City of Angels is a 1998 American romantic fantasy film directed by Brad Silberling and starring Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan. It is a loose remake of Wim Wenders' 1987 film Wings of Desire (Der Himmel über Berlin), which was set in Berlin. As with the original, City of Angels tells the story of an angel (Cage) who falls in love with a mortal woman (Ryan), and wishes to become human in order to be with her.
In the film, Seth (Cage) is an angel who watches over humans in Los Angeles. He has no physical body and cannot experience the world the way humans do. However, he can see and hear people's thoughts and feelings.
One day, Seth meets Maggie (Ryan), a heart surgeon. He is immediately drawn to her and her compassion for her patients. Maggie is also drawn to Seth, but she doesn't know that he is an angel.
Seth begins to fall in love with Maggie, and he realizes that he wants to experience life as a human being. He seeks the help of Nathaniel Messinger (Dennis Franz), a former angel who has become human. Nathaniel tells Seth that in order to become human, he must give up his immortality and accept death.
Seth agrees to give up his wings and become human. He confesses his love to Maggie, and she accepts it. They get married and live a happy life together. However, Seth's time as a human is limited. He knows that he will eventually die, but he is content to have experienced love and life.
City of Angels is a beautiful and moving film about love, sacrifice, and the meaning of life. It is a film that will stay with the viewer long after the credits have rolled.
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Cast
- Nicolas Cage - Seth
- Meg Ryan - Dr. Maggie Rice
- Andre Braugher - Cassiel
- Colm Feore - Jordan Ferris
- Dennis Franz - Nathaniel Messinger
- Robin Bartlett - Anne
- Joanna Merlin - Teresa Messinger
- Sarah Dampf - Susan
Director: Brad Siberling
Writers: Wim Wenders Peter Handke Richard Reitinger
Box Office Gross: $198,685,114
Distributor: Warner Bros
Release Date: April 10, 1998