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Faraway, So Close!
Other // PG-13 // September 12, 2000
List Price: $29.95 [Buy now and save at Amazon]
Grabbing "Faraway, So Close!" was kind of an unusual decision on my part. It's a continuation (ssshhh! Don't say 'sequel'!) of "Wings of Desire", which was remade into "City of Angels", a film I swore I'd avoid as if my very life depended on it. I don't have a long history of watching subtitled foreign films either, especially those without excessive gore or violence. I'm glad I gave "Faraway, So Close!" a chance, but I don't think it's ushered in some new era of cinematic discovery for me or anything.
In "Faraway, So Close!" (and I'd like to state for the record that I'm not entirely comfortable repeatedly typing the title of a film ending in an exclamation point), Cassiel (Otto Sander) confides in his fellow angel Raphaela (Nastassja Kinski, who looks androgynous on the cover art) about his desire to be human once again. When Cassiel sees a young girl fall from a balcony, his desire to intervene allows him to cross over to the land o' the mortals, but you know what the fortune cookies say -- be careful what you wish for...
Video: I've been pleased with the video on all the Columbia/Tristar DVDs to date, and "Faraway, So Close!" is another quality effort. Yes, the image is enhanced for widescreen-televisions with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. I was very impressed with the clarity of the image and the accuracy of the colors; the cinematography is spectacular and exceptionally well-represented on this disc. Light grain was present more than I prefer, but it didn't detract from the viewing experience too much. There are four or five shots where grain seems excessive, but that's really my only complaint. There are some occassional bits of dust and assorted specks, but the level of these flaws are reasonable for a film of its age.
Audio: "Faraway, So Close!" features a primarily-German 2.0 surround track, although there are a couple of English speaking characters. It's also worth noting that there are no burnt-in German subtitles when characters speak English, as I was expecting. Subtitles for a variety of languages are available, along with a French dub. Surrounds were used rather frequently and effectively. The last few discs I've watched have been remixes of mono tracks, and it's a nice change to once again listen to a track with (gasp!) actual separation.
Supplements: Director Wim Wenders contributes a commentary track, which isn't nearly as engaging as the film itself. It's understandably difficult for one person to speak about one topic for close to two and a half hours, but after 90 minutes or so, it became almost pointless to listen to. It's not overly informative, and there are way too many lengthy pauses, especially later on. There's also a full-frame trailer, along with a pair of trailers for other CTHV releases.
Conclusion: My tastes tend to gravitate towards killer leprechauns and flesh-eating zombies, so I was a little surprised by how much I enjoyed "Faraway, So Close!", which I picked up solely on a friend's recommendation. Despite not having seen "Wings of Desire", though Wenders does talk about it quite a bit during early portions of the commentary, "Faraway, So Close!" was easy to jump straight into. I wouldn't consider it flawless -- the pacing seemed off, and everything related to the gun-running seemed grossly out-of-place -- but I still think "Faraway, So Close!" is a beautiful film that's worth seeing at least once. Highly recommended as a rental and recommended as a purchase.
In "Faraway, So Close!" (and I'd like to state for the record that I'm not entirely comfortable repeatedly typing the title of a film ending in an exclamation point), Cassiel (Otto Sander) confides in his fellow angel Raphaela (Nastassja Kinski, who looks androgynous on the cover art) about his desire to be human once again. When Cassiel sees a young girl fall from a balcony, his desire to intervene allows him to cross over to the land o' the mortals, but you know what the fortune cookies say -- be careful what you wish for...
Video: I've been pleased with the video on all the Columbia/Tristar DVDs to date, and "Faraway, So Close!" is another quality effort. Yes, the image is enhanced for widescreen-televisions with an aspect ratio of 1.85:1. I was very impressed with the clarity of the image and the accuracy of the colors; the cinematography is spectacular and exceptionally well-represented on this disc. Light grain was present more than I prefer, but it didn't detract from the viewing experience too much. There are four or five shots where grain seems excessive, but that's really my only complaint. There are some occassional bits of dust and assorted specks, but the level of these flaws are reasonable for a film of its age.
Audio: "Faraway, So Close!" features a primarily-German 2.0 surround track, although there are a couple of English speaking characters. It's also worth noting that there are no burnt-in German subtitles when characters speak English, as I was expecting. Subtitles for a variety of languages are available, along with a French dub. Surrounds were used rather frequently and effectively. The last few discs I've watched have been remixes of mono tracks, and it's a nice change to once again listen to a track with (gasp!) actual separation.
Supplements: Director Wim Wenders contributes a commentary track, which isn't nearly as engaging as the film itself. It's understandably difficult for one person to speak about one topic for close to two and a half hours, but after 90 minutes or so, it became almost pointless to listen to. It's not overly informative, and there are way too many lengthy pauses, especially later on. There's also a full-frame trailer, along with a pair of trailers for other CTHV releases.
Conclusion: My tastes tend to gravitate towards killer leprechauns and flesh-eating zombies, so I was a little surprised by how much I enjoyed "Faraway, So Close!", which I picked up solely on a friend's recommendation. Despite not having seen "Wings of Desire", though Wenders does talk about it quite a bit during early portions of the commentary, "Faraway, So Close!" was easy to jump straight into. I wouldn't consider it flawless -- the pacing seemed off, and everything related to the gun-running seemed grossly out-of-place -- but I still think "Faraway, So Close!" is a beautiful film that's worth seeing at least once. Highly recommended as a rental and recommended as a purchase.
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