MovieChat Forums > In weiter Ferne, so nah! (1993) Discussion > Question!

Question!

posted 20 years ago by BedreKanin
9 replies | jump to latest

I can borrow this movie at my local library, but not 'wings of desire'/'Der Himmel über Berlin'. Will I be able to understand any of this movie (and enjoy it too, of course) without having seen Der Himmel über Berlin first?

[–] nevilley 20 years ago

I wouldn't recommend it. There is so much background in WoD that you need to understand - I would think it would be very difficult to enjoy FASC without both (a) the practical details of what has happened thus far and (b) a feeling that you know something about the characters. I'm sorry if this is not a helpful answer but I have sat here and tried to imagine watching FASC first, with no prior knowledge of WoD, and athough it's hard for me to do it, I can only imagine it as very unsatisfactory. On the other hand, maybe someone else reading this thread has done it "backwards" and can tell us what it's really like! But my guess is that you should hold out for WoD somehow or other.

[–] BedreKanin 20 years ago

Thanks for the answer!

Hmm, I think I'll try and watch it anyway though. If I can't follow the plot-line I can always stop.
Bah, there's probably a bigger chance of WoD being shown on TV then it being avaliable in blockbuster...

[–] nevilley 20 years ago

I suppose the other thing I wonder is - what happens if you ask the library to get it for you? I mean, with books this sometimes has a magical effect where they zoom into InterLibraryLoan overdrive and start getting hold of it through all sorts of arcane methods known only to librarians - is there any chance at all that something similar exists with films?? I honestly don't know, so feel free to laugh at my naivety - it's just a thought!

[–] mollywaters 20 years ago

I saw FASC first, and THEN WOD. I knew nothing about FASC when I saw it, but I had to see WOD when I found out it existed (which was a few years later... the internet wasn't pervasive back then). FASC moved me so much that I cried without really knowing why when I saw it. I never understood why the characters moved me so until I was much older, and now I do. I hold this movie sacred, along with WOD. Although I have a special place in my heart for FASC.

[–] fehlertim 19 years ago

I had virtually the same experience as mollywaters. I saw FASC without even knowing there was a previous film and fell in love with the film. My anticipation for WOD was so great -- by the time I finally came across it -- that I was somewhat let down by it the first time I watched it. I enjoy WOD very much, but FASC still holds its own even without WOD!

[–] ana_ana_cu 19 years ago

Me too, I saw Far Away first without previous knowledge and I think you can watch FASC on its own and enjoy it a lot. Moreover, I think that one of the reasons I loved this movie is because I could "discover" the essence of it little by little as the movie develops the story.

[–] gengen-1 19 years ago

Wow, this is strange. There is a whole group of us that saw FASC first and then WOD. I saw a snipet of FASC on a review (Roper Ebbert?) show and had to get my hands on it! It is still one of my all-time favorites. I found out about WOD when I went to order FASC.
You could say Emit wanted us to see these films at the right time. :)

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] LaFemmeUtopique 19 years ago

It would possibly have subtitles. I'm not sure though since I own it only in German. But if your library has it (assuming you're in an english speaking country) then they should have subtitles for sure. I don't think having subtitles will affect the enjoyment of this movie greatly. I watch other foreign movies in languages I don't speak and I still find them enjoyable. I don't mind subtitles. In fact I'd prefer them over synchronization any day.

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