die sechste Woche

WEEK SIX

This weeks film screening was Wim Wenders' Der Himmel Ueber Berlin, or Wings of Desire. I had seen this film a few times before, and this time was not much different. However, our discussions after the film made me consider things about it that I had not thought about before. Topics such as the angels as political "filters", gender and racial issues, and Berlin as filmplace were of particular interest. However, in response to the Hooks reading, we had a lengthy discussion about gender/racial issues in the film. I can see both sides of the argument that Hooks presents, but I side more strongly with the opposition to her argument. I feel that the film may present a white male dominance, but you have to take into consideration the cultural context in which the film was created as well as the deeper message being conveyed in the film. Addressing the first issue, cultural context, this film was created by and intended mostly for a caucasian audience. Thus, the film portrays angels as white males, a common western representation of angels. Also, I feel that the singular gender/race of the angels simplifies their role in the film and thus turns the focus more on the people of Berlin. Perhaps, then, Hook's criticism should be directed toward western film as a whole than just Wenders' film. On the second issue, I feel that if one dwells too much on the lack of representation of other races and the seeming male dominance in the film, the overall message of the film is lost. To me, this is a film about the human condition and struggling with fears, desires, and other aspects of life. It is these issues of human reality, good and bad, that draw the angel, I forget his name, to want to experience human life for himself. Dwelling on the gender issue specifically, I can see how some may see the French woman, I forget her name also, as being portrayed as a weak character who needs a man to keep herself together. However, I see her as a strong, independent woman who needs something in her life, but not necessarily a man. Although she is constantly pensive and unsure of herself, she thinks about her situation and works out her insecurities in the end. If the film attempted to address the issues of gender and racial equality, I feel that it would have to strongly focus on these issues and thus detract from the main message. Thus, in order to get the full intended message of the film, I feel that we have to view the film keeping the cultural context in mind and trying to see the larger issues at hand.

This week our film group didn't get any filming done, especially because of the weekend trip to Hamburg. However, we met to discuss further film plans and have recently come up with the idea of making a story board. This will come in handy when we actually go out to film, so that we know which scenes we want to do and a rough idea of what they are going to look like. Up until this point, we have done a little filming, but mostly discussing and writing down our ideas. With each week our ideas change slightly and the film becomes more and more specific. It has been fun seeing the transformation from our first meeting and our initial ideas to our most recent ideas. Now, with the story boarding process, we have become more serious in translating these ideas into actual scenes. I, personally, have been thinking about places around the city that I would like to film around and music that would be good in the film. We have all been getting excited about filming and turning our ideas into something tangible. After watching Der Himmel Über Berlin again, I realized that I really want Berlin to be the subject of our film. For me, the goal of the film is going to be able to give people some sort of sense of what it is like to be in Berlin; when I show this film to friends and family I would love for them to get an idea of what I experienced in Berlin and why I love the city.