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By Chris Mansson, Director Adjust font size:
    Sat 07.00 ... Alarm goes off and I wake with a start. I'm in Berlin to shoot "The Scene" with one of my all time favorite film directors, Wim Wenders. Fifteen years ago, when I studied film in Stockholm, Wenders films "Wings of Desire" and "Paris, Texas" had a massive impact on me. I was in awe of the man, and now I'm about to spend the day with him in his city, directing him. I can't wait. Sat 10.00 ... I'm standing in the foyer of the "Akadamie der Kunste" waiting for Wenders to show up. He wanted to start the shoot here on the balcony overlooking the Brandenburg Gate -- a great location, but then again I wouldn't have expected anything less from the man. I look out and see him arrive on his bike, dressed in faded jeans, a long coat and big red scarf and looking younger than his age. We greet and head up to the balcony where cameraman Darren is ready to go. Sat 10.30 ... Camera rolls and Wenders goes off on one. Completely at ease, he launches in to a monologue, an ode to Berlin, describing it as a place tarnished by history, a city that despite its wounds manages to inspire creativity in all art forms. He talks about the energy the city exudes and compares it to New York. The statue on top of the Brandenburg Gate catches his eye and he points out that Berlin is full of angels, looking over the city, a motif famous from his films. Sat 11.30 ... We hit the road, Wenders hits his bike. The picture of cameraman Darren running alongside Wenders on his bike, zig-zagging in between tourists and street performers in front of the Brandenburg Gate is comical, although I'm not sure they would agree. We head over to the newly opened Holocaust Mahmal, a memorial to the more than six million Jews killed during World War II. The mood suddenly changes as Wenders contemplates this. He likes the memorial and states that it is important that it is here, that some people need to be reminded of the reality it symbolizes. He's off again across the road. On his bike he enters Tiergarten, the central park of Berlin a huge expanse of park/forest in the middle of the city. He seems to voice my own thoughts: "Berlin is a gray city right?" Wrong! According to Wenders, Berlin has more parks than any other European city, canals and rivers with more bridges than Venice even. Sat 12.00 ... Finally, we're here at the Angel of Victory -- "Goldelse" as the Berliners call her: Angel of all Angels -- a central character in Wenders films "Wings of Desire" and "Far Away, So Close!" "We put a guy up there on one of the wings of the angel, we got him up by a crane and pick him up by helicopter," Wenders says. It's clear that this lady holds a special place in his heart. She keeps appearing in his work, a kind of central figure, perhaps a heroine or a symbol of something that only Wenders knows. We climb the 500-plus stairs to get to the top, and it nearly kills me (I am so joining the gym in January). We're on top of Berlin and Wenders points out that before the wall came down, all directions pointed to East (Germany). Today we have north, south, east and west. We finish off the shoot and head back down. Sat 13:00 ... There's no way to avoid it, we can't shoot a film with Wim Wenders in Berlin without a visit to what's left of the Berlin Wall. There's a stretch in what used to be West Berlin, a mile or so where the wall is intact. Wenders walks up to it, slams it with the palm of his hand and says, "God, I used to hate this wall, the only good thing about it was that it was one of the world's largest canvasses." And he's right. It's still is covered in art, graffiti, wall paintings and scribbles. We film him as he explores it thoughtfully until a group of Spanish tourists spots him and comes over for a chat. This happens throughout the day, people stopping him for a quick chat, an autograph or to have their pictures taken with him. Sat 14:00 ... Lunchtime. We head east to Mitte, where Wenders lives and where his office is located. Mitte is where it all happens now says Wenders -- It's where the young crowd hangs out, full of bars, restaurants, galleries and cinemas. We grab a quick bite in a café-bar and continue to talk about his work. He tells me that his last six films have been shot in the States in English and that his next project is to be in Germany in German. Sat 15:00 ... We hit the streets, the only way to really experience a city. Wenders takes us through Mitte, we enter the old courtyards of Hochen Hoefe, now trendy hangouts. We check out some galleries, buy chestnuts, get stopped by friends, fans and even a security guard who shouts something in German about permits. We turn in to Sophien strasse and Wenders stops by a building riddled by bullet holes from the war. The contrast is shocking. Much of Berlin has been rebuild over the years but you can't ever quite escape it's turbulent past, maybe that is part of what makes this city so special. We bid our farewell to Wenders whose parting words are: "Cut it fast, make it 30 seconds." I've got enough material for one hour documentary, how the hell am I going to tell this story in 70 seconds? |
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