8 | / 10 |
Users | 4.5 | |
Reviewer | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.8 |
An angel wandering unseen through West Berlin falls in love with a beautiful circus performer and decides to become human.
Starring: Bruno Ganz, Solveig Dommartin, Peter Falk, Otto Sander, Curt BoisDrama | 100% |
Foreign | 75% |
Romance | 20% |
Imaginary | 7% |
Fantasy | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.66:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
Winner of the Best Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1987, Wim Wenders' "Der Himmel über Berlin" a.k.a. "Wings of Desire" arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The disc contains a new, restored high-definition transfer, supervised and approved by director Wim Wenders. Amongst the supplemental features on the disc are: "The Angles Among Us", a documentary from 2003 containing interviews with director Wim Wenders; writer Peter Handke; actors Peter Falk, Bruno Ganz, and Otto Sander; Brad Silberling, director of City of Angels; and composer Jurgen Knieper; excerpted conversations with cinematographer Henri Alekan; "Remembrance" - excerpts from a 1982 film directed by Bruno Ganz and Otto Sander about actor Curt Bois; an audio commentary with director Wim Wenders and star Peter Falk; deleted scenes and outtakes; and more. Criterion have also included a 30-page illustrated booklet. Region-A "locked".
Watching over Berlin
Presented in the director's preferred aspect ratio of 1.66:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Wim Wenders' Wings of Desire arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
Director Wim Wenders supervised and approved this new high-definition digital transfer, which was created from a 35mm interpositive and a 35mm internegative scanned in 4:4:4 24P resolution on a Spirit Datacine.
This Blu-ray release of Wings of Desire is leaps and bounds better than the Special Edition R1 SDVD MGM released a couple of years ago. Detail is fantastic, clarity great and contrast excellent throughout the entire film. The B&W sequences, in particular, look outstanding. The grain structure of the film is also fully intact. Additionally, neither edge-enhancement nor macroblocking are an issue of concern. There are no stability issues to report either - when blown through a digital projector, Wings of Desire looks great.
Criterion's Blu-ray release of Wings of Desire also looks notably healthier than the SDVD R1 release. Indeed, there are absolutely no disturbing scratches, debris, dirt, or stains to report. This being said, there are two scenes where a noticed a tiny but of chroma popping up, which is the only reason I am not giving Wings of Desire our highest score.
Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content.
There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: German (with portions of English and French): DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. For the record, Criterion have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature.
The soundtrack for Wings of Desire was originally created on an LTRT stereo format. The soundtrack for this Blu-ray release is presented in a multichannel format. Supervised and approved by director Wim Wenders, it has been remastered and remixed at 24-bit from the original 35mm stems.
I have absolutely no reservations with the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track whatsoever. The dialog is crisp, clear and very easy to follow. Additionally, there are no disturbing pops, cracks, or hissings to report. The music - and especially Nick Cave's performances - sounds terrific. The bass, in particular, is rich and surprisingly potent. There are no balance issues to report either.
The Angels Among Us - a documentary from 2003 containing interviews with director Wim Wenders; writer Peter Handke; actors Peter Falk, Bruno Ganz, and Otto Sander; Brad Silberling, director of City of Angels; and composer Jurgen Knieper. (44 min, 1080i/60).
Cinema Cinemas - "Wim Wenders Berlin Jan. 87" is from an episode of the French television program Cinema Cinemas. It was directed by Claude Ventura and first broadcast on February 17, 1987. (10 min, 1080i/60).
Deleted Scenes and Outtakes - nine deleted scenes accompanied by an audi documentary by director Wim Wenders. The outtakes are presented only with music. (1080i/60).
Gallery - a gallery of stills with information addressing their origin.
Alekan '85 - excerpted conversations with cinematographer Henri Alekan - shot by filmmaker Andre Bonzel in November 1985, when he was a student at the Belgian film school INSAS - taken from an unfinished documentary about the legendary cinematographer. (11 min, 1080i/60).
Alekan la lumiere - excerpts from the 1985 documentary Alekan la lumiere, in which legendary cinematographer Henri Alekan discusses his techniques with director Wim Wenders. The documentary first aired on French television on August 4, 1988, and was directed by Michel Dumoulin. (28 min, 1080i/60)
Remembrance - excerpts from a 1982 film directed by Bruno Ganz and Otto Sander about actor Curt Bois, who plays Homer in Wings of Desire. (30 min, 1080i/60).
Trailers - the German theatrical trailer (2 min, 1080p) and "Wen Wunderts" promo trailer (2 min, 1080i/60).
Audio commentary - the commentary features director Wim Wenders and star Peter Falk. It was edited in 2009 by independent DVD producer Mark Rance from over six hours of interviews he conducted in August and September 1996 and March 1997.
Booklet - a 30-page illustrated booklet containing "Song of Childhood" by Peter Handke, "Watch the Skies" by Michael Atkinson, "An Attempted Description of an Indescribable Film" by Wim Wenders, and notes about the transfer.
I love everything about this release - Wings of Desire looks and sounds great and there is a wealth of supplemental features on the disc to explore. I cannot wait to see what Criterion would do with Paris, Texas. Is it January yet? VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
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