German filmmaker Wim Wenders is undeniably one of the greatest directors from Europe (and a wonderful playwright and author), having given us some of the most heartfelt, philosophical, and visually stunning movies over the years. He garnered fame for small films in Germany before the international acclaim of his Palme d’Or-winning English movie Paris, Texas in 1984, but is best known for his movie Wings of Desire, which continues to be a classic watch for fans of German cinema.
Wenders has also immersed himself in directing documentaries with Pina, The Salt of the Earth, and Buena Vista Social Club,all of which received Academy Award nominations for the Best Documentary Feature category. Wim Wenders is one of the most celebrated filmmakers today, and his full five-hour directors’ cut of the sci-fi epic Until the End of the World is now available through The Criterion Collection. Let’s take a look at his best movies, ranked.
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7 Faraway, So Close! (1993)
Sony Pictures Classics
The 1993 drama, Faraway, So Close! is a direct sequel to Wings of Desire. It follows a group of angels who listen in on the citizens of a now unified Berlin. Focusing on the lives of Cassiel and Raphaela, the movie explores themes of love, magical realism and humanity as we watch Cassiel trade his wings to experience life as a human. However, his human experience is not as smooth as he’d imagined with the difficulties quickly leading him into a life of crime. Cassiel is vulnerable, making the viewers wonder if he will actually be able to make the world a better place like he hoped, or if he was better off remaining as an angel.
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6 The American Friend (1977)
Filmverlag der Autoren
Starring Denis Hopper and Bruno Ganz, two of Wenders’ regular collaborators, The American Friend follows the story of a con artist and picture framer who are drawn into a world of murder when a criminal business associate requires a hitman, someone that no one will suspect. The terminally ill picture framer (Ganz) is the ideal assassin, not wanting to leave his wife and children penniless, he agrees to the misdeed but not without the help of Ripley (Hopper).
5 Pina (2011)
The documentary Pina explores the life and work of choreographer Pina Bausch. Bausch had an amazing influence on the dance industry and especially the movement medium. This informative and inspiring documentary showcases her most notable creations, where her company use water, dirt and gravity in their dancing, which found Wenders experimenting gorgeously with the 3D format in order to capture the ambitious dance sequences. The documentary also paid tribute to Pina’s legacy as she passed away during producing.
4 Alice in the Cities (1974)
Axiom Films
Alice in the Cities is the first part of the “Road Movie Trilogy” directed by Wenders, a master of the road trip film. A German journalist is reluctantly tasked with keeping a young girl safe after she is abandoned by her mother. We follow them on their journey on a European Road trip to try and find the girl’s grandmother. The two begin to bond as they go in search of the Grandmother despite being unsure of her name and location.
Despite the only clue being a photograph of a house with no house number or no one in the photograph, their search does lead them in the right direction, however, the people now living there do not know the girls Grandmother. So as their journey continues, will the Grandmother ever be found?
3 Kings of The Road (1976)
Part of the “Road Move” trilogy, Kings of the Road follows a solitary projection equipment repairman Bruno, who witnesses the attempted suicide of Robert, who’s depressed following his failed marriage. Robert accepts a lift from Bruno in his repair van, and together they begin a heart-warming journey of self-exploration, as they attempt to make sense of their seemingly worthless lives. The viewers watch this wonderful comfort story of two new companions finding themselves experiencing freedom, whilst visiting dilapidated movie thea tres for maintenance and getting to know each other whilst traveling from one small town to another.
2 Wings Of Desire (1987)
Basis-Film-Verleih GmbH
Wings Of Desire, one of Wenders’ most well known movies, is a romantic fantasy film that follows the story of invisible angels serving as guardians, listening and offering comfort to the humans inhabiting Berlin whilst they are estranged from their loved ones. However, when one of the angels falls in love with a lonely trapeze artist, he chooses to become mortal and is eager to experience human pleasures. Shedding his immortality, he learns what it means to be truly human and to be able to be so passionately in love. This movie can only be described as a classic comfort film and reminds us how beautiful it really is to be human.
1 Paris, Texas (1984)
20th Century Fox
A film about love, loss, and self-discovery, Paris, Texas follows Travis Henderson (played by Harry Dean Stanton), who has been wandering around the desert and after four years is found by his brother. On his return to L.A, he is reunited with his family who has taken in his young son after a tragedy. But whilst trying to rebuild his life following a period of such memory loss, he is constantly wondering about his past. So, he decides to take his son and sets off on a journey to locate the mother of the child who had left shortly before he disappeared into the desert. The film (and its gorgeous Ry Cooder score) is a haunting, visually stunning, perfect drama.
