City of Angels

City of Angels is an English language film directed by Brad Silberling in 1998. The film stars Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan. Set in Los Angeles, California, the film is a remake of Wim Wenders' 1987 German film Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin), which was set in Berlin.

Contents 1 Story 2 Reception 3 References 4 See also 5 External links

Story

Seth (Nicolas Cage) is one of many Angels who watch over humans and protect them in unseen ways. The movie portrays angels in a somewhat traditional role without referencing a specific faith. Seth's main responsibility is to appear to those who are close to death and guide them to the next life. As part of this task, Seth and one of his fellow angels, Cassiel (Andre Braugher), like to ask people what their favorite thing in life was. But despite their daily encounters with humans and their ways, they appear to have trouble understanding human beings.

While waiting to escort to the other world a man who will not survive heart surgery, Seth is impressed by the vigorous efforts of the surgeon, Maggie Rice (Meg Ryan) to save the ill-fated man's life and her sincere anguish at her failure to do so. (The man is in fact standing with Seth watching Maggie try to save him.) Seth soon becomes fascinated with Maggie and decides to become visible to her despite his obvious inability to give her many convincing details about himself, such as what he does for a living or even his last name. Despite this, they develop a friendship which soon turns to mutual attraction, although Maggie is already involved with one of her colleagues at the hospital.

Seth then meets Nathaniel Messinger (Dennis Franz), one of Maggie's patients, who can sense Seth's presence and that of other angels. Nathaniel soon tells Seth that he had also once been an angel but decided to become human through the process he refers to as "falling". Seth begins to consider doing this so that he can be with Maggie. When Maggie receives a marriage proposal from the doctor she is seeing, she finds herself having to choose between him and Seth.

Having realized that Seth is impervious to injury, Maggie finally confronts him and demands to know who or what he really is, but she is unable to accept the revelation and sends him away. Maggie later talks to Nathaniel who reveals his own angelic origin and explains to her why he himself chose to become human and that Seth is thinking of doing the same, exercising what he refers to as their "free will".

Seth decides to become human through the symbolic act of falling from a tall building and starts to experience all of the human feelings and sensations that he had never been able to understand, the first of which appears to be physical injury from the fall. Up until this point, Seth's personality and emotions, along with those of the other angels, have been very subdued, but that's about to change.

Now human, Seth has to find his way to the hospital to see Maggie, but he's told that she has gone to her uncle's mountain cabin for a break. Pennyless and naive, he can't pay for the journey and ends up having his boots stolen by a gang of youngsters, but eventually manages to get to where she is and appears, cold and soaked from the rain, at her doorstep. Seeing a wound on his lips and breath coming from his mouth in the cold air, Maggie realizes that he has become human for her love. She sees to his wounds and then, for the first and last time, they make love.

The next morning, as Seth is in the shower, enjoying his first sensation of running hot water on his body, water, Maggie rides her bike to a local store for provisions. On her way back, happy and fulfilled, she rides her bike with her eyes closed and her arms wide open to the autumn sun and her bright future as Seth's wife. Her happiness is cut short by a logging truck that pulls out in front of her. Seth hears the truck horn, senses that Maggie is in trouble and runs to her help. He arrives in time for Maggie to tell him that she sees the angels who have come to escort her. Although Seth is no longer able to see the angels, he knows they are there and begs Maggie not to look at them. Maggie tells him that she's not afraid and that when they will ask her what her favorite thing in life was, she will say it was Seth.

Now grieving and alone, Seth is visited by his former colleague and friend, the angel Cassiel. Cassiel offers comfort and asks him whether he regrets his decision to turn human. Seth's answer is a resounding 'no'. Seth mourns for Maggie and begins a difficult adjustment to his new life.

The final scene recalls an earlier scene with Nathaniel. It shows Seth at the beach where the angels meet every day at dawn and at sunset to commune with God. With Cassiel and the rest of the angels watching, Seth expresses his joy in being human and the fact that he has come to terms with his life by running into the water and playing in the waves. In a rare moment of emotion, Cassiel is seen laughing joyfully for his friend.

Reception

City of Angels earned almost $200 million in worldwide box office ^[1], but had a tepid rating from critics, earning a 60% "Fresh" score on Rotten Tomatoes^[2].

References

See also

• City of Angels: Music from the Motion Picture

External links

Preceded by Lost in Space

Box office number-one films of 1998 (USA) April 12, 1998 – April 19, 1998

Succeeded by The Big Hit

v • d • e Films directed by Brad Silberling Casper (1995) • City of Angels (1998) • Moonlight Mile (2002) • Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (2004) • 10 Items or Less (2006) • Land of the Lost (2009)

• City of Angels at the Internet Movie Database

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