essay on wings of desire and the white ribbon

7/25/2019 Essay on Wings of Desire and The White Ribbon

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Adler Scheidt December, 2013

German Film post-WWIIProfessor Steinro!er

Final Paper

"hildhood in #ichael $ane%e&s The White Ribbonand Wim Wenders& Wings of Desire

'here (ere t(o specific films amon those (e (atched in class this semester that st)c%

o)t to me, that I fo)nd the most compellin* 'hese (ere The White Ribbonand Wings of Desire*

'he+ are t(o altoether different films in terms of narrati!ethe former is linear (hile the latter

disreards man+ elements of se)ential stor+tellin and e.plores its themes laterall+ (ith onl+ a

relati!el+ loose stor+ line* $ane%e&s film has a reat deal of historical conte.t and specificit+ in

settin, and (hile Wender&s film set in /erlin certainl+ has an important and personal correlation

(ith this settin, it also achie!es an effect of timelessness* 'here are a n)mber of other disparate

elements, the contrast in cinematoraph+ (o)ld be an e.ample, b)t beca)se I lo!ed these films

!er+ m)ch, I so)ht o)t to find somethin that lin%ed the t(o toether* 'he most pre!ailin

theme, (hich is also ar)abl+ one of the most sinificant in loo%in at either film on its o(n,

emered as that of childhood* An indication of this is the mere !is)al presence of children in both

films, (hich is incredibl+ prono)nced, b)t in addition to this each film foc)ses !er+ closel+ on

the s)bect of childhood and ser!es a concentrated dose of the hea!+ iss)es that arise in loo%in

at the s)bect* 'h)s, I ha!e ta%en a close loo% at both films in these terms, and the follo(in

disc)ssion (ill bein (ith The White Ribbon, mo!in to a foc)s on Wings of Desire and a

s+nthesis of each film&s notion of childhood and the effect prod)ced b+ loo%in at these t(o

perspecti!es in tandem*

In The White Ribbon, 'he children of the !illae are raised and disciplined (ith reat

strictness, and as (e are sho(n, often to the point of !iolence* We see this earl+ on in the film

thro)h the (a+ the pastor deals (ith his t(o oldest children, lara and #artin, after the+ ha!e

come home late for dinner* As p)nishment, no one in the famil+ is permitted to eat that e!enin,

the t(o are to be (hipped the follo(in da+ for their beha!ior, and (ill be made to (ear a (hite

ribbon to remind them to act responsibl+* 'he (hite ribbon is to s+mbolie p)rit+ and moralit+,

and for the !ie(er represents the o!erarchin theme of the imposition of "hristian !al)es in this

societ+* $o(e!er, the film ends )p sho(in that the establishment of the "h)rch and its tr)e

!al)es are to a certain e.tent ta%en for ranted, and the pastor fails to realie that in enforcin


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ood beha!ior (ith a sort of blind strictness he loses siht of (hat it is to tr)l+ be a ood person

and a ood father* 'he Father is b+ no means a badpersonin fact he is a ood oneb)t can

be seen as a !ictim to some of the ad!erse c)stoms of this societ+ that ha!e li%el+ de!eloped o!er

enerations* For the Father, nothin is ta%en lihtl+4 e!er+ (rondoin seems to be a serio)s sinthat m)st not be left )np)nished, and co)pled (ith (hat seems to be an obliator+ ine.pressi!e

co)ntenance and a caref)l restraint in sho(in emotions in front of his children, one ets the

sense of a s)ffocatin atmosphere that closes in aro)nd the children more and more )ntil the+

ha!e to release the bottled )p ener+ that has acc)m)lated from ha!in to s)ppress e.pression*

'hese )alities are also confirmed and accented b+ limpses into other families, as for instance

b+ the strictness and !iolence of the farmer to(ard his son, and that of the ste(ard to(ard his

children* 'here is also a eneral atmosphere of nelect to(ard children* 'he ad)lts seem

)ns+mpathetic to the beha!ior of children, as if the+ ha!e forotten (hat it is li%e to be a child,

and as a res)lt come across as )nempathetic to(ard the iss)es (ith ro(in )p* 5elated to this is

the fact that this societ+ is intensel+ patriarchal, (hich is also a sinificant foc)s of the film* 'he

mothers are depicted as compassionate, b)t this is o!ershado(ed b+ the dominatin

disciplinarian fi)re of the father* Interestinl+, the baroness is an e.ception to this* 6)st as she is

the onl+ one capable of escapin the patriarchal str)ct)reonl+ she has the means to ta%e her

children and lea!e her h)sband and the !illae behindshe also happens to be a relati!el+ stern

and nelectf)l parent, often forbiddin Sii to do this or that 7i*e* pace aro)nd the room (hile she

pla+s the piano (ith $)ber, or to pla+ (ith his friend )pon their ret)rn from the trip8, and rel+in

on $)ber and the nann+ to be responsible for him 7i*e* ma%in s)re he has done his home(or%

and this sort of thin8*

'here is one partic)larl+ po(erf)l se)ence of three scenes that seems to most effecti!el+

e.pose the problems of ho( the children of this !illae are raised and ho( the+ act as a res)lt*

'he first of these sho(s the manifestation of the !iolence that is present in the beha!ior of the

children* We are placed in the tran)il, nat)ral en!ironment of the (oods in the afternoon, in

(hich )nder plent+ of da+liht (e see a entle breee passin thro)h the lea!es of trees and

hear the chirpin of birds* 9n either side of the frame the ste(ard&s t(o sons are each leanin

aainst a tree in the forero)nd, (hile Sii sits in the rass closer to the s(amp, centered and in

the middle ro)nd of the shot* In the bac%ro)nd (e see the (oods and the rest of the s(amp,

and all the (hile the three bo+s are (or%in to constr)ct (ooden (histles from stic%s* Sii is the


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first to s)ccessf)ll+ prod)ce a so)nd from of his (histle, and one of the bo+s (ho is str)lin

becomes increasinl+ ealo)s* S)ddenl+ in an o)tb)rst of aner he ets )p and heads straiht for

Sii, rabs his (histle from him, and sho!es him into the s(amp* 'his !iolent act the space of

s)ch a peacef)l en!ironment is rather )nsettlin* It complements the idea that is pre!alentelse(here in the film concernin dar%ness )nderneath a !eil of lihtness or oodness, as (ith the

(hite ribbon and the fa:ade of proper "hristian !al)es, behind (hich occ)rs !iolent and immoral

acts*

Immediatel+ follo(in this scene is one in (hich (e see the pastor (or%in )ietl+ in his

st)d+, and )pon hearin a %noc% on the door, his +o)nest son enters the room* $oldin his

ne(l+ healed bird in its cae, he bashf)ll+ approaches his father&s des%, and tells him it is ;to

replace Peepsie, beca)se +o) are so sad*< 'he Father appears to be holdin bac% an+ chane in

e.pression and does not so m)ch as smile, b)t sternl+ sa+s, ;than% +o)< and his son mee%l+

replies, ;+o)r (elcome, father*< 5ealiin that no more is to come of the con!ersation the little

bo+ t)rns to lea!e the room, tho)h he does so rel)ctantl+, loo%in bac% before lea!in the room,

b)t his father sa+s no more* After the door is closed (e see that the preacher is mo!ed b+ the

est)re, b)t he holds bac% a cr+, fihtin to allo( a chane in his co)ntenance* In effect, (e are

sho(n a decided repression of emotional e.pression* Seein the p)re, +o)nest child of the

famil+ be coldl+ than%ed for s)ch a bea)tif)l act is deepl+ )psettin, and (e et the sense that it

(on&t be lon )ntil the imprint of the stern, restrained beha!ior of his ho)sehold (ill lead him to

stop actin in this childli%e, compassionate (a+ that in!ol!es resc)in in)red birds and n)rsin

them to health*

Follo(in this is the scene in (hich Geor the ste(ard, ha!in heard of the incident b+

the pond, comes home to demand the (histle bac% from his son* When the bo+ denies ha!in the

(histle, his father reall+ forcef)ll+ hits his son on the side of the face and %noc%s him to the

ro)nd, (here he then %ic%s him once he&s do(n* $e storms do(nstairs and is abo)t to lea!e

(hen his son blo(s the (histle h+stericall+ from )pstairs* 'he ste(ard rabs his cane and r)shes

)p the stairs, b)t the camera remains at the foot of the stairs, loo%in to(ard the room that is not

in siht b)t from (here (e hear the (hippin ta%in place* $ere, the placement of the camera

o)tside of the room (here !iolent p)nishment occ)rs 7somethin (e ha!e also seen in a pre!io)s

shot o)tside of the room (here #artin is (hipped b+ his father8 !is)all+ emphasies the idea that

the !illaers are hidin their !iolence behind the pretense of ood, "hristian beha!ior* 'he


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efforts of the ad)lts in repressin their emotions, ph+sicall+ ab)sin their children, and the

o!erall sense of %eepin thins hidden, res)lts in the concealed aressi!e beha!ior that (e see

committed b+ the older children*

'hese three scenes from The White Ribboni!e a sort of proression of childhood fromits p)re beinnins (ith the +o)nest children, the se!ere manner in (hich the+ are disciplined,

and ho( their beha!ior as a res)lt of their repressi!e en!ironment t)rns from openl+

compassionate to co!ertl+ aressi!e and !iolent* 'h)s, (hat de!elops in the film is a foc)s on

the s)ppression and corr)ption of childhood*

A !er+ different t+pe of film, Wim Wenders& Wings of Desire,has an e)all+ pre!alent

foc)s on childhood* /)t more so than the theme of corr)ption, it foc)ses on celebratin

childhood and both promotin the idea of maintainin child-li%e )alities into ad)lthood and

lamentin the loss of childhood that occ)rs in later staes in life* At the beinnin of the film is a

se)ence of scenes that i!es emphasis to the c)riosit+ of children and the attention the+ pa+ to

their s)rro)ndins* Damiel is sho(n perched far abo!e the cit+ on top of a tall str)ct)re* We then

ha!e a bird&s e+e !ie( from the anel&s perspecti!e of a cro(d of people crossin the street* A

child loo%s )p and stops riht in the middle of the cross(al% )pon spottin him, and her standin

there resembles that of a roc% in the center of a stream, (ith the people flo(in li%e (ater past

her, ro)tinel+ crossin the street (itho)t stoppin* '(o ad)lts b)mp into the irl a little bit b)t

mo!e riht alon* 9nl+ the child has the time and interest to stop and loo% )pnone of the

ad)lt&s passin b+ (ho notice the child care to loo% )p to see (hat she miht be loo%in at* 'hen

(e see t(o different children on a b)s* 9ne is loo%in )p and notices the anel atop the ch)rch,

and points him o)t to his brother* Follo(in this (e see a man (al%in in the street (ith a

papoose on his bac%* 'he bab+ loo%s )p and catches siht of a bird* In another shot (e see a

(oman ridin her bic+cle (ith her child on board behind herhe is reclined in the b)+ starin

at the s%+, fi.ated on an airplane fl+in o!erhead* 'he !ie(er soon catches on that onl+ children

are capable of seein the anels, b)t this fact, as (ell as the !is)al depictions of children bein

more c)rio)s and a(are of (hat is aro)nd them, is a testament to (hat the film has to sa+ abo)t

childhood* 'he+ are in man+ (a+s able to see more clearl+ than the ad)lts* Damiel has a lon list

of tho)hts on (hat it is to be a child that bein the film and are interpolated thro)ho)t the rest

of the narrati!e*


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>;When the child (as a child, it (al%ed (ith its arms s(inin* It (anted to stream to be a ri!er, the ri!er a

torrent, and this p)ddle to be the sea* When the child (as a child, it didn&t %no( it (as a child* ?!er+thin

(as f)ll of life, and all life (as one* When the child (as a child, it had no opinion abo)t an+thin, no

habits* It often sat cross-leed, too% off r)nnin, had a co(lic% in its hair and didn&t ma%e faces (hen

photoraphed*

essay on wings of desire and the white ribbon

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