Solveig Dommartin gives the trapeze artist in Wings of Desire a physical conviction the dialogue sometimes obstructs. We rate her contribution highly, while wishing Wenders had given her more ordinary conversation and fewer speeches.
Fi1m perspective
On the trapeze in Wings of Desire (1987), Solveig Dommartin gives Marion an occupation we can believe in before the film asks us to consider her loneliness. She learnt the acrobatics in eight weeks and performed without a stunt double or a net. We felt anxious watching her there, because the physical demands are so plain. That commitment matters to a film inclined to give its characters long thoughts to speak aloud. It was her film acting debut, and the physical work remains the clearest reason to seek her out.
Marion is less well served when she has to explain herself. Wenders allows Dommartin too little ordinary give-and-take, and the romance slows under dialogue whose careful phrasing keeps drawing attention to the writing. We wanted to hear more of how this woman spoke to someone else, rather than another account of what she felt. Henri Alekan’s roaming camera keeps the film welcoming, but it cannot make those speeches sound like conversation.
Her work with Wenders extended beyond acting: she co-wrote the story of Until the End of the World (1991) and starred as Claire Tourneur. That collaboration makes it misleading to treat her simply as a face chosen for his searching women. She returned as Marion in Faraway, So Close (1993), keeping the association close. The supporting part of Toni in Claire Denis’ No Fear, No Die (1990) and a minor appearance in Denis’ I Can’t Sleep (1994) sit outside it. Those films deserve acknowledgement, though the Wenders collaboration gives us the stronger basis for judging her work.
We would not trade away the film’s slowness simply to make Marion easier company. Its attention to ordinary lives is part of what moves us, and a more impatient performance would not necessarily help. The difficulty comes when the writing tells us so much about her feelings that we have less chance to discover them ourselves. Start with Wings of Desire, and forgive the speeches when the woman delivering them deserves better.
Biography
Solveig Dommartin was a French actress. She made her feature film debut as Marion in Wings of Desire (1987), directed by Wim Wenders. For the role she learned circus acrobatics in eight weeks and performed without a stunt double.
Her other film roles include Claire Tourneur in Until the End of the World (1991), which she co-wrote with Wenders, and Marion in Faraway, So Close! (1993). She began her career in the theatre with Compagnie Timothée Laine and Theater Labor Warschau, and worked as an assistant to director Jacques Rozier.
Dommartin also directed the short film It Would Only Take a Bridge (1998). She died in Paris in 2007.
