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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka "Der Himmel über Berlin" or "Les Ailes du désir" or "The Sky Above Berlin")
directed
by Wim Wenders
Germany 1987
Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin) is one of cinema’s
loveliest city symphonies. Bruno Ganz is Damiel, an angel perched atop buildings
high over Berlin who can hear the thoughts—fears, hopes, and dreams—of all the
people living below. But when he falls in love with a beautiful trapeze artist,
he is willing to give up his immortality to come back to earth to be with her.
Made not long before the fall of the Berlin Wall, this stunning tapestry of
sounds and images, shot in black and white and color by the legendary Henri
Alekan, is movie poetry. And it forever made the name Wim Wenders synonymous
with film art.
*** 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. |
Posters
Theatrical Release: September 23rd, 1987 - France
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Comparison:
MGM - Region 1 - NTSC vs. Anchor Bay - Region 0 - PAL vs. Criterion - Region 'A' -
Blu-rayBig thanks to the collaboration of Gregory Meshman for the MGM Screen Captures and Pavel Borodin for Anchor Bay captures!
1)
MGM
- Region 1 - NTSC -
LEFT 3) Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray RIGHT
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Distribution |
MGM Home Entertainment Region 1 - NTSC |
Anchor
Bay
Region 2 - PAL |
Criterion Collection - Spine # 490
Region 'A' - Blu-ray |
Runtime | 2:07:28 | 2:02:16 (4% PAL speedup) | 2:07:44.073 |
Video |
1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio
16X9 enhanced |
1.78:1 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced |
1080P / 23.976 fps Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 49,824,683,398 bytesFeature: 26,440,255,488 bytesVideo Bitrate: 2 3.98 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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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) |
DTS-HD Master Audio German 1911 kbps 5.1 / 48
kHz / 1911 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit) Commentary: Dolby Digital Audio English 224 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 224 kbps |
Subtitles | English, Spanish, French and none | English, and none | English, and none |
Features |
Release Information: Studio: MGM/UA Video Aspect Ratio: Edition Details: DVD
Release Date: July 1, 2003
Chapters 32 |
Release Information: Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment Aspect Ratio:
Chapters 18 |
Release Information: Studio: Criterion
1080P / 23.976 fps Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 49,824,683,398 bytesFeature: 26,440,255,488 bytesVideo Bitrate: 2 3.98 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details: Chapters 1 9 |
Comments: |
NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were ripped directly from the Blu-ray disc. ADDITION: Criterion - Region 'A' Blu-ray - October09: The Criterion is advertised as a 'New, restored high-definition digital transfer, supervised and approved by director Wim Wenders' and I don't think I need to say more beyond the screen captures below. The 1080P rendering is a gigantic leap beyond the existing DVDs - especially in contrast and detail. The DVDs looks greenish and sepia while the Criterion is more pure black + white. Like the Criterion DVD HERE, it s the only on in the correct 166:1 aspect ratio. It has a beautifully consistent sheen of fine grain texturizing the image canvas.Criterion offers a solid DTS-HD Master 5.1 at 1911 kbps 5.1 in German with some English and French dialogue. It is stated in the booklet included with the package that the audio was originally created on an LTRT stereo format but for this Blu-ray release is presented in a multichannel format - remastered and remixed at 24-bit, with director approval, from the original 35mm stems. It sounds flawless and the mix is, expectantly, not the most aggressive but subtle separation exists - which seems to suit the film perfectly. There are optional English subtitles and my Momitsu verifies this is region 'A'-locked. The extras are extensive with an audio commentary with Wenders and actor Peter Falk. It amounts to an edited set of 6 hours of interviews conducted by Mark Rance in August, September 1996 and March 1997. This will differ from the past DVDs as it is claimed to have been edited in 2009. The Angels Among Us (2003), is a documentary featuring interviews with Wenders, Falk, actors Bruno Ganz and Otto Sander, writer Peter Handke, and composer Jürgen Knieper. It runs 43 minutes and like all featurettes on this disc it is in HD. We get “Wim Wenders Berlin Jan. 87,” an episode of the French television program Cinéma cinémas, including on-set footage for just shy of 10minutes with English subtitles. There is an interview with director of photography Henri Alekan for about 10-minutes, 9 deleted scenes and outtakes for about 1/2 an hour and some excerpts from the films Alekan la lumière (1985) - 27:11 - and Remembrance: Film for Curt Bois (1982) - 29:42. Criterion have included a 'Timeline' feature and some notes and photos by art directors Heidi Lüdi and Toni Lüdi, a German theatrical trailer and 'Wen Wunderts' promotional trailer as well as a 30-page liner notes booklet featuring an essay by critic Michael Atkinson and writings by Handke and Wenders.
Goodness this is a good set. It's the perfect Art Film
with a totally flawless package. I can't see any fan
being disappointed with what this has to offer.
Criterion continue to immeasurably impress with their
Blu-ray
line. This is another that has our highest regard and
strongest recommendation.
ON THE DVDs: 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.
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.
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CLICK EACH BLU-RAY CAPTURE TO SEE ALL IMAGES IN FULL 1920X1080 RESOLUTION
Screen Captures
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Report Card:
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Blu-ray |
Sound: |
Blu-ray |
Extras: | Blu-ray |
Menu: | Blu-ray |