City of Angels (1998)

Director:

Brad Silberling

Writers (WGA):

Wim Wenders (screenplay) &
Peter Handke (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

10 April 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Fantasy | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

She didn't believe in angels until she fell in love with one.

Plot:

Inspired by the modern classic, Wings of Desire, City involves an angel (Cage) who is spotted by a doctor in an operating room. Franz plays Cage's buddy who somehow knows a lot about angels.

Plot Keywords:

Angel | Doctor | Fall | Hospital | Tragedy

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 9 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Nicolas Cage	...	Seth
Meg Ryan	...	Dr. Maggie Rice
Andre Braugher	...	Cassiel
Dennis Franz	...	Nathaniel Messinger
Colm Feore	...	Jordan Ferris
Robin Bartlett	...	Anne
Joanna Merlin	...	Teresa Messinger
Sarah Dampf	...	Susan
Rhonda Dotson	...	Susan's Mother
Nigel Gibbs	...	Doctor
John Putch	...	Man in Car
Lauri Johnson	...	Woman in Car
Christian Aubert	...	Foreign Visitor in Car
Jay Patterson	...	Air Traffic Controller
Shishir Kurup	...	Jimmy, Anesthesiologist

Also Known As:

Stadt der Engel (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexuality including language, and some nudity.

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

Germany | USA

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 (certificate #35791) | Iceland:L | Brazil:12 | Canada:14A (Ontario - 2006) | Philippines:PG-13 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Belgium:KT | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | Chile:14 | Finland:K-12 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Hungary:14 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:11 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Sweden:11 | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, California, USA

Company:

Atlas Entertainment

Trivia:

This dialogue between Seth (Nicolas Cage) and Maggie - "Let's go." "Where?" "I don't care." "What will we do?" "Anything." - is virtually identical to an exchange between Nicolas Cage and Deborah Foreman in Valley Girl (1983).

Goofs:

Continuity: Maggie wakes up in bed wearing a ribbed tank top. She rolls over to check the time on the clock and suddenly she's wearing a satin spaghetti-strap camisole.

Quotes:

Seth: Let's go somewhere.
Maggie: Where?
Seth: I don't care.
Maggie: What do you wanna do?
Seth: Anything.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Marci X (2003)

Soundtrack:

Red House

A sweet film, but...

I expected to love this film, since my favorite actor and actress are in it, and I was not disappointed. Meg Ryan is great as ever as the surgeon with serious issues, and Nic Cage plays an unusual part as the sensitive angel who falls in love with her. Since Nic is an angel and Meg a human, Nic has to become human so he can touch, smell and love her.

The power of this film is the chemistry between Nic and Meg , and the atmosphere created by Brad Silberling. The romance is very sweet and believable, played into perfection by the leads, and the atmosphere of the 'city of angels' is captivating. The only thing else a film like this needs is a suitable ending, which simply wasn't there. The fist hour-and-a-half was mysteriously uplifting, and the ending was downright depressing. It didn't work for me. Still, it is much better and definitely much deeper than your usual romantic drama and it never fails to entertain. Let's hope the DVD has an alternative ending. (8/10)