City of Angels (1998)

Director:

Brad Silberling

Writers (WGA):

Wim Wenders (screenplay) &
Peter Handke (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

10 April 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

She didn't believe in angels until she fell in love with one.

Plot:

Inspired by the modern classic, Wings of Desire, City involves an angel (Cage) who is spotted by a doctor in an operating room. Franz plays Cage's buddy who somehow knows a lot about angels.

Plot Keywords:

Angel | Doctor | Fall | Hospital | Tragedy

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 9 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Nicolas Cage	...	Seth
Meg Ryan	...	Dr. Maggie Rice
Andre Braugher	...	Cassiel
Dennis Franz	...	Nathaniel Messinger
Colm Feore	...	Jordan Ferris
Robin Bartlett	...	Anne
Joanna Merlin	...	Teresa Messinger
Sarah Dampf	...	Susan
Rhonda Dotson	...	Susan's Mother
Nigel Gibbs	...	Doctor
John Putch	...	Man in Car
Lauri Johnson	...	Woman in Car
Christian Aubert	...	Foreign Visitor in Car
Jay Patterson	...	Air Traffic Controller
Shishir Kurup	...	Jimmy, Anesthesiologist

Also Known As:

Stadt der Engel (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexuality including language, and some nudity.

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

Germany | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #35791) | Iceland:L | Brazil:12 | Canada:14A (Ontario - 2006) | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Hungary:14 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Sweden:11 | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, California, USA

Company:

Atlas Entertainment

Trivia:

Right before the falling sequence, when Nicolas Cage is preparing to fall, the music being played are the prayers "Our Father" and "Hail Mary" recited in Polish.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Maggie is riding her bike to the hospital at the beginning of the movie, the seat is clearly adjusted quite high. When she parks the bike, the close-up of the bike shows the seat only about two inches above minimum.

Quotes:

Maggie Rice: We have our whole lives together. You and me. Mr. and Mrs. Plate.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Tracey Fragments (2007)

Soundtrack:

Angel

Unbelievably underrated

I just watched this movie again for about the 3rd time. People say the movie is depressing, unoriginal, and boring. I'll bend on the depressing part, but the other 2 are completely un-true.

Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan give pretty good performances, nothing oscar-worthy, but it's not the acting that makes this movie great. It's beautiful. Pure heaven to the eyes and ears. While you see the wonderful scenes, and backgrounds, with wonderful color and beautiful art direction, and hear the perefectly performed and selected score in the background (with contributions from U2, Sarah McLachlan, and the surprise hit "Iris" from the Goo Goo Dolls) it doesn't really matter what kind of acting is happening. The screenplay is pretty good, but somewhat lacking, which is why I give it an 8.25 on a scale from 1-10. Its a love story, yes, and can get cheesy at points, but none the less, it's still worth seeing once or twice.