About

RFS' Classic Film for Season 60 is Wim Wenders' wistful romantic fantasy, Wings of Desire, shot in Berlin just two years before the fall of the Wall.

Visible only to children, Damiel and Cassiel are two angels, who have existed even before mankind. Along with several others, they wander around West Berlin, generally on their own, observing life, listening to the interior thoughts of humans and sometimes trying to provide comfort to the troubled, although such efforts are not always successful. There is a sense of unvarnished humanity in the preciousness of the ordinary and "unimportant" lives that the angels watch and record.

The story evolves when one of them, Damiel (Bruno Ganz), wonders what it would be like to be human and how it would be to be able to feel, to hold and to be seen. When he comes to the aid of attractive trapeze artist, Marion, he feels a spiritual devotion and a love that he has never felt before.

As well as giving vent to people's interior thoughts, feelings, hopes and fears, Wenders' poetic and highly cinematic film is his homage to Berlin, following his return to the city after several years in the United States. The crane and helicopter shots hover over the city and among the many memorable scenes are those in the Berlin State Library and the Potsdamer Platz which, in 1987, was still a wasteland

The film garnered multiple awards, including for Best Director at Cannes and the European Film Awards.

Non-member tickets are £5 (full-time students £3) and can be purchased in advance from The Exchange's Box Office online at http://exchangetwickenham.co.uk/events, by telephone 020 8240 2399 or in person.

For further information on RFS and the programme of films, please visit
http://www.richmondfilmsoc.org.uk