Wings of Desire (1987)
Der Himmel über Berlin
Drama, Fantasy, Romance • 2h 10m
Director: Wim Wenders
Cast: Bruno Ganz, Solveig Dommartin, Otto Sander, Curt Bois, Peter Falk, Hans Martin Stier, Elmar Wilms, Sigurd Rachman, Beatrice Manowski, Bruno Rosaz, Laurent Petitgand, Chick Ortega, Otto Kuhnle, Christoph Merg, Peter Werner, Teresa Harder, Jürgen Heinrich, Annelinde Gerstl, Mick Harvey, Nick Cave, Blixa Bargeld, Susanne Vierkötter, Paul Busch, Karin Busch, Irene Moessinger, Franky, Daniela Nasimcova, Bernard Eisenschitz, Didier Flamand, Rolf Henke, Scott Kirby, Franck Glemin, Jerry Barrish, Jeanette Pollak, Christian Bartels, David Crome, Käthe Fürstenwerth, Werner Schönrock, Bernd Ramien, Erika Rabau, Silvia Blagojeva Itscherenska, Sultan Meral, Olivier Picot, Jochen Gliscinsky, Erich Schupke, Margarete Hafner, Oliver Herder, Margitta Haberland, Ralf Strathmann, Walter Ratayszak, Charlotte Oberberg, Lubinka Kostic, Gisela Westerboer, Andreas Valentin, Wolf-Dirk Vogeley, Ruth Rischke, Simon Bonney, Harry Howard, Rowland S. Howard, Thomas Wydler, Roland Wolf, Kid Congo Powers, Denis Rodriguez, Dieta von Aster, Gustav Geisler, Paul Geisler, Lorenz Geisler, Slađana Kostić, Benedikt Schumann, Nicolas Roth, Marcus Stenzel, Benjamin Ferchow, Mario Meyer, Mark Leuschner, Tibor Dahlenburg, Lia Harder, Mascha Noak, Vera Butzek, Donald Behrendt, Patric Kreuzer, Simone Säger, Gerdi Hofmann, Ulrike Schirm, Hans Marquardt, Heimke Karl, Klaus Mausolf, Özyer Hüsinye, Jean-Claude Lezin, Thierry Noir, Matthias Maaß, Henry Luczkow, Louis Cochet, Lina Otto, Johanna Penski, Lajos Kovács
Best video release
2023 Carlotta France 4K Blu-ray, France subs only
Best audio release
Old R2 DVD 2.0
UHD tiers
(UK import) compared to all the Blu-Rays, solid upgrade over the CC 4k
if compared to all BDs
highlights clipped on both, with macroblocking, but UK version looks better as it hasn't had low-pass filtering and has better encoding
About the film
Two angels, Damiel and Cassiel, glide through the streets of Berlin, observing the bustling population, providing invisible rays of hope to the distressed but never interacting with them. When Damiel falls in love with lonely trapeze artist Marion, the angel longs to experience life in the physical world, and finds -- with some words of wisdom from actor Peter Falk -- that it might be possible for him to take human form.
- Featured Lists
- TSPDT
- 2026: #2132025: #2132024: #2132023: #2132022: #213
- Alternative Titles
- The Sky Over Berlin, Heaven Over Berlin
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Flicker Alley 4K confirmed for 2027 https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=24404584&postcount=1
MoC audio is better https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=225532&page=3
Director: Sam Peckinpah
Video format: UHD Blu-ray
WB 4K
Sources: YouTube (opens in a new tab)
An undeniably significant improvement from the BD yet still severely flawed. See DFIC's review.
Director: Buster Keaton
Kino Lorber new Seven Chances / Sherlock Jr. Blu-ray?
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
MoC 4K Blu-ray late 2027
Lobster Films (Kino Lorber?) > Cohen/Eureka https://slow.pics/c/3KWXoMyR The new Kino Lorber's Seven Chances / Sherlock Jr. might be using the same restoration as Lobster Films
Director: Billy Wilder
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
(transfer of the 1989 MGM LaserDisc, without problems plaguing Kino Lorber's release)
Arrow UHD is an update of the original 4K scan done for their BD. It is also visually far superior to the Kino version and adds Dolby Vision HDR. The Arrow UHD uses a new LD mono capture and has none of the issues or processing found in the Kino UHD which also used an LD mono capture and somehow mucked it up. Short of a brand new scan, the Arrow UHD is as good as it possibly can be.
Director: Michael Cimino
2020 Shout! Factory 4K
2020 Shout! Factory 4K slightly better than StudioCanal in HDR10. Similar in DV
35mm mix: 1991 Universal LaserDisc
70mm mix: StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray
35mm mix: 1991 Universal LaserDisc marginally better than StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray. Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray is downmix.
70mm mix: StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray. Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray is remix.
Director: Orson Welles
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · blah-ray.blogspot.com (opens in a new tab)
WB Europe 4K Blu-ray
WB Europe 4K Blu-ray slightly better encoding than Criterion (caveat: missing Criterion extras)
Theatrical Cut: Italy Eagle Pictures 4K Blu-ray
Redux Cut: Lionsgate vs Eagle Pictures?
Final Cut: Lionsgate or Eagle Pictures, both are not great (visible chroma noise)
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Theatrical: Germany 4K Blu-ray/US Blu-ray DD 5.1 (1979 mix)
In the Lionsgate US/UK 6-disc set, there are 4 discs of the main feature. For whatever reason, the 4K discs lack the *original track. The Germany 4K Blu-ray release is different on this matter.
UBD: Final Cut: Atmos, DD2.0
UBD: Redux/Theatrical: Atmos
BD: Final Cut: Atmos, DD2.0
BD: Redux/Theatrical: Dtru5.1 (Redux mix?), DD5.1 (?), DD5.1 (Theatrical only), DD2.0 (downmix??)
As a result the Theatrical Cut has 4 tracks, The Redux has 3. Differences are unclear.
BD: Hearts of Darkness
BD: Special Features
Director: George Lucas
Video format: UHD Blu-ray
OG: "4K77" or "D+77" on high seas.
Special Edition: "4K97_IV" or "D+97_IV" on high seas.
2027 Original Trilogy restoration/50th anniversary rerelease clips leaked plus release confirmed
OG: LaserDisc audio is the best option for the Dolby Stereo mixes (and usually included in fan restorations). There are 16mm/TV rips of the mono mixes.
Special Edition: Cinema DTS or 1997 LaserDisc for the Special Edition.
Director: David Lean
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
The 5.1 on Sony 4K Blu-ray is from the 1989 70mm mix. The original is 4-track. not on the disc.
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Director: Wim Wenders
Director: Wim Wenders
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Criterion 4K Blu-ray/StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray have worse encodes.
R5 Carmen Video DVD
Director: Wim Wenders
Director: Wim Wenders
Director: Toshiharu Ikeda
UK Third Window Blu-ray and US Error 4444 Blu-ray
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Director: Gus Van Sant
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Shout! Factory and Carlotta use the same scan https://slow.pics/c/Wcn5YFlw, the Carlotta has two extra bonus features
Director: Roman Polanski
Carlotta France 4K Blu-ray > Vinegar Syndrome 4K Blu-ray (better encode on Carlotta without any low-pass filtering, more extras and English subtitles on Vinegar Syndrome)
Director: John Carpenter
Sony 4K Blu-ray or Carlotta 4K Blu-ray (FiM encode)
Sony 4K Blu-ray and France Carlotta 4K Blu-ray (FiM encode) are similar
Director: S. S. Rajamouli
Video format: UHD Blu-ray
Zee5 Streaming
France Carlotta 4K Blu-ray coming in December
Japan Twin Co. 4K Blu-ray
Zee5 Streaming has the original Telugu audio and English subtitles (albeit with English portions also overdubbed in Telugu)
Netflix Streaming only has the Hindi dub but better video quality
Japan Twin Co. 4K Blu-ray has original Telugu Atmos audio
Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini
Video format: 1080p Blu-ray
Criterion boxset
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Director: Otar Iosseliani
2K restoration of 4K scan. This 2K restoration’s detail level is quite good, although its highlights are somewhat blown out. On the other hand, the newer 4K restoration (on DCP only as of Aug 2026) exhibits severe black crush.
TBD. Carlotta sounds muffled.
Carlotta’s English subtitles omit quite a bit of dialog. This was improved upon in the subs accompanying the newer 4K restoration DCP.
2K restoration of 4K scan. This 2K restoration’s detail level is quite good, although its highlights are somewhat blown out. On the other hand, the newer 4K restoration (on DCP only as of Aug 2026) exhibits severe black crush.
TBD. Carlotta sounds muffled.
Carlotta’s English subtitles omit quite a bit of dialog. This was improved upon in the subs accompanying the newer 4K restoration DCP.
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Maintained by the community
· last reviewed 1 year ago
Every recommendation follows the same method — how these calls are made.