In weiter Ferne, so nah! (1993)

 

 

 

A group of angels in the German capital look longingly upon the life of humans.

A typical Wenders product, one step down from Der Himmel über Berlin: beautiful cinematography and a few brilliant moments, but the tale is full of pretensions and indigestive sentimentality and the performances are variable (although Otto Sanders is excellent).

Halliwell*: "A bungled and often sentimental sequel to Wings of Desire which suddenly switches into a confused thriller about arms dealing; it does have some superlative moments, but not enough."

 Maltin**1/2: "The perfect Wenders cast (if not the perfect Wenders movie)...Lighter going than its predecessor, but also more lightweight; it's still a borderline ordeal in the beginning and final segments..."

 

 

Das Boot (1981)

The claustrophobic world of a WWII German U-boat; boredom, filth and sheer terror.

Competently made, realistic and well-cast drama that successfully conveys the claustrophobia and terror inside a war-time submarine; the production, however, was mainly intended to prove that German cinema can do it, and it shows.

Halliwell**: "Well-crafted but totally unsurprising saga of heroism and self-sacrifice; a decent view of war from the German side, designed to impress world markets. It did so only moderately."

Maltin***1/2: "Realistic, meticulously mounted nail-biter...Manages to embrace an anti-war message, as well."