Wings of Desire

On August the 15^th Wim Wenders has celebrated his 70^th birthday. To honour this special occasion, Jacoby&Stuart has published Sebastiano and Lorenzo Toma’s Graphic Novel of Wenders‘ award-winning film Der Himmel über Berlin/Wings of Desire (1987). The film is one of the major classics of post-war German cinematography. Many of its scenes of the divided city of Berlin have become emblematic images in the memory of an entire generation. The film was awarded many national and international prizes and was a huge success worldwide.

The plot

Berlin 1987. The angel Damiel accompanied by his friend Cassiel roam Berlin, which is divided by the Wall. Unnoticed by the Berliners, the two angels listen carefully and patiently to the thoughts and conversations of the people. With increasing curiosity Damiel turns towards his protégés and falls in love with the acrobat Marion. His search for human feelings such as passion, longing, sorrow and pain, is growing and he decides to exchange immortality for an earthly existence as a human being.

The Graphic Novel

Sebastiano Toma recreates the film for his graphic novel by transporting the story, figures and atmosphere into today’s Berlin. As such he has re-enacted key scenes of the film with professionals at the original film-sites in today’s Berlin. He photographed these scenes and uses the photos as templates for his ink-illustrations which he combines with the fitting passages from the film script. In his pictures he tries to recreate the special atmosphere and density of the story – close to the film but with its own point of view.

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