In weiter Ferne, so nah! (1993)

Director:

Wim Wenders

Writers:

Richard Reitinger (writer)
Wim Wenders (writer)

Release Date:

21 December 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Drama | Mystery | Romance

Plot:

A sequel to Wender's Der Himmel über Berlin (Wings of desire), it again follows a group of angels in...

Plot Keywords:

Sequel | Angel | German Reunification | Post Cold War | Afterlife

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Otto Sander	...	Cassiel
Bruno Ganz	...	Damiel
Mikhail Gorbachev	...	Himself (as Michail S. Gorbatschow)
Nastassja Kinski	...	Raphaela
Martin Olbertz	...	Dying Man
Aline Krajewski	...	Raissa
Monika Hansen	...	Hanna / Gertrud Becker
Rüdiger Vogler	...	Phillip Winter
Heinz Rühmann	...	Konrad
Tilmann Vierzig	...	Young Konrad
Hanns Zischler	...	Dr. Becker
Antonia Westphal	...	Young Hanna
Ingo Schmitz	...	Anton Becker
Günter Meisner	...	Forger
Sascha Wohlatz	...	Teenager

Also Known As:

Faraway, So Close! (USA)

Runtime:

144 min | USA:140 min

Country:

Germany

Language:

German | French | English

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:PG | Australia:M | Germany:6 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Alexanderplatz, Mitte, Berlin, Germany

Company:

Bioskop Film

Trivia:

The human name Cassiel chooses is Karl Engel. "Engel" is German for "angel."

Goofs:

Continuity: After Cassiel meets Anton Becker and returns to Angelo's pizzeria, he meets Emit Flesti and Damiel puts his flour stained hands on Flesti's shoulder, leaving a white mark on the black suit. The next time we see Flesti, moments later, there is no white mark.

Quotes:

Emit Flesti: Have you heard the prophecy? "In the Year of Hate, when all that is foreign is despised, dark riders will enter the harbor, seize the ship and everyone on it and sail them straight into hell"
Cassiel: I know all prophecy, but not this one. You made it up.
Emit Flesti: What's the difference? It just happened.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Learning to Fly (2005)

Soundtrack:

Travellin' On

Wings was a story, this a poem

To enjoy this movie, view it as a poem. It relies on the language of the heart and asks its viewers to see it as it truly is, through the same myopic eyes to try and understand a dream. There is the duality of existence we all face, mirrored through the experience of an angel who falls to earth, who falls precisely because he can no longer contain himself within the restrictions of his identity. The central metaphor of this movie is about the passion, truth and love we are all promised, should we choose to live life as we were meant. There are the difficulties of trying to live out our singular purpose, the disappointments of relation, the trials of being part of something greater than self. In all these, there is also the beauty inherent, and ultimate understanding. The triumph of beautiful release, when we realise that all that has gone before is both behind us and a part of what we are, and the relief of becoming an individual, and understanding and embracing aspirations gained and lost.