Wings of Desire - Wim Wenders

(aka "Der Himmel über Berlin" or "Les Ailes du désir" or "The Sky Above Berlin")

directed by Wim Wenders
Germany 1987

Part romance, part comedy, part meditation on matters political and philosophical, Wenders' remarkable movie posits a world haunted by invisible angels listening in to our thoughts. Such plot as there is concerns two kindly spirits (Ganz and Sander), posted to contemporary Berlin, who encounter a myriad of mortals, including an ageing writer blighted by memories of a devastated Germany; actor Peter Falk, on location shooting a film about the Nazi era; and a lonely trapeze artist, with whom Ganz falls in love, thus prompting his desire to become mortal at last. A film about the Fall and the Wall, it's full of astonishingly hypnotic images (courtesy veteran Henri Alékan), and manages effortlessly to turn Wenders' and Peter Handke's poetic, literary script into pure cinematic expression. Masterpiece? Maybe not, but few films are so rich, so intriguing, or so ambitious.

Excerpt from TimeOut Film Guide located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: September 23rd, 1987 - France

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DVD Comparison:

MGM - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Anchor Bay - Region 0 - PAL

Big thanks to the collaboration of Gregory Meshman for the MGM Screen Captures and Pavel Borodin for Anchor Bay captures!

(MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Anchor Bay - Region 0 - PAL - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers
Distribution	MGM Home Entertainment Region 1 - NTSC	Anchor Bay Region 2 - PAL
Runtime	2:07:28	2:02:16 (4% PAL speedup)
Video	1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 5.90 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 6.89 PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate: MGM
Bitrate: Anchor Bay
Audio	German and English (Dolby Digital 5.1), German and English (Dolby Digital 2.0), Commentary in English (Dolby Digital 2.0)	German and English (Dolby Digital 5.1), German and English (Dolby Digital 2.0) Commentary in English (Dolby Digital 2.0)
Subtitles	English, Spanish, French and none	English, and none
Features	Release Information: Studio: MGM/UA Video Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1 Edition Details: • Black & White, Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby • Commentary by director Wim Wenders and Peter Falk • Deleted scenes with commentary by Wim Wenders • "Angels Among Us" documentary • Interactive map • Widescreen anamorphic format DVD Release Date: July 1, 2003 Keep Case Chapters 32	Release Information: Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.78:1 Edition Details: • Special Feature: • Outtakes & Deleted Scenes (31 mins) • German Trailer • Curt Bois Trailer • Photo Gallery • Film Notes • Cast & Crew • Audio Commentary by Win Wenders and Peter Falk DVD Release Date: April 1, 2003 Keep Case Chapters 18

Comments:

These editions are very nice, but the Anchor Bay Region 2 has a shade of contrast boosting and the general image is slightly hazy in comparison to the sharp MGM Region 1. Contrast appears to be minutely better in the MGM disc. The Extras are as good as equal with both supporting the same Wenders commentary (with Peter Falk) and few other tidbits. I might lean towards the MGM for the "Angels Among Us" documentary inclusion. Colors seem slightly saturated in the Anchor Bay with a tad more red in the skin tones. The MGM is minimally cropped on all 4 edges. Overall I'd say the differences are negligible for most except the many die-hard fans of this film. If you are buying new, then go with the MGM. This comparison may not be enough evidence for those owners of the Region 2 to switch over... but then again they might. MGM wins this comparison.

- Gary W. Tooze

NOTE: There were some problems with Anchor Bay 5.1 track on the initial release of their DVD. The sound started cutting out at around 1:40:00, going mute for approximately 10 minutes and returning sporadically in the last 5 minutes of the film. The soundtrack can be switched to the original Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack on the fly. This track does not have the associated problem. Anchor Bay are aware of this glitch and will be re-issuing the DVD. Anyone who has this problem disc can get it replaced, but it is a hassle.

DVD Menus

(MGM - Region 1 - NTSC - LEFT vs. Anchor Bay - Region 0 - PAL - RIGHT)

Screen Captures