Wings of Desire (Courtesy of Janus Films)

SERIES
Tribute to Bruno Ganz

March 16–24, 2019
In honor of the late great Swiss actor Bruno Ganz (1941–2019), the Museum is spotlighting two of his most acclaimed and beloved performances. In a career spanning nearly 60 years, Ganz worked with auteurs such as Werner Herzog, Eric Rohmer, Theo Angelopoulos, and Lars von Trier, but it was in two collaborations with German director Wim Wenders that Ganz became known worldwide for his uncommon poise, minutely emotive face, and unique yet undeniable movie star magnetism. In The American Friend (1977) he is a terminally ill picture framer who forms an unlikely rapport with an oily art dealer played by Dennis Hopper, while in Wenders's modern classic Wings of Desire (1987), he plays an angel watching over late-communist Berlin who wishes to become mortal, if only to be seen by the woman he loves.