Being a Film Studies and German student, it’s often I get exclamations like, “Oh watching LOTS of German films, then!?”, in response to telling someone what I’m up to in college. And, even though the subjects are entirely separate, I probably should be watching a lot of German films before jetting off to live in the country’s capital for six months next year. Alas, priorities are difficult things to get straight, and so chances are you’ll find me trawling through collections on GQ.com, rather than catching up on the Filme der Deutschen.
Still, it’s never too late to get started, and, ironically, it’s a former fashion student that has me committing to watch one of the all-time greats my several lecturers and tutors have been urging me to see for years now – Wim Wenders’ Wings of Desire (1987).
And the former fashion student? Carolyn Massey: menswear designer, three-time winner of the NEWGEN MEN Award, and all-round wonderful person (trust me on this one – she’s not going to have you fetching coffee and opening post as an intern), is this week’s Favourite Moment in Film contributor. Here’s what she had to say of Wenders’ milestone in cinema…
“I found this film whilst at the RCA, and was wrestling with colour at that point, so was fascinated by the metaphorical and physical use of colour in this film. Also, by its sense of humanity, and Damiel’s (Bruno Ganz) ability to tune into the thoughts and ideals of the mere mortals of war-time Berlin.
It’s romantic, yet hard- the angelic birdseye shots of a city at war, combined with the feminine subtlety of the beautiful trapeze artist Marion (Solveig Dommartin).
I also think fundamentally, I was a little in love with Damiel and Cassiel (Otto Sander), these fantastically dressed (40s through 80s, big silhouettes, all a bit Talking Heads) very masculine men, sitting amongst gold angels wings, pondering humanity… sigh.”
– Carolyn Massey
These photographs are beautiful. I'm swooning while dreaming of trapeze swinging wearing angel-wings… sigh indeed.