Der Himmel uber Berlin has unsurpassed moments of poetry and clarity. It also demands a lot of attention and patience on the part of the viewer. Even after seeing it a number of times I find new, interesting and moving things in the movie.
Some vignettes from the movie astound me as I see inside someone's experience or see things freshly through them. The framing poem by Peter Handke gives meaning to the whole movie. It's one of the things that I respond to most strongly.
There are very minor choices in movie that I think could have been made differently, but at the same time they do not significantly detract from my enjoyment. Wim Wenders gives a lot of screen time to Solveig Dommartin as she works the trapeze and thinks to herself in her trailer. She certainly needs time to get audience's sympathy and attention among all the other characters, but some of her screen time seems a little indulgent. Also, some short glimpses into people's lives are not as effective as others--especially the later more non-specific "noise of humanity" sequences. The noise of humanity is well established in the library scenes and other sequences towards the first of the movie and the later less concrete vignettes do less for me than the earlier ones.
The movie is more of a visual and auditory poem than a traditional plot-driven movie. Plots do exist, but they are not relentlessly forwarded by everything shown on screen. You'll do a lot of people watching and find both grimness and despair as well as joy and beauty. It's a movie about experience, humanity, and both the joy and the pain of life. If you view it receptively, there are many entire worlds within the movie that you'll be able to enter momentarily and perhaps get a better view of your own world.
Watch this movie. It can be an amazing experience. You will need energy to pay attention, patience with the pacing, and a willingness to deal with some confusing aspects of the movie. If you don't have these things it might be better to come back to the movie at some other time when you feel more receptive. It is well worth the payoff, though.
Some vignettes from the movie astound me as I see inside someone's experience or see things freshly through them. The framing poem by Peter Handke gives meaning to the whole movie. It's one of the things that I respond to most strongly.
There are very minor choices in movie that I think could have been made differently, but at the same time they do not significantly detract from my enjoyment. Wim Wenders gives a lot of screen time to Solveig Dommartin as she works the trapeze and thinks to herself in her trailer. She certainly needs time to get audience's sympathy and attention among all the other characters, but some of her screen time seems a little indulgent. Also, some short glimpses into people's lives are not as effective as others--especially the later more non-specific "noise of humanity" sequences. The noise of humanity is well established in the library scenes and other sequences towards the first of the movie and the later less concrete vignettes do less for me than the earlier ones.
The movie is more of a visual and auditory poem than a traditional plot-driven movie. Plots do exist, but they are not relentlessly forwarded by everything shown on screen. You'll do a lot of people watching and find both grimness and despair as well as joy and beauty. It's a movie about experience, humanity, and both the joy and the pain of life. If you view it receptively, there are many entire worlds within the movie that you'll be able to enter momentarily and perhaps get a better view of your own world.
Watch this movie. It can be an amazing experience. You will need energy to pay attention, patience with the pacing, and a willingness to deal with some confusing aspects of the movie. If you don't have these things it might be better to come back to the movie at some other time when you feel more receptive. It is well worth the payoff, though.