A Director in Two Worlds
 

Wim Wenders during a 2004 "Hollywood Talks Shop" presentation at the Goethe Institute in Los Angeles. Photo: Stefan Kloo

Hollywood has drawn yet another German filmmaker into its flame, albeit more gradually in this case. Director Wim Wenders grew up in Germany, but his early fascination with things American can be seen even in some of his early German films, especially Kings of the Road (1976) and The American Friend (1977), the latter filmed in New York City and Europe with English-speaking Dennis Hopper and the Swiss-German actor Bruno Ganz (who has appeared in many Wenders films).

Wenders is perhaps best known for his lyrical, philosophical tale of angels in Berlin, Wings of Desire/Der Himmel über Berlin (1987)—a film that was remade by Hollywood as City of Angels (1998) and set in—where else?—Los Angeles. Hammett (1983), his first US film, was reshot before being released three years later. His second American effort, Paris, Texas, was critically more successful, receiving the Golden Palm at Cannes in 1984, but relatively few American filmgoers have ever seen it. More recently, Wenders has once again returned to American themes in two motion pictures: Land of Plenty (2004) and Don't Come Knocking (in production). (See the filmography for more about these two films.)

NEW RELEASE!
WINGS OF DESIRE now on DVD!

The German director has made most of his films in English in the U.S. He has been living in Los Angeles since the 1980s, although he spends part of each year in Germany and Berlin (his favorite city). At the 50th Cannes Film Festival in May 1997, Wenders was seen arm-in-arm with Andie MacDowell, the star of The End of Violence (Das Ende der Gewalt), which he filmed in Los Angeles. At the 50th Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) in February 2000, Wenders was seen with Milla Jovovich ("Fifth Element," "Joan of Arc"), at the premiere of The Million Dollar Hotel—also filmed in L.A. Going back to Wings of Desire, Wenders seems to have a fascination with the female stars of his films, but he is happily married to Donata Wenders (born in 1965 in Berlin), who also has a filmmaking background and helps Wim with his film projects. They married in 1993.

Curt Bois (left) played the elderly Homer in Wenders' Wings of Desire. It was to be his last film role in a long career that began in 1907 and set a world's record for its duration. Bois also appeared (for about 10 seconds) as the pickpocket in the classic Casablanca (1942). On the right is German actor Otto Sander as the angel Cassiel. In the background, the late Berlin Wall.

Most observers would probably agree that Wenders' best work to date is his 1987 Wings of Desire. After living in Los Angeles for eight years, the director returned to his homeland to make his first German-language film since moving to the U.S. The film's German title, Der Himmel über Berlin, better conveys more about the picture's actual story. Since the German word “Himmel” means both “sky” and “heaven,” the German title can be understood to mean either “The Sky over Berlin,” “Heaven over Berlin,” or something like “The Heavens above Berlin”—more cleverly expressing the film's angelic theme and the location of the story. Although a case can be made for the “Wings of Desire” label (angels do have wings), the English title's “Desire” somehow adds an unjustifiable hint of prurience entirely absent from the German. But Wenders himself came up with the English title and has said that he actually prefers it to the original German! No matter what you call it, Wings of Desire is a masterful cinematic achievement.

Wenders wrote the screenplay for Wings of Desire with the Austrian writer and dramatist Peter Handke. (The complete script with accompanying stills from the film can be found in the German publication Der Himmel über Berlin: Ein Filmbuch von Wim Wenders und Peter Handke from Suhrkamp. I don't know if there is an English version.) The lyrical script—contrary to stereotypes, German can be beautifully poetic—is an important element in the film's total impact, but it was the result of daily improvisation as the film was being made. Wenders had only a vague idea of what he wanted to do... and no script when the film began. But the combination of Henri Alekan's marvelous cinematography (itself lyrical), the fine acting, and the collaboration of Wenders, his cast, and his crew all make for a sum greater than its parts. The new DVD release of Wings more than does justice to this wonderful film. It was worth the wait!

See my About.com review of the
DVD Version of Wings of Desire

Wim Wenders was born Ernst Wilhelm Wenders on August 14, 1945 in Düsseldorf, Germany. After high school, he briefly studied medicine and philosophy, but interrupted his studies to study art and cinema in Paris from 1966 to 1967. Returning to Germany, he began film studies at the new Hochschule für Film und Fernsehen in Munich (where he has been a guest professor since 1993). There he made several short films before graduating. His professional cinematic career began in 1971 with the filming of The Goalkeeper's Fear of the Penalty Kick, based on the novella by Peter Handke. That same year, together with 12 other filmmakers, Wenders founded the production and distribution firm Filmverlag der Autoren.

In 1977 he completed the film The American Friend, set in Hamburg and New York City. Partly because of that film, Francis Ford Coppola invited Wenders to Hollywood to film the detective story Hammett. Unfortunately, that experience proved to be difficult for Wenders, with philosophical and artistic disagreements. In 1982 Wenders returned to Europe to direct a Peter Handke play at the Salzburg Festspiele. But he was soon back in the U.S. to film Paris, Texas, released in 1984. By now, Wenders had achieved international "cult" status as a director, but one of his best films was still to come. Wings of Desire won him a best director award at Cannes in 1987.

Wenders' longtime interest in music (he has a huge CD collection, but prefers the sound of the old vinyl records) can be seen in his homage to Cuban music in the documentary Buena Vista Social Club (1999). The internationally acclaimed director and his films can often be seen on the American cable/satellite network, the Independent Film Channel, of which he is a director (along with people like Jodie Foster and Martin Scorsese).

Wenders premiered The Million Dollar Hotel (filmed in Los Angeles), at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2000. It was the 50th birthday of the festival and the first time that the Berlinale was held at the new Potsdamer Platz complex (plus other Berlin locations). Wenders reflected on the significance of Potsdamer Platz, where he had directed scenes for Wings of Desire when the Wall still stood there: “I couldn't have dreamed it! For me it's a crazy thing to be able to open the 50th Berlinale here at the Potsdamer Platz.”

NEXT > See the Wenders filmography on the next page...

N E X T > Wenders' Films

B O O K S
BOOK 1: Wim Wenders: On Film - Essays and Conversations by Wim Wenders.
BOOK 2: The Cinema of Wim Wenders: Image, Narrative, and the Postmodern Condition by Roger Cook.

Copyright © 1997-2005 Hyde Flippo