white cinematography by Alekan would provide a novel view of Berlin.<ref name="Wenders"/>

A challenge in the cinematography was posed by using the camera for the perception of angels, as angels are not restrained in how far they can observe, in any dimension.{{sfn|Cook|1997|pp=167-168}} The story's Circus Alekan is named in the cinematographer's honour.{{sfn|Kilbourn|2013|p=237}}

Filming took place at actual locations in [[West Berlin]], such as the [[Berlin Victory Column|Siegessäule]], [[Hans Scharoun]]'s [[Berlin State Library]],<ref name="Pulver">{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2011/aug/17/top-10-films-set-in-berlin |last=Pulver |first=Andrew |date=17 August 2011 |title=10 of the best films set in Berlin |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=5 July 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170310050627/https://www.theguardian.com/travel/2011/aug/17/top-10-films-set-in-berlin |archive-date=10 March 2017 }}</ref> Potsdamerplatz with the disused elevated track of the [[M-Bahn]], the Lohmühlenbrücke, the Langenscheidtbrücke (the motorcycle accident), Oranienstrasse, Goebenstrasse 6 (where Damiel exchanges his breastplate for a loud check jacket), Waldemarstrasse (where Damiel comes to as a human), Günzelstrasse U-Bahn station, the [[Berlin Anhalter Bahnhof|Anhalter Bahnhof]], Theodor-Wolff-Park (site of the circus), Hochbunker Pallasstrasse (Peter Falk's film set) and the [[Hotel Esplanade Berlin|Hotel Esplanade]] (the concert). Most shots of the Wall are genuine, although the set for the scene in the death strip, in which Damiel announces his decision to become human, was specially built.<ref name="Pulver"/> Some pieces of the recreation were made from inexpensive wood, with one being destroyed by rain during production.<ref name="Feaster">{{cite web |url=https://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/111419 |last=Feaster |first=Felicia |title=Wings of Desire |publisher=[[Turner Classic Movies]] |access-date=5 July 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170807074357/http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/111419%7C0/Wings-of-Desire.html |archive-date=7 August 2017 }}</ref>

With little idea of how to portray the angels and no costume design, Wenders said the filmmakers consulted artwork, experimented, and found the idea of armour during production, and told U.S. filmmaker [[Brad Silberling]] they did not decide on overcoats until later.<ref name="Silberling">{{cite AV media |last1=Kenny |first1=J.M. |last2=Wenders |first2=Wim |last3=Silberling |first3=Brad |date=2009 |title=The Angels Among Us |medium=Blu-ray |publisher=[[The Criterion Collection]]}}</ref> The hairstyle was loosely inspired by a photograph of a Japanese warrior.<ref name="Sander"/>

Although the circus scenes required extensive and risky acrobatics, Dommartin was able to learn the trapeze and rope moves in a mere eight weeks, and did all the work herself, without a stunt double.<ref name=theguardian>{{cite news |last=Jakubowski |first=Maxim |author-link=Maxim Jakubowski |date=6 February 2007 |title=Solveig Dommartin, Wenders' fearless angel |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2007/feb/06/solveigdommartinwendersacro |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |location=London |access-date=3 April 2014 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407085907/http://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2007/feb/06/solveigdommartinwendersacro |archive-date=7 April 2014 }}</ref> During production, the filmmakers called German police after Falk went missing. Falk had been spending hours exploring West Berlin and was discovered in a café.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/wie-peter-falk-columbo-wurde-fotostrecke-136179-7.html |title=Fotostrecke: Die vielen Optionen des Peter Falk |date=11 April 2014 |access-date=12 September 2017 |work=[[Der Spiegel]] |language=de |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161021065720/http://www.spiegel.de/fotostrecke/wie-peter-falk-columbo-wurde-fotostrecke-136179-7.html |archive-date=21 October 2016 }}</ref>

===Post-production===
Peter Handke arrived in West Berlin during the editing process, led by [[Peter Przygodda]]. Handke believed it bordered on a [[silent film]], aside from some music, and lacked much of the notes he had sent to Wenders during filming. Handke thus proposed adding his writings via [[voice-over]].<ref name="Handke"/> After Falk left Berlin, he recorded much of his voice-over in a sound studio in [[Los Angeles]]. Much of this was improvised, though Wenders still supervised by telephone.<ref name="Feaster"/>

With the filming performed in lengthy [[take]]s, and the camera used as "the eye of the angel", much of the movement was conveyed in the camerawork rather than in editing effects.{{sfn|Wenders|1997|p=67}} There was five hours of footage to edit down to the final cut.{{sfn|Wenders|1997|p=67}} A [[Pieing|pie fight]] between the stars was filmed for the final scene, but later edited out.{{sfn|Klosterman|2009|p=37}}

Composer [[Jürgen Knieper]] assumed harps and violins would suffice for a [[film score|score]] for a film about angels, until he saw a cut of the film. Seeing the angels were discontented, he wrote a different score employing a choir, voices and whistling.<ref name="Knieper">{{cite AV media |last1=Kenny |first1=J.M. |last2=Wenders |first2=Wim |last3=Knieper |first3=Jürgen |date=2009 |title=The Angels Among Us |medium=Blu-ray |publisher=[[The Criterion Collection]]}}</ref> [[Laurent Petitgand]] contributed the circus music, an ensemble work performed with accordions, saxophones and keyboards.{{sfn|Davison|2017}}

==Themes and interpretations==
[[File:Monumento al Ángel Caído en los jardines del Parque de El Retiro (Madrid).jpg|thumb|The story contains similarities to the [[fallen angel]] concept, though unrelated to evil.]]
The concept of angels, spirits or ghosts who help humans on Earth had been common in cinema, from ''[[Here Comes Mr. Jordan]]'' (1941) to the 1946 works ''[[It's a Wonderful Life]]'' and ''[[A Matter of Life and Death (film)|A Matter of Life and Death]]''.{{sfn|Kolker|Beicken|1993|p=141}} Many earlier U.S. and U.K. films demonstrate high amounts of reverence, while others allow reasonable amounts of fun. [[Powell and Pressburger]]'s ''[[A Matter of Life and Death (film)|A Matter of Life and Death]]'' presents an early example of spirits being jealous of the lives of humans.{{sfn|Kolker|Beicken|1993|p=141}} The shift from monochrome to colour, to distinguish the angels' reality from that of the mortals, was also used in Powell and Pressburger's film.{{sfn|Batchelor|2000|p=37}} While ''Wings of Desire'' does not portray Berliners as living in a utopia, academic Roger Cook wrote that the fact that people have pleasure "gives, as the English title suggests, wings to desire".{{sfn|Cook|1997|p=165}}

[[Portrayals of God in popular media|God]] is not mentioned in the film,{{sfn|Graf|2002|p=115}} and is only referred to in the sequel ''[[Faraway, So Close!]]'' when the angels state a purpose to connect humans with "Him".{{sfn|Hasenberg|1997|p=54}} Scholars [[Robert P. Kolker|Robert Phillip Kolker]] and Peter Beickene attributed the apparent lack of God to [[New Age]] beliefs, remarking Damiel's "[[fallen angel|fall]]" is similar to the story of [[Lucifer]], though not related to evil.{{sfn|Kolker|Beicken|1993|p=148}} Reviewer [[Jeffrey Overstreet]] concurred that "Wenders had left his church upbringing behind", and the cinematic angels are "inventions he could craft to his specifications", with little regard for biblical beliefs. Overstreet characterized them as "whimsical metaphors, characters who have lost the joy of sensual human experience".{{sfn|Overstreet|2007|p=122}} Nevertheless, Professor [[Craig Detweiler]] believed the sky-level view of Berlin and the idea of [[guardian angel]]s evoke God.{{sfn|Detweiler|2009|p=124}} Authors Martin Brady and Joanne Leal added that even if Damiel is tempted by seemingly profane things, the atmosphere of Berlin means the human Damiel is still in "a place of poetry, myth and religion".{{sfn|Brady|Leal|2011|p=263}}

In one scene, Damiel and Cassiel meet to share stories in their observations, with their function revealed to be one of preserving the past.{{sfn|Graf|2002|p=116}} Professor Alexander Graf wrote this connects them to cinema, with Wenders noting ''Wings of Desire'' itself depicts or shows places in Berlin that have since been destroyed or altered, including a bridge, [[Potsdamer Platz]] and the Wall.{{sfn|Graf|2002|pp=117-118}}

The closing titles state: "Dedicated to all the former angels, but especially to Yasujiro, François and Andrej" (all references to Wenders' fellow filmmakers [[Yasujirō Ozu]], [[François Truffaut]], and [[Andrei Tarkovsky]]).{{sfn|Scheibel|2017|p=167}} These directors had all died before the release of the film, with Kolker and Beickene arguing they were an influence on Wenders: Ozu had taught Wenders order; Truffaut the observation of people, especially youth;{{sfn|Kolker|Beicken|1993|p=138}} and Tarkovsky, a less clear influence on Wenders, consideration of morality and beauty.{{sfn|Kolker|Beicken|1993|p=140}} Identifying directors as angels could tie in with the film characters' function to record.{{sfn|Graf|2002|p=118}}
[[File:Ozu Yasujiro.jpg|left|thumb|[[Yasujirō Ozu]], one of the film dedication's "angels"]]

Academic Laura Marcus believed a connection between cinema and print is also established in the angels' affinity for libraries, as Wenders portrays the library as a tool of "memory, and public space", making it a miraculous place.{{sfn|Marcus|2015|pp=205-206}} The depiction of Damiel, by using a pen or an immaterial pen, to write "Song of Childhood", is also tribute to print and literacy, introducing, or as Marcus hypothesized, "perhaps even releasing, the visual images that follow".{{sfn|Marcus|2015|p=206}} Kolker and Beickene interpreted the use of poetry as part of screenwriter Peter Handke's efforts to elevate language above common rhetoric to the spiritual.{{sfn|Kolker|Beicken|1993|p=147}} Reviewing the poetry, Detweiler remarked that Handke's "Song of Childhood" bears parallels to [[St. Paul]]'s [[1 Corinthians 13]] ("When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child ... ").{{sfn|Detweiler|2017}} Professor Terrie Waddell added that the poem established "centrality of childhood" as a key theme, noting that the children can see angels and accept them without question, tying them in with the phenomenon of [[imaginary friend]]s.{{sfn|Waddell|2015}}

The film has also been read as a call for [[German reunification]], which followed in 1990. Essayists David Caldwell and Paul Rea saw it as presenting a series of two opposites: East and West, angel and human, male and female.{{sfn|Graf|2002|p=114}} Wenders' angels are not bound by the Wall, reflecting East and West Berlin's shared space, though East Berlin remains primarily black and white.{{sfn|Byg|2014|p=28}} Scholar Martin Jesinghausen believed the film presumed reunification would never happen, and contemplated its statements on divides, including territorial and "higher" divides, "physicality and spirituality, art and reality, black and white and colour".{{sfn|Jesinghausen|2000|p=80}}

Researcher Helen Stoddart, in discussing the depiction of the circus and trapeze artist Marion in particular, submitted that Marion is the classic circus character, creating an image of danger and then potential. Stoddart argued that Homer and Marion may find the future in what remains of history found in Berlin.{{sfn|Stoddart|2000|p=188}} Stoddart considered the circular nature of the story, including a parallel between the angel who cannot see the physical (Damiel), and the faux angel (Marion) who can "see the faces".{{sfn|Stoddart|2000|p=178}} Marion also observes that all directions lead to the Wall, and the final French dialogue "We have embarked" while the screen states "[[To be continued]]", suggests "final movement to a new beginning".{{sfn|Stoddart|2000|pp=179-180}}

Writing in the journal ''[[Film and Philosophy]]'', Nathan Wolfson cites [[Roland Barthes]]'s work—especially ''[[S/Z]]''—as a model to argue that "This 'angelic' portion of Wings of Desire deliberately invokes in the viewer a set of specific responses. These responses provide the foundation for the transformation that Damiel and Marion participate in. The film prepares the viewer for an analogous transformation, and invites the viewer to participate in this process, through an exploration of authorship and agency."<ref>Wolfson, Nathan. (2003). PoMo Desire?: Authorship and Agency in Wim Wenders Wings of Desire iDer Himmel über Berlin). Film and Philosophy. 7. 126-140. 10.5840/filmphil2003710.</ref>

==Style==
[[File:Rainer Maria Rilke, 1900.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Rainer Maria Rilke]]'s poetry influenced the concept and style.{{sfn|Waddell|2015}}<ref name="Wenders"/>]]
[[British Film Institute]] writer Leigh Singer assessed the cinematic style as "bold" and artistic in its use of colour, "existential voiceover" and "languorous pacing".<ref name="Singer"/> Singer also commented on the use of symbolism and the combinations of diverse pieces of culture, from the poetry of [[Rainer Maria Rilke]] to the music of [[Nick Cave]]. In Singer's estimation, the cinematography is able to communicate the angels' "invisible intimacy and empathy".<ref name="Singer"/> Professor Terrie Waddell described the "dialogue and monologue" as "lyrical", in the mould of Rilke's poetry.{{sfn|Waddell|2015}} Scholar Alexander Graf considered how these voice-overs and verbal exchanges are frequently combined with background radio and television sounds, and concluded the "image and soundtrack" that comprise the style convey a point of "blindness": "men and women are plagued by their everyday problems; children are, like the angels, in their own dreamy world".{{sfn|Graf|2002|p=119}}

Professor Russell J.A. Kilbourn judged the style as opposed to [[realism (arts)|realism]] and "emphatically German" in looking at particular situations of human life.{{sfn|Kilbourn|2013|p=83}} Authors Martin Brady and Joanne Leal remarked that the storytelling shies away from an entirely [[narrative]] format, and the film's writing style is embodied in the Homer character as "the angel of story-telling".{{sfn|Brady|Leal|2011|p=263}} Perception of people becomes key to the storytelling, with Brady and Leal quoting Handke's vision for a new narrative: "You have only interpreted and changed the world; what matters is to ''describe'' it".{{sfn|Brady|Leal|2011|p=264}} Psychologist Ryan Niemiec wrote that, by focusing on "the beauty of each moment", ''Wings of Desire'' conveys "awe and wonder".{{sfn|Niemiec|2009|p=138}}

As Singer observed, ''Wings of Desire'' serves as a "Symphony of a city" in capturing a "wintry, pre-unification Berlin".<ref name="Singer"/> Kilbourn said that the place highlighted in the German title ''Der Himmel über Berlin'', like the desire referenced in the English title, is of great importance, and that the "frequent angel's-eye-view shots of East and West Berlin" allows for "quasi-objective voyeuristic surveillance".{{sfn|Kilbourn|2013|p=84}} Observing the angels' trench-coat fashion, sociologist [[Andrew Greeley]] wrote it fitted the "wet, blustery, cold northern Germany" setting.{{sfn|Greeley|2017|p=118}} Looking at the coats and ponytails, Dr. Detweiler found the visualization of the angels "so cool and stylish".{{sfn|Detweiler|2017}}

Music is used in differing ways throughout the story. Musicologist Annette Davison argued that Knieper's score in angel scenes is artistic, with elements of Eastern European and Orthodox Christian music, and Petitgand's music displays a "slippery" harmony frequently heard in circus entertainment.{{sfn|Davison|2017}} When Marion leaves the Circus Alekan, there is an increase in [[rock music]], particularly by Cave and Crime & the City Solution. Davison submitted this symbolizes "utopian promise of the sensual mortal world", and that the lyrics echo the plot: Cave's "[[The Carny]]" suggests a disappearing carnival worker as the Circus Alekan closes, and "[[From Her to Eternity]]" suggests a desire for a woman's love.{{sfn|Davison|2017}} Professor Adrian Danks wrote that Cave's rock music symbolized "the physical, worldly reality of Berlin", with "The Carny" adding a feel of sorrow in the background, while Marion gives "breathy accompaniment".{{sfn|Danks|2016|p=114}}

==Release==
[[File:20150212 - Wim Wenders at Berlinale by sebaso 1.jpg|thumb|left|[[Wim Wenders]] attended the [[65th Berlin International Film Festival|2015 Berlin International Film Festival]].]]
The film debuted at the [[1987 Cannes Film Festival|Cannes Film Festival]] on 17 May 1987.{{sfn|Reimer|Reimer|2010|p=xxxvii}} ''Der Himmel über Berlin'' subsequently opened in West Germany late in October 1987.<ref name="Filmlexikon">{{cite web|url=https://www.zweitausendeins.de/filmlexikon/?sucheNach=titel&wert=1181|title=Der Himmel über Berlin|work=Lexikon des internationalen Films|language=de|access-date=5 July 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161010212949/http://www.zweitausendeins.de/filmlexikon/?sucheNach=titel&wert=1181|archive-date=10 October 2016}}</ref> With [[Orion Classics]] as its U.S. distributor,{{sfn|Tzioumakis|2012|p=74}} it opened in [[New York City]] as ''Wings of Desire'' on 29 April 1988 with a [[Motion Picture Association of America film rating system|PG-13 rating]].<ref name="Maslin"/> Sander said that it had a release in Japan, and that while angels do not appear in [[Japanese mythology]], Tokyo audiences would approach him after and share their impressions about the characters.<ref name="Sander"/>

After a videotape printing in Germany in 1988, Kinowelt released a DVD in Germany and [[DVD region code#2|Region 2]] in 2005.<ref name="Filmlexikon"/> In 2009, [[The Criterion Collection]] released the film in [[DVD region code#1|Region 1]] on [[DVD]] and [[Blu-ray]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://collider.com/wings-of-desire-criterion-blu-ray-review/ |last=Dellamorte |first=Andre |date=11 November 2009 |title=Wings of Desire Criterion Blu-ray Review |work=[[Collider (website)|Collider]] |access-date=5 July 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903165044/http://collider.com/wings-of-desire-criterion-blu-ray-review/ |archive-date=3 September 2017 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/review/wings-of-desire |last=Weber |first=Bill |date=2 November 2009 |title=Wings of Desire |work=[[Slant Magazine]] |access-date=19 December 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212062233/https://www.slantmagazine.com/dvd/review/wings-of-desire |archive-date=12 December 2017 }}</ref> It later screened at the [[65th Berlin International Film Festival]] in February 2015, to mark Wenders' Honorary [[Golden Bear]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/2015/08_pressemitteilungen_2015/08_pressemitteilungen_2015detail_1_24148.html |last=Press Office |date=21 August 2014 |title=Berlinale 2015: Homage and Honorary Golden Bear for Wim Wenders |publisher=[[Berlin International Film Festival]] |access-date=5 July 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903165650/https://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/2015/08_pressemitteilungen_2015/08_pressemitteilungen_2015detail_1_24148.html |archive-date=3 September 2017 }}</ref>

The Wim Wenders Foundation produced a digital [[4K resolution|4K]] [[film restoration|restoration]] using the original black-and-white and colour film stock. This new version of the film premiered on 16 February 2018 during the [[68th Berlin International Film Festival]] at [[Kino International]], as part of the "Berlinale Classics" programme.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://wimwendersstiftung.de/en/film/wings-of-desire/|title=Wings of Desire |publisher=Wim Wenders Foundation |language=en|access-date=1 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180402021432/http://wimwendersstiftung.de/en/film/wings-of-desire/ |archive-date=2 April 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.berlinale.de/en/programm/berlinale_programm/datenblatt.php?film_id=201802198 |title=Der Himmel über Berlin {{!}} Wings of Desire |publisher=[[Berlin International Film Festival]] |access-date=1 April 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180402021609/https://www.berlinale.de/en/programm/berlinale_programm/datenblatt.php?film_id=201802198#tab=filmStills |archive-date=2 April 2018 }}</ref>

==Reception==
===Box office===
''Der Himmel über Berlin'' had 922,718 admissions in Germany.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.filmportal.de/film/der-himmel-ueber-berlin_eb0a17e1e4f848afb0ef89c21a3285c4 |title=Der Himmel über Berlin |publisher=[[Deutsches Filminstitut]] |access-date=9 July 2017 |language=de |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170919171217/http://www.filmportal.de/film/der-himmel-ueber-berlin_eb0a17e1e4f848afb0ef89c21a3285c4 |archive-date=19 September 2017 }}</ref> Under the title ''Les Ailes du désir'', it had a further 1,079,432 admissions in France.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=5965 |title=Les Ailes Du Désir |work=JP's Box-Office |language=fr |access-date=9 July 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828133432/http://jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=5965 |archive-date=28 August 2016 }}</ref>

The film finished its run in North America on 11 May 1989, having grossed $3.2 million,<ref name="BOM"/> or possibly nearly $4 million, a positive investment for Orion.{{sfn|Tzioumakis|2012|p=74}} Critic [[James Monaco]] assessed the financial performance as above that of typical art films.{{sfn|Monaco|1992}} In 2000, ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' calculated that it was 48th in the top 50 highest-grossing foreign language films ever released in the U.S., and one of only three in [[German language|German]], along with ''[[Das Boot]]'' and ''[[Run Lola Run]]''.{{sfn|Christensen|Erdoǧan|2008|p=73}}

===Critical reception===
''Wings of Desire'' received widespread critical acclaim. On the [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], it holds an approval rating of 95% based on 65 reviews, with an average rating of 8.7/10. The website's critics consensus reads, “Beyond ravishing, ''Wings of Desire'' is Wim Wenders' aching and heartbreaking exploration of how love makes us human.”<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wings_of_desire | title=Wings of Desire &#124; Rotten Tomatoes | website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] }}</ref> The film received "Two Thumbs Up" from [[Gene Siskel]] and [[Roger Ebert]] on ''[[Siskel & Ebert & The Movies]]'', where Siskel credited Wenders for a story that "praises life as it is lived yet making sense of life's confusions".<ref>{{cite episode |title=Wings of Desire review |series=[[Siskel & Ebert & The Movies]] |last1=Siskel |first1=Gene |last2=Ebert |first2=Roger |date=18 June 1988 }}</ref> In ''[[New York (magazine)|New York]]'', [[David Denby]] hailed it as "extraordinary", and possibly "the ultimate German movie".<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Denby |first=David |date=9 May 1988 |title=Where Angels Long to Tread |magazine=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |page=68 }}</ref> [[Desson Howe]] cited it for "a soaring vision that appeals to the senses and the spirit."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/wingsofdesirepg13howe_a0c891.htm |last=Howe |first=Desson |date=1 July 1988 |title='Wings of Desire' (PG-13) |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=1 July 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171212062222/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/wingsofdesirepg13howe_a0c891.htm |archive-date=12 December 2017 }}</ref> [[Janet Maslin]], writing for ''[[The New York Times]]'', called it "enchanting" in its concept, but "damagingly overloaded" in execution.<ref name="Maslin">{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=940DEFDE153DF93AA15757C0A96E948260 |last=Maslin |first=Janet |date=29 April 1988 |title=Review/Film; The Rage of Angels, According to Wim Wenders |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=4 July 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910221839/http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=940DEFDE153DF93AA15757C0A96E948260 |archive-date=10 September 2017 }}</ref> In ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'', [[David Stratton]] embraced the visuals, the performances and Knieper's score, adding the film also showcased Wenders' taste for rock music.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://variety.com/1987/film/reviews/himmel-ueber-berlin-1200427356/ |last=Stratton |first=David |date=20 May 1987 |title=Himmel Ueber Berlin |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |access-date=30 September 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001165052/http://variety.com/1987/film/reviews/himmel-ueber-berlin-1200427356/ |archive-date=1 October 2017 }}</ref> ''[[The Washington Post]]''{{'}}s Rita Kempley credited Wenders and Handke for crafting a "whimsical realm of myth and philosophical pretense, dense with imagery and sweetened by Ganz's performance".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/wingsofdesirepg13kempley_a0ca02.htm |last=Kempley |first=Rita |date=1 July 1988 |title='Wings of Desire' (PG-13) |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |access-date=1 July 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510165305/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/movies/videos/wingsofdesirepg13kempley_a0ca02.htm |archive-date=10 May 2017 }}</ref> Dissenting, [[Pauline Kael]] remarked, "It's enough to make moviegoers feel impotent".{{sfn|Stengel|2015|p=93}} 

[[File:Bruno Ganz DFF Tokyo 2005.jpg|thumb|[[Bruno Ganz]] received positive reviews for his performance as Damiel; it was possibly his most remembered role before 2004.<ref name="Dutka"/>]]
By 1990, ''Wings of Desire'' was placed in the top 10 best films of the 1980s by critics David Denby (first), the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''{{'}}s Sheila Benson (fourth), ''[[The Orange County Register]]''{{'}}s Jim Emerson (fifth) and [[Richard Schickel]] and [[Richard Corliss]] (tenth).<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Weinberg |first=Marc |date=April 1990 |title=The Eighties' Finest Films |magazine=[[Orange Coast Magazine]] |pages=189–190 }}</ref> ''[[Premiere (magazine)|Premiere]]'' voted it the second greatest film of the 1980s, after ''[[Raging Bull]]''.<ref name="Singer"/> [[James Monaco]] awarded it four and a half stars in his 1992 ''Movie Guide'', praising it as "A rich, mystical near-masterpiece".{{sfn|Monaco|1992}} In 1998, Ebert added it to his [[The Great Movies|Great Movies]] list, championing it for "a mood of reverie, elegy and meditation".<ref name="Ebert">{{cite web |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-wings-of-desire-1988 |last=Ebert |first=Roger |date=12 April 1998 |title=Wings of Desire |work=Rogerebert.com |access-date=1 July 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170626082406/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-wings-of-desire-1988 |archive-date=26 June 2017 }}</ref> ''[[Empire (film magazine)|Empire]]'' critic Ian Nathan gave it five stars in his 2006 review, hailing it for its poetry, themes of loneliness, and Ganz's acting style.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/wings-desire/review/ |last=Nathan |first=Ian |date=3 March 2006 |title=Wings of Desire Review |work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |access-date=30 September 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001125237/https://www.empireonline.com/movies/wings-desire/review/ |archive-date=1 October 2017 }}</ref> In 2004, ''The New York Times'' included the film on its list of "the Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/ref/movies/1000best.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160722141147/https://www.nytimes.com/ref/movies/1000best.html |title=The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made |last=The Film Critics |date=2004 |access-date=13 August 2016 |archive-date=22 July 2016 |work=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> On reflecting on Solveig Dommartin's death in 2007, ''[[Der Spiegel]]'' recalled the film as a poetic masterpiece.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/kino/solveig-dommartin-himmel-ueber-berlin-star-gestorben-a-460882.html |title="Himmel über Berlin"-Star gestorben |date=19 January 2007 |access-date=10 September 2017 |work=[[Der Spiegel]] |language=de |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160811073311/http://www.spiegel.de/kultur/kino/solveig-dommartin-himmel-ueber-berlin-star-gestorben-a-460882.html |archive-date=11 August 2016 }}</ref> Reviewing the Criterion DVD in 2009, ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'' critic Joshua Rothkopf called it an introduction to the [[art film]], but also a product of its time, mentioning the songs.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.timeout.com/us/film/wings-of-desire |title=Wings of Desire |last=Rothkopf |first=Joshua |date=19 January 2007 |access-date=30 September 2017 |work=[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001165107/https://www.timeout.com/us/film/wings-of-desire |archive-date=1 October 2017 }}</ref>

[[John Simon (critic)|John Simon]] of the ''[[National Review]]'' had a differing opinion. He described ''Wings of Desire'' as both "obnoxious" and as a "130 minute mess".<ref>{{cite book |title=John Simon on Film: Criticism 1982-2001|last1=Simon |first1=John |publisher=Applause Books |year=2005 |page=174 |isbn=978-1-55783-507-9}}</ref>

It was later ranked 64th in ''Empire'' magazine's "The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema" in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |title=The 100 Best Films Of World Cinema: 64. Wings of Desire |url=https://www.empireonline.com/features/100-greatest-world-cinema-films/default.asp?film=64 |work=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] |author=Staff |date=11 June 2010 |access-date=30 September 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150906213620/http://www.empireonline.com/features/100-greatest-world-cinema-films/default.asp?film=64 |archive-date=6 September 2015 }}</ref> In 2011, ''[[The Guardian]]'' placed it in the 10 best films ever set in Berlin.<ref name="Pulver"/> The next year, it received 10 votes in the 2012 ''[[Sight & Sound]]'' polls of the [[List of films considered the best|greatest films ever made]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7965be62 |title=Der Himmel über Berlin (1987) |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191026001015/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b7965be62 |archive-date=26 October 2019 |access-date=27 October 2019}}</ref> ''[[Les Inrockuptibles]]''{{'}}s 2014 review declared it a great film, timeless, and poetic.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lesinrocks.com/inrocks.tv/les-ailes-du-desir-wim-wenders/ |title=Les ailes du désir de Wim Wenders |author=DD |date=11 September 2014 |access-date=10 September 2017 |work=[[Les Inrockuptibles]] |language=fr |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910175816/http://www.lesinrocks.com/inrocks.tv/les-ailes-du-desir-wim-wenders/ |archive-date=10 September 2017 }}</ref> That year, French critics at ''aVoir-aLire'' also praised its poetry, and said Berlin becomes one of the characters, crediting Alekan, Handke, Cave and Knieper for important contributions.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.avoir-alire.com/les-ailes-du-desir-la-critique |title=Le regard des anges |author=Staff |date=28 October 2014 |access-date=10 September 2017 |work=aVoir-aLire |language=fr |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910220452/https://www.avoir-alire.com/les-ailes-du-desir-la-critique |archive-date=10 September 2017 }}</ref> German journalist Michael Sontheimer recommended seeing it to understand how radically Berlin has been altered since the 1980s, particularly looking at the somber images when the human Damiel walks through Berlin.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.spiegel.de/einestages/vorher-nachher-fotografien-berlin-in-den-neunzigern-und-heute-a-995762.html |title=Geteilte Stadt, geheilte Stadt |last=Sontheimer |first=Michael |date=3 November 2014 |access-date=10 September 2017 |work=[[Der Spiegel]] |language=de |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170609231703/http://www.spiegel.de/einestages/vorher-nachher-fotografien-berlin-in-den-neunzigern-und-heute-a-995762.html |archive-date=9 June 2017 }}</ref> In his ''2015 Movie Guide'', [[Leonard Maltin]] awarded it three and a half stars, describing it as "Haunting" and "lyrical".{{sfn|Maltin|2014}} [[Jonathan Rosenbaum]] declared the bulk of the film before Damiel becomes human as "one of Wenders's most stunning achievements".<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/wings-of-desire/Film?oid=1070910 |title=Wings of Desire |last=Rosenbaum |first=Jonathan |date=2016 |access-date=30 September 2017 |work=[[Chicago Reader]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001122520/https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/wings-of-desire/Film?oid=1070910 |archive-date=1 October 2017 }}</ref> In 2017, ''[[Le Monde]]'' rated it four stars out of five, citing the aesthetics of its black-and-white photography, poetry and contemplation of history.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://films.blog.lemonde.fr/2017/03/15/les-ailes-du-desir/ |title=Les Ailes du désir (1987) de Wim Wenders |date=15 March 2017 |access-date=10 September 2017 |work=[[Le Monde]] |language=fr |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910221029/http://films.blog.lemonde.fr/2017/03/15/les-ailes-du-desir/ |archive-date=10 September 2017 }}</ref> The German news publication ''[[Der Tagesspiegel]]'' recounted the film's memorable imagery in 2016, listing Damiel as an angel and the library scenes.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.tagesspiegel.de/kultur/comics/der-himmel-ueber-berlin-als-comic-engel-die-auf-menschen-starren/12919128.html |title=Engel, die auf Menschen starren |date=4 February 2016 |access-date=10 September 2017 |work=[[Der Tagesspiegel]] |language=de |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170910221447/http://www.tagesspiegel.de/kultur/comics/der-himmel-ueber-berlin-als-comic-engel-die-auf-menschen-starren/12919128.html |archive-date=10 September 2017 }}</ref> On the 30th anniversary of the Cannes screening, Jessica Ritchey posted on [[Rogerebert.com]] that she found it odd to be an atheist and love the film, expressing admiration for the black-and-white photography and the overall message that when the world seems terrible, desire is powerful.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/balder-and-dash/god-is-in-the-details-on-wings-of-desire-30-years-later |title=God is in the Details: On 'Wings Of Desire' 30 Years Later |last=Ritchey |first=Jessica |date=30 May 2017 |access-date=30 September 2017 |work=Rogerebert.com |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001165207/http://www.rogerebert.com/balder-and-dash/god-is-in-the-details-on-wings-of-desire-30-years-later |archive-date=1 October 2017 }}</ref> On [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has an approval rating of {{RT data|score}} based on {{RT data|count}} reviews from critics, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The website's critical consensus reads, "Beyond ravishing, Wings of Desire is Wim Wenders' aching and heartbreaking exploration of how love makes us human."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wings_of_desire/?page=2&critic=columns&sortby=&name_order=&view=#|title=Wings of Desire|date=17 May 1987|work=rottentomatoes.com|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100904014226/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wings_of_desire/?page=2&critic=columns&sortby=&name_order=&view=|archive-date=4 September 2010}}</ref> The film ranked 34th in [[BBC]]'s 2018 list of The 100 greatest foreign language films voted by 209 critics from 43 countries around the world.<ref>{{cite web|title=The 100 Greatest Foreign Language Films|url= https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20181029-the-100-greatest-foreign-language-films|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=29 October 2018|access-date=10 January 2021}}</ref>

===Accolades===
The film competed for the [[Palme d'Or]] and won for [[Best Director Award (Cannes Film Festival)|Best Director]] at the [[1987 Cannes Film Festival]].<ref name="festival-cannes.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/films/der-himmel-uber-berlin |title=Der Himmel Uber Berlin |access-date=1 July 2017 |work=festival-cannes.com |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702030407/http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/films/der-himmel-uber-berlin |archive-date=2 July 2017 }}</ref> In 1988, it won the prestigious [[Grand Prix (Belgian Film Critics Association)|Grand Prix]] of the [[Belgian Film Critics Association]].<ref name="Belgique"/>

It was submitted by West Germany for consideration for the [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]], a bid supported by its distribution company. It was not nominated; the academy seldom recognized West German cinema.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://cinema.usc.edu/assets/101/16163.pdf |last=Dickinson |first=Robert |title=The Unbearable Weight of Winning: Garci's Trilogy of Melancholy and the Foreign Language Oscar |work=Spectator |page=13 |via=[[University of Southern California]] |access-date=2 July 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101126053423/https://cinema.usc.edu/assets/101/16163.pdf |archive-date=26 November 2010 }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
|-
! scope="col"| Award
! scope="col"| Date of ceremony
! scope="col"| Category
! scope="col"| Recipient(s)
! scope="col"| Result
! scope="col" class="unsortable"| {{Abbr|Ref(s)|Reference(s)}}
|-
!scope="row" | [[Belgian Film Critics Association]]
| rowspan="1" | 1988
| [[Grand Prix (Belgian Film Critics Association)|Grand Prix]]
| [[Wim Wenders]]
| {{won}}
| rowspan="1" | <ref name="Belgique">{{Cite web |url=http://www.cinematek.be/?node=17&event_id=400550402 |title=Les Ailes Du Désir |access-date=2 July 2017 |publisher=Cinémathèque royale de Belgique |language=fr |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170702194805/http://www.cinematek.be/?node=17&event_id=400550402 |archive-date=2 July 2017 }}</ref> 
|-
!scope="row" | [[British Academy Film Awards]]
| rowspan="1" | [[42nd British Academy Film Awards|19 March 1989]]
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language|Best Film Not in the English Language]]
| Wim Wenders and [[Anatole Dauman]]
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="1" | <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/1988/film?|title=Film in 1988|access-date=1 July 2017|publisher=[[British Academy of Film and Television Arts]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170823162235/http://awards.bafta.org/award/1988/film|archive-date=23 August 2017}}</ref> 
|-
!scope="row" | [[Cannes Film Festival]]
| rowspan="1" | [[1987 Cannes Film Festival|7 – 19 May 1987]]
| [[Best Director Award (Cannes Film Festival)|Best Director]] 
| rowspan="2" | Wim Wenders
| {{won}}
| rowspan="1" | <ref name="festival-cannes.com"/>
|-
!scope="row" | [[César Awards]]
| rowspan="1" | [[13th César Awards|12 March 1988]]
| [[César Award for Best Foreign Film|Best Foreign Film]]
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="1" | <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.academie-cinema.org/ceremonie/palmares.html|title=Palmarès 1988 - 13 Ème Cérémonie Des César |access-date=1 July 2017|publisher=[[Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma]]|language=fr|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160319023652/http://www.academie-cinema.org/ceremonie/palmares.html|archive-date=19 March 2016}}</ref> 
|-
!scope="row" rowspan=4| [[European Film Awards]]
| rowspan="4" | [[1st European Film Awards|1988]]
| [[European Film Award for Best Film|Best Film]] 
| rowspan="1" | Wim Wenders and Anatole Dauman 
| {{nom}}
| rowspan="4" | <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.europeanfilmacademy.org/1988.86.0.html|title=Nominations 1988|access-date=1 July 2017|publisher=[[European Film Academy]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171220042017/https://www.europeanfilmacademy.org/1988.86.0.html|archive-date=20 December 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.europeanfilmacademy.org/European-Film-Awards-Winners-1988.85.0.html|title=1988 The Winners|access-date=1 July 2017|publisher=[[European Film Academy]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170527083935/http://www.europeanfilmacademy.org/European-Film-Awards-Winners-1988.85.0.html|archive-date=27 May 2017}}</ref> 
|-
| [[European Film Award for Best Director|Best Director]] 
| rowspan="1" | Wim Wenders 
| {{won}}
|-
| [[European Film Award for Best Supporting Actor|Best Supporting Actor]] 
| rowspan="1" | [[Curt Bois]]
| {{won}}
|-
| Best Camera
| rowspan="1" | [[Henri Alekan]]
| {{nom}}
|-
!scope="row" | [[French Syndicate of Cinema Critics]]
| rowspan="1" | 1988
| Best Foreign Film
| rowspan="2" | Wim Wenders
| {{won}}
| rowspan="1" | {{sfn|Riggs|2003|p=329}}
|-
!scope="row" rowspan=2| [[German Film Award]]
| rowspan="2" | 1988
| [[German Film Award for Best Fiction Film|Best Fiction Film]] 
| {{won}}
| rowspan="2" | <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.deutscher-filmpreis.de/archiv-deutscher-filmpreis/?tx_dfpoutput_archive%5Byear%5D=1988&tx_dfpoutput_archive%5Bpage%5D=1&cHash=6e0ae1d09edf5d9a5cce89c5e1914def |title=Deutscher Filmpreis, 1988 |access-date=1 July 2017 |work=[[German Film Award]] |language=de |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171026163923/http://www.deutscher-filmpreis.de/archiv-deutscher-filmpreis/?tx_dfpoutput_archive%5Byear%5D=1988&tx_dfpoutput_archive%5Bpage%5D=1&cHash=6e0ae1d09edf5d9a5cce89c5e1914def |archive-date=26 October 2017 }}</ref> 
|-
| Best Cinematography
| rowspan="1" | Henri Alekan 
| {{won}}
|-
!scope="row" | [[Independent Spirit Awards]]
| rowspan="1" | [[4th Independent Spirit Awards|25 March 1989]]
| [[Independent Spirit Award for Best Foreign Film|Best Foreign Film]]
| rowspan="2" | Wim Wenders
| {{won}}
| rowspan="1" | {{sfn|Riggs|2003|p=329}} 
|-
!scope="row" rowspan=2| [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association]]
| rowspan="2" | [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards 1988|10 December 1988]]
| [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Foreign Language Film|Best Foreign Language Film]] 
| {{won}}
| rowspan="2" | <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lafca.net/years/1988.html|title=14th Annual Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards |access-date=1 July 2017|publisher=[[Los Angeles Film Critics Association]]|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160625144553/http://www.lafca.net/years/1988.html|archive-date=25 June 2016}}</ref> 
|-
| [[Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]]
| Henri Alekan 
| {{won}}
|-
!scope="row" rowspan=2| [[National Society of Film Critics]]
| rowspan="2" | [[National Society of Film Critics Awards 1988|8 January 1989]]
| [[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Director|Best Director]]
| Wim Wenders
| {{draw|3rd place}}
| rowspan="1" | <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1989/01/09/unbearable-lightness-named-best-film-of-88-by-critics-group/ |title='Unbearable Lightness' Named Best Film Of '88 By Critics Group |last=Kehr |first=David |date=9 January 1989 |access-date=2 July 2017 |work=[[The Chicago Tribune]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170729122822/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1989-01-09/news/8902230936_1_critics-group-los-angeles-critics-film-critics |archive-date=29 July 2017 }}</ref> 
|-
| [[National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]]
| rowspan="2" | Henri Alekan 
| {{won}}
| rowspan="1" | <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/09/movies/unbearable-lightness-gets-film-prize.html |title='Unbearable Lightness' Gets Film Prize |date=9 January 1989 |access-date=2 July 2017 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150525113729/http://www.nytimes.com/1989/01/09/movies/unbearable-lightness-gets-film-prize.html |archive-date=25 May 2015 }}</ref> 
|-
!scope="row" | [[New York Film Critics Circle]]
| [[New York Film Critics Circle Awards 1988|15 January 1989]]
| [[New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]]
| {{won}}
| rowspan="1" | <ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/16/movies/accidental-tourist-wins-film-critics-circle-award.html?mcubz=3 |title='Accidental Tourist' Wins Film Critics' Circle Award |last=Maslin |first=Janet |date=16 December 1988 |access-date=30 September 2017 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001125953/http://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/16/movies/accidental-tourist-wins-film-critics-circle-award.html?mcubz=3 |archive-date=1 October 2017 }}</ref> 
|-
|}

==Legacy==
[[File:Smichov andel wings of desire.jpg|right|upright|thumb|Prague's ''[[Golden Angel|Angel]]'' by [[Jean Nouvel]]]] 
In 1993, Wenders made a sequel, ''[[Faraway, So Close!]]'', which he found desirable to explore Berlin post-[[German reunification|reunification]], more so than for the sake of a sequel.{{sfn|Bromley|2001|p=6}} In 1998, a U.S. remake directed by [[Brad Silberling]] called ''[[City of Angels (film)|City of Angels]]'' was released. The setting was moved to [[Los Angeles]] and [[Meg Ryan]] and [[Nicolas Cage]] starred.<ref name="Ebert"/> In 2023, a second American remake was announced to be in the works to be written and directed by [[Ashley Avis]].<ref>{{cite web |url= https://deadline.com/2023/04/wings-of-desire-reimagining-city-of-angels-in-works-at-warner-bros-1235324703/|title= Ashley Avis To Helm 'City Of Angels' Romance Based On Wim Wenders' 'Wings Of Desire' For Warner Bros|date= April 13, 2023|access-date= May 8, 2023|first= Matt|last= Grobar|work= Deadline}}</ref> In [[Prague]], Czech Republic, architect [[Jean Nouvel]] designed ''[[Golden Angel|Angel]]'', a building that features an angel from the film observing the people of the [[Smíchov]] district.{{sfn|Humphreys|2011|p=158}}

A stage adaptation of ''Wings of Desire'' was created by the [[Northern Stage]] theatre company in [[Newcastle upon Tyne]], U.K. in 2003. This particular adaptation, which used film footage of the city and stories from the community, was adapted and directed by Alan Lyddiard.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2003/sep/17/theatre4 |last=Hickling |first=Alfred |date=17 September 2003 |title=Wings of Desire |work=[[The Guardian]] |access-date=2 July 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822053459/https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2003/sep/17/theatre4 |archive-date=22 August 2017 }}</ref> In 2006, the [[American Repertory Theater]] in [[Cambridge, Massachusetts]], and [[Toneelgroep Amsterdam]] presented another stage adaptation, created by [[Gideon Lester]] and Dirkje Houtman and directed by [[Ola Mafaalani]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/05/theater/reviews/05wing.html |last=Isherwood |first=Charles |date=5 December 2006 |title=Foolishly, an Angel Falls in Love and Rushes In ... and Up |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2 July 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822055905/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/05/theater/reviews/05wing.html |archive-date=22 August 2017 }}</ref>

Wenders' story was also an influence on the play ''[[Angels in America]]'' by [[Tony Kushner]], in which angels intermingle with troubled mortals.<ref name="Winter">{{cite web |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/dvdextras/2010/01/earth_angel.html |last=Winter |first=Jessica |date=2010 |title=Earth Angel |work=[[Slate Magazine]] |access-date=2 July 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822060821/http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/dvdextras/2010/01/earth_angel.html |archive-date=22 August 2017 }}</ref> [[R.E.M.]]'s music video for "[[Everybody Hurts]]" also takes cues from the film.<ref name="Winter"/> ''Wings of Desire'' was possibly Ganz's most remembered role before ''[[Downfall (2004 film)|Downfall]]'' in 2004.<ref name="Dutka">{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2005-feb-27-ca-ganz27-story.html |last=Dutka |first=Elaine |date=27 February 2005 |title=A descent into the bunker |work=[[The Los Angeles Times]] |access-date=21 August 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160608114259/http://articles.latimes.com/2005/feb/27/entertainment/ca-ganz27 |archive-date=8 June 2016 }}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of cult films]]
* [[List of films about angels]]
* [[List of submissions to the 60th Academy Awards for Best Foreign Language Film]]
* [[List of German submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]]
* August Sander's [[People of the 20th Century]] (1980 edition), the portrait photo book Homer studies during his library visit

==References==
{{reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book |last=Batchelor |first=David |title=Chromophobia |publisher=Reaktion Books |date=2000 |isbn=1861890745 |url=https://archive.org/details/chromophobia00batc_0 }}
* {{cite book |last=Billingham |first=Peter |chapter='Into My Arms': Themes of Desire and Spirituality in The Boatman's Call |title=The Art of Nick Cave: New Critical Essays |location=Bristol and Chicago |publisher=Intellect Books |date=2013 |isbn=978-1841506272 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Brady |first1=Martin |last2=Leal |first2=Joanne |chapter=Leafing Through Wings of Desire |title=Wim Wenders and Peter Handke: Collaboration, Adaptation, Recomposition |publisher=Rodopi |date=2011 |isbn=978-9042032484 }}
* {{cite book |last=Bromley |first=Roger |title=From Alice to Buena Vista: The Films of Wim Wenders |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |date=2001 |isbn=0275966488 }}
* {{cite book |last=Byg |first=Barton |chapter=Spectral Images in the Aftermath of GDR Cinema |title=DEFA After East Germany |location=Rochester, New York |publisher=Camden House |date=2014 |isbn=978-1571135827 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Christensen |first1=Miyase |last2=Erdoǧan |first2=Nezih |title=Shifting Landscapes: Film and Media in European Context |publisher=Cambridge Scholars Publishing |date=2008 |isbn=978-1847184733 }}
* {{cite book |last=Cook |first=Roger F. |chapter=Angels, Fiction, and History in Berlin: Wings of Desire |title=The Cinema of Wim Wenders: Image, Narrative, and the Postmodern Condition |publisher=Wayne State University Press |date=1997 |isbn=0814325785 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/cinemaofwimwende0000unse }}
* {{cite book |last=Danks |first=Adrian |chapter=Red Right Hand: Nick Cave and the Cinema |title=Cultural Seeds: Essays on the Work of Nick Cave |location=London and New York |publisher=Routledge |date=2016 |isbn=978-1317156253 }}
* {{cite book |last=Davison |first=Annette |chapter=Music to Desire By: The Soundtrack to Wim Wenders's Der Himmel über Berlin |title="Hollywood Theory, Non-Hollywood Practice ": Cinema Soundtracks in the 1980s and 1990s |publisher=Routledge |date=2017 |isbn=978-1351563581 }}
* {{cite book |last=Detweiler |first=Craig |chapter=Christianity |title=The Routledge Companion to Religion and Film |location=London and New York |publisher=Routledge |date=2009 |isbn=978-1135220662 }}
* {{cite book |last=Detweiler |first=Craig |chapter=10. Wings of Desire |title=God in the Movies: A Guide for Exploring Four Decades of Film |publisher=Brazos Press |date=2017 |isbn=978-1493410590 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Fitzpatrick |first1=Rob |last2=Roland |first2=Mark |title=Gods of Rock |location=New York |publisher=Sterling Publishing Company, Inc. |date=2006 |isbn=1402736738 }}
* {{cite book |last=Graf |first=Alexander |chapter=Chapter Three: Wings of Desire |title=The Cinema of Wim Wenders: The Celluloid Highway |location=London and New York |publisher=Wallflower Press |date=2002 |isbn=1903364299 }}
* {{cite book |last=Greeley |first=Andrew M.  |title=God in the Movies |publisher=Routledge |location=New York and London |date=2017 |isbn=978-1351517218}}
* {{cite book |last=Hasenberg |first=Peter |chapter=The 'Religious' in Film: From King of Kings to The Fisher King |title=New Image of Religious Film |location=Franklin, Wisconsin |publisher=Sheed & Ward |date=1997 |isbn=1556127618 |url=https://archive.org/details/newimageofreligi00mayj }}
* {{cite book |last=Huda |first=Anwar |title=The Art and Science of Cinema |publisher=Atlantic Publishers & Dist |date=2004 |isbn=8126903481 }}
* {{cite book |last=Humphreys |first=Rob |title=The Rough Guide to Prague |publisher=Penguin |date=2011 |isbn=978-1405382519 }}
* {{cite book |last=Hurbis-Cherrier |first=Mick |title=Voice and Vision: A Creative Approach to Narrative Film and DV Production |publisher=CRC Press |date=2012 |isbn=978-1136067662 }}
* {{cite book |last=Jesinghausen |first=Martin |chapter=The Sky over Berlin as Transcendental Space: Wenders, Doblin and the 'Angel of History' |title=Spaces in European Cinema |location=Exeter, England and Portland, Oregon |publisher=Intellect Books |date=2000 |isbn=1841500046 }}
* {{cite book |last=Kilbourn |first=Russell J.A. |chapter=From Her to Eternity/From Eternity to Her: Wings of Desire |title=Cinema, Memory, Modernity: The Representation of Memory from the Art Film to Transnational Cinema |publisher=Routledge |location=New York and London |date=2013 |isbn=978-1134550159 }}
* {{cite book |last=Klosterman |first=Chuck |chapter=Pie Fights and the Suicidal Fetus: 6 Happily Discarded Alternate Endings |title=Inventory: 16 Films Featuring Manic Pixie Dream Girls, 10 Great Songs Nearly Ruined by Saxophone, and 100 More Obsessively Specific Pop-Culture Lists |publisher=Simon and Schuster |date=2009 |isbn=978-1439109892 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Kolker |first1=Robert Phillip |last2=Beicken |first2=Peter |chapter=Wings of Desire: Between Heaven and Earth |title=The Films of Wim Wenders: Cinema as Vision and Desire |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=1993 |isbn=0521380642 }}
* {{cite book |last1=Lüdi |first1=Heidi |last2=Lüdi |first2=Toni |title=Magic Worlds: Production Design in Film - Das Szenenbild Im Film |publisher=Edition Axel Menges |date=2000 |isbn=3932565134 }}
* {{cite book |last=Maltin |first=Leonard |title=Leonard Maltin's 2015 Movie Guide |publisher=Penguin |date=2014 |isbn=978-0698183612 }}
* {{cite book |last=Marcus |first=Laura |chapter=The Library in Film: Order and Mystery |title=The Meaning of the Library: A Cultural History |location=Princeton and Oxford |publisher=Princeton University Press |date=2015 |isbn=978-1400865741 }}
* {{cite book |last=Monaco |first=James |title=The Movie Guide |publisher=Perigee Books |date=1992 |isbn=0399517804 }}
* {{cite book |last=Niemiec |first=Ryan M. |chapter=International Cinema |title=The Cinematic Mirror for Psychology and Life Coaching |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |date=2009 |isbn=978-1441911148 }}
* {{cite book |last=Overstreet |first=Jeffrey |title=Through a Screen Darkly: Looking Closer at Beauty, Truth and Evil in the Movies |publisher=Gospel Light Publications |date=2007 |isbn=978-0830743155 |url=https://archive.org/details/throughscreendar00over }}
* {{cite book |last1=Reimer |first1=Robert Charles |last2=Reimer |first2=Carol J. |title=The A to Z of German Cinema |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |date=2010 |isbn=978-0810876118 }}
* {{cite book |last=Riggs |first=Thomas |title=Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television |publisher=Gale / Cengage Learning |date=2003 |isbn=0787670952 }}
* {{cite book |last=Scheibel |first=Will |title=American Stranger: Modernisms, Hollywood, and the Cinema of Nicholas Ray |publisher=SUNY Press |date=2017 |isbn=978-1438464114 }}
* {{cite book |last=Stengel |first=Wayne |title=Talking about Pauline Kael: Critics, Filmmakers, and Scholars Remember an Icon |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |date=2015 |isbn=978-1442254602 }}
* {{cite book |last=Stoddart |first=Helen |chapter=Flights of Fantasy: Representing the Female Aerialist |title=Rings of Desire: Circus History and Representation |publisher=Manchester University Press |date=2000 |isbn=0719052343 }}
* {{cite book |last=Tzioumakis |first=Yannis |title=Hollywood's Indies: Classics Divisions, Specialty Labels and the American Film Market |publisher=Edinburgh University Press |date=2012 |isbn=978-0748664535 }}
* {{cite book |last=Waddell |first=Terrie |chapter=Transitional Fantasies of Masculinity: Wings of Desire |title=The Happiness Illusion: How the Media Sold Us a Fairytale |publisher=Routledge |date=2015 |isbn=978-1317579823 }}
* {{cite book |last=Wenders |first=Wim |chapter=Excerpts from Interviews with Wenders |title=The Cinema of Wim Wenders: Image, Narrative, and the Postmodern Condition |publisher=Wayne State University Press |date=1997 |isbn=0814325785 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/cinemaofwimwende0000unse }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Der Himmel über Berlin}}
{{wikiquote|Wings of Desire}}
* {{IMDb title|0093191}}
* {{tcmdb title|id=95968}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|wings_of_desire}}
*[https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/1288-wings-of-desire-watch-the-skies ''Wings of Desire: Watch the Skies''] an essay by [[Michael Atkinson (writer)|Michael Atkinson]] at the [[Criterion Collection]]

{{Wim Wenders}}
{{Peter Handke}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for ''Wings of Desire''
|list =
{{Blue Ribbon Award for Best Foreign Film}}
{{Independent Spirit Award for Best International Film}}
{{Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Foreign Language Film}}
{{German submission for Academy Awards}}
}}
{{Berlin Wall}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wings Of Desire}}
[[Category:1987 fantasy films]]
[[Category:1980s romantic fantasy films]]
[[Category:1987 films]]
[[Category:1980s English-language films]]
[[Category:English-language German films]]
[[Category:English-language French films]]
[[Category:Existentialist films]]
[[Category:Fictional angels]]
[[Category:Films about angels]]
[[Category:Films about the Berlin Wall]]
[[Category:Films directed by Wim Wenders]]
[[Category:Films produced by Anatole Dauman]]
[[Category:Films set in Berlin]]
[[Category:Films partially in color]]
[[Category:French romantic fantasy films]]
[[Category:1980s French-language films]]
[[Category:German romantic fantasy films]]
[[Category:1980s German-language films]]
[[Category:1980s Hebrew-language films]]
[[Category:Best Foreign Film Independent Spirit Award winners]]
[[Category:Metaphysical fiction films]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Peter Handke]]
[[Category:1980s Spanish-language films]]
[[Category:1980s Turkish-language films]]
[[Category:West German films]]
[[Category:Films scored by Laurent Petitgand]]
[[Category:Films scored by Jürgen Knieper]]
[[Category:Films set in East Germany]]
[[Category:Films set in West Germany]]
[[Category:Films set in libraries]]
[[Category:1987 multilingual films]]
[[Category:1987 independent films]]
[[Category:French multilingual films]]
[[Category:German multilingual films]]
[[Category:1980s French films]]
[[Category:1980s German films]]
[[Category:French independent films]]
[[Category:German independent films]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Wim Wenders]]
[[Category:Films produced by Wim Wenders]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Richard Reitinger]]
[[Category:English-language independent films]]
[[Category:English-language romantic fantasy films]]