When a child was a child
there was the time of the
question
why am I me
and why not you
why am I here
and why not
there
when did time begin
and when did space end
Isn't life under the
sun just a dream
Isn't what I see here and smell
just a vision of a world
before the world
does evil really exit
are there people who are really
evil
how can it be that I who is me wasn't there
before I was
and that one day
I who is me
shall no longer be what I am now
when a child was a
child
he chake an spinach, rice pudding,
peas & boil
cauliflower
and now he eats it all
and now just because he must
when a
child was a child
he onced woke up in a strange bed
now this happens again
and again
many poeple seemed beautiful then
now very few do is at
all
he had precise picture of paradise
and now he can only make a
guess
he couldn't imagine anything less
today he trembles at
the idea
when a child was a child
he lived on apples and bread
it was
enough then and still is
when a child was a child
berries fell into his
hands and they still do
he felt shy in front of strangers
and still feel
the same
he wait for the first snow
and is still waiting
when a child
was a child
he threw himself into his games
and now he masters such
involvement only
when work is concerned
Wings of Desire is the
prequel to Faraway, So Close. The premise of this fantasy is intriguing: two
angels, Cassiel (Otto Sander) and Damiel (Bruno Ganz), roam Berlin, comforting
those in pain and admiring the simple beauty of human life. This contrast
between pain and beauty is represented as a shift from childish innocence to
adult awareness, using the poem "When the child was a child" as its refrain.
Wenders uses a number of creative techniques. The angels can only see in
black and white, and the viewer feels the distancing effect of this each time
the movie shifts between color and black & white. As well Wenders, who is
acclaimed for his use of camera angles and his roaming camera, is very aware of
point of view in the film. The angles often see from above, and the humans from
below. Both of these contrasts, the color and the perspective, can be seen in
the trapeze scene.
The twist to
the movie is clever: Damiel wants to become human. Fascinated by Marion (played
by Solveig Dommartin), he wants to be able to pursue her, to talk to her, to
touch her. He wants to see her in color. Now, the angels are able to influence
human thoughts, but they cannot speak alone. Wenders employs an excellent dream
scene to show the mental and emotional connection that Damiel and Marion are
forming, building tension. Finally, Damiel becomes human, and learns to
understand pain and love.
Much of the pain Damiel witnesses and experiences
are symptoms of urbanity. Wenders has set the film in Cold War Berlin, and has
several shots of darkness, coldness, and urban decay. We are also presented with
"urban" characters, like the young prostitute who knows that if she's caught
she'll be kicked out of high school.
The great cameo in this film is Peter Falk
(of Colombo fame) who is a previously "fallen angel," and helps to guide Damiel
through the transition to human life.
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