City Of Angels (DVD)

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City of Angels is, like Groundhog Day which I reviewed a few months back, one of my favourite movies. Infact if im asked which movies are my favourite, those are the two that I'll say and they have been my favourite movies for many, many years.

City of Angels is a movie that I originally rented from our local (now closed and changed into a sandwich shop) video/DVD rental store. The story as described on the back of ...
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City of Angels tells the story of an angel called Seth (played by Nicolas Cage), who has fallen in love with Maggie (played by Meg Ryan), a heart surgeon who works at a local hospital in Los Angeles (of course Los Angeles literally meaning the Angels or City of Angels, in Spanish). The problem is, Maggie has no idea about Seth, as she can't see him but even worse for Seth, Maggie doesn't even believe in angels. She doesn't ... more

- Introduction -

City of Angels is, like Groundhog Day which I reviewed a few months back, one of my favourite movies. Infact if im asked which movies are my favourite, those are the two that I'll say and they have been my favourite movies for many, many years.

City of Angels is a movie that I originally rented from our local (now closed and changed into a sandwich shop) video/DVD rental store. The story as described on the back of the VHS box at the time, caught my attention and at the time, back around 1998 or 1999, when I was in my mid teens, I had a fascination with the concept of Angels being around us and guiding us in life, all that sort of thing so when I saw this movie in the video store and read what it was about, plus the fact that it starred a couple of A list actors (namely Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan), I was excited to watch it.

Since then, I've gone on to buy the move as an ex-rental on VHS and then some years later I got it on DVD. I even bought the soundtrack on CD (which wasn't all that cheap but I really wanted it) and this is the only movie that I've ever decided I wanted to specifically buy the soundtrack of it, its that good!

So, whats so special about this movie? why am I so keen on it and whats it all about? Well, read on to find out...

- Main Credits (non-actors, which are mentioned further on in the review) -
Source:- IMDB (see:- http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120632/fullcredits)

Director - Brad Silberling
Screenplay - Wim Wenders, Peter Handke, Richard Reitinger, Dana Stevens
Producers - Charles Roven, Dawn Steel,
Associate Producers - Alan Glazer, Jeff Levine
Co-Producers - Douglas Segal, Kelley Smith-Wait
Executive Producers - Robert Cavallo, Arnon Milchan, Charles Newirth,
Original Music/Musical Score - Gabriel Yared
Cinematography - John Seale

- Story (incl. some of the acting cast) -

City of Angels tells the story of an angel called Seth (played by Nicolas Cage), who has fallen in love with Maggie (played by Meg Ryan), a heart surgeon who works at a local hospital in Los Angeles (of course Los Angeles literally meaning the Angels or City of Angels, in Spanish). The problem is, Maggie has no idea about Seth, as she can't see him but even worse for Seth, Maggie doesn't even believe in angels. She doesn't believe in anything that you can't prove the existence of through science, so for Maggie, the concept of being watched over by an angel is quite laughable.

However, Seth feels so frustrated with his feelings, knowing that he'll have to watch as Maggie lives her life and gets old, with there being no real way that he can show her that he exists. He can't even touch her and this makes him so sad, that he decides to make the biggest decision possible - to give up his immortality as an angel and to become human, so that he can finally meet Maggie and help her believe in his kind.

Does it work out, for either or both of them? what happens when he gives up his immortality, what about Maggie, will she ever believe Seth? is the relationship doomed from the start? can he help her to believe that there really is more out there, than what can be seen under a microscope? you'll have to watch the movie to find out.

- Genre -

This is a romantic drama movie, covering issues of fate, destiny, faith and so on.

- Thoughts/Opinions/Extra Information -

This movie is loosely based on the Wim Wenders German film called 'Wings of Desire', although I can't comment on how similar or dis-similar it is as I haven't seen that movie, I've only read that its based on it.

This is a movie that has definitely touched me, there is something special about it, although im very aware that some people think its simply cheesy, a bit predictable and some people (well, at least one friend in the past said this) think that they were robbed by the ending. For me, what got me was the topic, the issues it dealt with and the message I felt it was trying to convey, that your never alone and that there is more out there. This was something that very much appealed to me, I've always been very interested in such things, the paranormal, angels and all sorts. I think its very depressing to think that we are utterly alone but anyway, back to the movie...

There is some pretty awesome cinematography used in this movie, where you see ariel shots of Los Angeles, where you see groups of angels, in long black jackets, standing around, watching over what goes on in the hustle and bustle of the town below. In the movie, they talk about how they all meet up at a local beach and watch as the sun rises in the morning. There's quite a pretty scene where this is shown and indeed, after Seth has been 'mortalised' (if that is indeed a word, im sure you know what I mean though, made mortal from his previously immortal angel self), he comes to this beach, trying to see if he can detect any of the other angels that he knows are there and he swims in the sea.

One part that should get the waterworks going a bit, for us ladies at least, is after surgery goes badly for one of Maggies patients and she becomes very upset, feeling that she did everything she could, she just can't understand why it didn't work for the patient. Seth comforts her and tries to explain that it isn't all about science, it wasn't in her hands, she did the best she could and that she shouldn't feel bad, it was just their time etc. Of course, she isn't very open at first to believe that this is the case, that anything other than science plays a part in what happens to people and that anyone other than her or anyone else in the operating theatre had any say in what happened to the patient. Seth tries his best to convince her to look past the science books and to believe there is more but she reacts quite strongly against this, thinking that this person must be suffering from some, well, 'issues', put it that way.

It is somewhat difficult to fully explain the appeal of this movie, though I do think for people like me that it is a touching movie. The way that Seth talks to Maggie and her reaction to him, well for a start its, in my opinion, very good quality acting, the performances are particularly good, the frustration and upset is clear in Maggies eyes and the way that Seth tries to explain to her and his mannerisms, the way he acts which gives away that he perhaps isn't as 'normal' as others, its done in an understated sort of way but its done very well, I feel. There are scenes where Seth wants to explore his sudden ability to feel, to touch, which he never had as an angel in the past, he wants to get Maggie to appreciate this. In one scene, in a library in Los Angeles, he gets her to close her eyes and he runs his finger down the middle of her hand (as far as I remember anyway, though ive seen this movie many, many times!) and he asks her what she feels. There's another scene of the two of them when they go to a local market and look at all of the food, particularly the fruits, which fascinates Seth, who had never tasted, let alone touched. He talks of the texture and taste of the fruits.

As well as Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan, Andre Braugher plays 'Cassiel', who is Seths sort of partner when he's still an angel and he asks Seth about Maggie, what his attraction is in this particular person and so on and Seth asks him, if he's ever felt so strongly about anyone else and about whether anyone that he's watched over, has seen him. It seems that very young children have the ability to see, which they lose after they learn to talk, pretty much (maybe this is true; who knows?! its a nice thought, I wish I could remember! yes I do somewhat shamefully fall for this sort of thing I suppose). Also Dennis Franz plays 'Nathaniel Messinger', a man who appears to know quite a few things about angels and who becomes friends with Seth. Is there more to him than meets the eye? maybe, you'll have to watch the movie to find out, of course.

The ending of the movie is quite sudden in one sense and I certainly don't want to spoil it by giving it away. To me, the ending isn't really so important though, its all about the subject of fate, of there being more out there and of trying to convince you to see, there must be more at play and all of those sorts of things. I think that if your not at all open to such things and you'd laugh at the concept of this movie, at the thought of an 'angel' falling in love with a human and becoming human himself, is utterly daft and sentimental nonsense, then clearly this is not for you. Also if you want to walk away feeling like you got answers to all of the questions posed within the movie then again, you may be slightly disappointed but its not about that to me, to me its a movie to get you thinking, to make you feel like you should appreciate life more and to feel more like you know what? your not alone, there is more out there and you should have faith in that. To me, considering I was a bit of a lonely person in my teenage years (and I still am, to a certain extent), I do find it to be a comforting movie, that I feel has a very interesting concept behind it and that features some particularly strong performances.

- Certificate -

City of Angels is rated 12 in the UK. This is due to some partial nudity shown, as some as some sexual related language/sexuality, although it should be suitable for most teenagers to view. There aren't any graphic sex scenes and there's little violence, with no drugs or heavy swearing present either.

- Soundtrack -

To me, the soundtrack adds quite alot to this movie. It adds to each of the scenes that feature the songs, such as 'Iris' by the Goo Goo Dolls which plays as Seth is travelling to Lake Tahoe to meet up with Maggie. There is some very atmospheric classical music played, most memorably the scene where Seth makes his jump and his transition from immortal angel to mortal human occurs, this is quite a moving piece called 'Angel Falls' and there are other similar atmospheric pieces (such as 'Unfeeling Kiss' and 'Spreading Wings'), all from/by the composer Gabriel Yared, who composed the film score.

Other singers or groups who feature on the official movie soundtrack and in the movie itself, include John Lee Hooker ('Mama You Got A Daughter'), Sarah McLachlan ('Angel' - a favourite track of mine) and Alanis Morissette ('Uninvited'). There are also tracks from U2 ('If God Will Send His Angels'), Jimi Hendrix ('Red House') and Peter Gabriel ('I Grieve'), although I don't *think* these feature during the movie itself.

It is a varied album/soundtrack, with a mix of pop, rock and classical film score tracks, some are older and some are newer. Its a nice mix and if you find the movie as moving and atmospheric as I do, then you should enjoy listening to most of these tracks, to bring back the memory of the better scenes in the movie, apart from anything else. If your a fan of the movie at all, I'd definitely recommend trying to get ahold of this CD and as far as the film is concerned, I'd say that the musical score definitely adds to the atmosphere of the movie in the pivotal scenes and also in the more everyday scenes as well.

- Official Website -

The official website for City of Angels can be found here:- http://city-of-angels.warnerbros.com/

Here you'll find 'Seths notebook' and 'Maggies journal', where you can read an entry in these books and if you click on them a video clip from the movie will load. The quality isn't so good, as its quite an old site dating from around 1998 (the release year of the movie itself!) and it requires QuickTime Player to play the clips.

You can also find production notes, scenes from the film, the movie trailer and interview clips and information on the soundtrack on the site, as well as information on angels (angels on film, information on LA (aka the city of angels), links to websites about angels and you can send angel webcards too).

Incase its not too clear, you access these different sections by clicking on one of the three angels to the far bottom left of the main window, if you put your cursor over them, the section name shows up (thats 'Love Story' (ie the notebook/journal), 'Production' and 'Angels').

- Conclusions -

To me, this is quite a magical and touching movie. I'm not naive enough to believe that everyone else will necessarily walk away from having seen it feeling that its as good, as I feel it is. I am aware that some people think its over sentimental, that its perhaps a bit predictable towards the end, or that its just a bit stupid. Well, if you know what the story is about and it doesn't appeal, then simply don't see it but I don't think its fair to give this a bad rating because some people think the idea is daft, or anything like that.

The performances in this movie are great, the musical score and soundtrack is also particularly good and both of these things add to the already quite fascinating (in my opinion) story, making it a particularly good movie, thats well worth watching, if it sounds like something that would interest you.

Like I say, the movie should make you wonder about the messages behind it, is there some immortal being out there that watches over you? is there such a thing as fate? is there more to life, than what we know of and can explain?.

At the end of the day and at the end of the movie, you may wonder what exactly your supposed to think, as the ending may also be seen as quite confusing (though I don't want to give it away), it is certainly pretty emotional but again, like I keep saying, I feel that in a sense its a case of not expecting exact answers to the questions posed, philosophically or otherwise, in the movie but rather its to make you question and think about it yourself.

So if this is your sort of thing, I would very much encourage you to rent or buy the movie - get some tissues out, be prepared to be pretty open minded and watch and enjoy. I hope that you get as much enjoyment and comfort from this movie as I have and if your like me and enjoy the classical pieces and the other tracks played during the movie, I'd also encourage you to look into the soundtrack CD, which can be bought separately (whether this is still published as the movie and soundtrack are about ten years old, I'm not entirely sure but you can always check for second hand copies etc.).

I hope this review did the movie justice and that it helps explain why it is one of my two very much favourite movies that ive seen.

Thanks, as always, for reading! 

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